Ramblings of an aspiring writer

Halfway there. At least we should be by the end of today. Yep, it’s the fifteenth, and that means to be on target, we should each have 25,000 words by midnight.

One person in my writing group finished NaNo this year in three days. Yes, you heard me right. Three days. The rest of the group hates her more than a little. Some of us (me included) are having a tougher time. I’m managing to stay on target, but I’ve never had a big day like I did my first year (7,000 words my first or second night), and the words aren’t just flowing like water as they did last year (which is what I get for not outlining). But I’m doing okay. Unless something goes really wrong, I’ll hit the fifty thousand.

You know why?

Because I am a stubborn bitch, and I refuse to let the words get the best of me.

Yeah, it’s that simple. Even in those early days when I decided this year’s story sucked, I didn’t stop. I kept on writing. When depression reared its ugly head and started screaming that my writing wasn’t worth anything, I kept on writing. Some days it was like pulling teeth to get words, and I went to bed more than once without hitting my 1667. But I wrote something every day.

Because really, if I want to succeed as a novelist, I need to be able to do that. The professional authors I chat with on a semi-regular basis don’t make excuses. They admit when they fall behind, and then they buckle down and get it done. They get the words out whatever it takes.

So even though I’m not ahead of the game, and even though I’m still not completely feeling this story (I like it better now than I did though), I’m going to continue to practice BICHOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard). I’ll do word sprints with friends when I can, and pull words like molars when I have to.

We’re not on that downhill slide yet. The end isn’t in sight, but neither is the beginning. Sure, we could lie down and quit, but we’ve come too far to turn around. I am too invested in my characters now not see this thing to the end, and I hope you are too. If not, unleash the stubborn bitch you’ve got inside, because she won’t quit no matter how much you might want to. She’s what will see you to the finish line when you think you’ve got nothing left.