Forget about the numbers.
Wow. What a weird thing to say smack-dab in the middle of NaNoWriMo. Because that’s all about the numbers, the word counts, how many words you can crank out every minute, hour, and day.
Writers like to keep track of their progress in numbers. How many pages, words, books you’ve written and haven’t written. How many days you have left to finish this project before a deadline.
I’m going to ask you to do something crazy, just for a moment. Forget about the numbers…
Sometimes I get tired. Tired of constantly checking my word count, how many words I can write in a minute, in a word sprint, in a writing session. How many words a friend wrote this week, how many words I have to write today to meet that deadline. Tired of the constant push and poke of those numbers.
Don’t get me wrong. Goals are awesome and I talk about that all the time. But sometimes you have to forget about the numbers. Let go of the pressure. Give yourself room to breathe.
So yeah, suuuper weird to say in the middle of NaNoWriMo. But I just wanted to give you a friendly reminder to take care of yourself. Avoid burnout by not just taking care of your body but your mind and creativity. Think “Even if I don’t reach my NaNoWriMo goal, it’s okay.” Because it is. Sure there are plenty of writers who beat the challenge, but there are plenty who don’t. I didn’t the first time I participated. In fact, I didn’t even reach halfway (*gasps*).
So this month, when the pressure of those words is the heaviest, remind yourself that it’s okay. It’s okay if life gets in the way and you can’t reach that goal. It’s okay to drop the NaNo challenge altogether if your creativity is suffering. It’s okay to see your friends beat the challenge while you decided to take a break. It is okay. Forget about the numbers. Just rest in the wonderful fact that you are a storyteller and get to participate in this beautiful craft.
19 Comments
SAY ITTTTTT!!
😀
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? What’s your story about?
I am not. I am so busy with school and piano that I haven’t had the time to write more than a paragraph in the past few months. What is my story about? Well, the book I recently finished.
A novel– Four young adults, and their pastor (34 year old, Jay, the person who leads it), has formed a intercessory prayer group.
The story is told by one of the girls there, 20 year old Hayes Alexandra Millard (she’ll be 21 towards the end). As the story progresses, each member of the group learns what it means to intercede. Not just for each other, but for those around them.
When time passes, and life spreads them apart, even to the point that Pastor Jay can no longer teach them, will they step up and be the leader he has taught them to be for one another? Or let everything come crashing down in the process?
***Wonderful post, Jenna! Love you girl!*
P.S. –> You said you were a musician on one of your posts. What instrument do you play? Do you sing? 🙂
I’m not participating in NaNoWriMo this year (I actually explain why in this post: https://jennaterese.com/2020/07/21/i-deleted-my-nanowrimo-account/)
Wow, your story sounds so interesting and deep! I wish you all the best with it!
Thank you so much for your support, Abby! <3
YES, I play piano and I'm trying to teach myself guitar and ukulele. I don't sing though (unless you count half-singing half-humming when no one's around lol). Do you play an instrument?
Aww, thanks! I wish you all the best with your books as well! And you’re welcome. WOW, blessings with learning those instruments! And yes, I play the piano. If you email me (if you’re interested), I’ll send you a rare video of me playing (and singing) a Christmas song on piano that I recorded last week for my piano teacher. It’s not amazing, but it’s just what I have to offer lol.
OOH YES I’d love to see that video! 😀 I’ll shoot you an email…
I sent it to you. The video was so big I had to forward the original email that I sent to my piano teacher. 😊
Love this!!! A great reminder that success is not defined by numbers. ❤️ Like Abby, I’m not participating in NaNoWriMo either because my life is crazy-busy. However, I’ve made good progress on my stories (for me).
Starganauts, my Christian space opera, is about 8 survivors of Earth’s apocalypse who discover mysterious orbs on a alien planet, which transform them into superhuman warriors.
Scarbough Faire, my historical WIP, is a tumultuous romance set in medieval England. It’s about two people separated by distance and circumstance, with the Black Plague and the emerging Ottoman Empire figuring into the mix. I based if off the lyrics of the popular folk song. 😊
Oh, so good! That sounds amazing!
That’s so awesome, CE! And your stories sound so amazing (I especially like Starganauts)! 😀 Keep up the good work! <3
Thank you so much!!! ❣️
I haven’t written anything on my stories for the past couple weeks and while I definitely miss it, I don’t really mind somehow? Other things are allowed to take priority every once in a while 😁
So true! Sometimes it’s nice to have a break and focus on other things. 🙂
Wow wow, this is so good and so true! It is easy to be caught up in the numbers, but it is about writing the story that matters. And sometimes that means not writing it.
I am not doing NaNo either cause life wouldn’t allow that without too much stress! I was like, “Maybe… okay, nope.”
My story (and its series) can be summed up by this one line:
A dystopian about a young cyborg male struggling to live after the war.
Okay, this is weird using my full name. I didn’t noticed it did that.
So true, Miranda!
OH MY WORD your story sounds so epic!! 😀
This is so true! Thank you for sharing! I actually just posted about how I’m giving up my original goal for NaNo and working on something else. 🙂
😀 That’s so awesome, Jen! Thanks for reading!
[…] And yet there are others who can barely find a moment to rest and sleep, let alone write. Maybe they’d really like to finally finish that story after adding a word or two here or there for the past three years. Maybe they’d really like to pursue writing as a side career. But they just don’t have time. Even if they can’t change their busy schedules, they feel guilt for not “writing every day” like they see the experts suggesting. […]