NaNoWriMo: over the hump by Wendy H. Jones

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As you read this, National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as it is fondly called, will be just over half way through. Writers all over the world will collectively have written millions of words and will be storming towards their final goal of 50,000. Some writers will already have completed this number of words and may have stopped at that point or may be carrying on to write an entire novel. Some writers may be struggling to move their word count forward and that magical 50,000 seems to be far in the distance. I speak to everyone today but mainly to those who are struggling. 

To those of you who are storming ahead, congratulations, I applaud you. This is a fabulous achievement and you should give yourself a pat on the back and some extra chocolate (other treats are available). At the end of November you can download that winners certificate and claim your winner goodies. You might even buy yourself a NaNoWriMo Winner T-Shirt. Why not, you deserve it after all your hard work.

To those of you who are struggling, I am right there cheering you on. I believe in you and you can do this. Even if you don't reach 50,000 then, however many words you have written, you are still amazing. You are still many words further forward than you were at the beginning of November. The difficulty with winner is that everyone who doesn't hit the 50,000 word goal automatically feels they have failed. You have not failed - you are still a winner. To quote Ray Bradbury as per my image above:

'You only fail if you stop writing.'

Never a truer word has been spoken. Keep on writing. Keep on striving towards that goal. Use every minute to catch up and, remember, it's not the end of November yet. You can still do it. And if the end of November arrives and your word count isn't quite there, celebrate what you have done. Have a glass of wine. Buy yourself a book. Eat chocolate (yes, I am a chocoholic). Do what makes you happy. Above all else, keep on writing. Remember you're not alone. Others know how you feel and I am still there cheering from the sidelines. You've got this.

I would love to know how you are doing. Let me know in the comments, so I can encourage you and help you reach that goal. 

About the Author

Wendy H. Jones is an award-winning, international best-selling author who writes adult crime books, young adult mysteries, children's picture books and non-fiction books for writers. She is also a writing and marketing coach, runs the Writing Matters Online School and is the CEO of Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy, The president of the Scottish Association of Writers and hosts The Writing and Marketing Show podcast. She is currently writing a series of historical fiction novels based around the life of a 19th Century Surgeon in the Royal Navy. 

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