GOOOOD MORNIN! Or afternoon of course! Happy FREAKIN Tuesday! I hope your week got off to a tremendous start and that you are getting ready to tear it up this week!
Quick note for the readers out there, my newest novel, Vengeance Before Virtue released TODAY, October 29th. It is on Amazon right now, so go grab your copy here! The eBook is discounted for a limited time!
Also, if you haven’t read my first novel yet, the first novel in my first series, Love Before Law, I would recommend picking that up first! Both can be found by searching the titles or my name on Amazon.
This week is a big one, not just because of my newest release, but because it marks the end of October and the start of November! November is great for several reasons! Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Football, Cool Weather and the holiday season starting to close in.
HOWEVER. Do you like my all-caps words by the way? Are they getting your attention? I am feeling enthusiastic today and it is important that I portray that through this post! I hope you are feeling it!
Anyways.
HOWEVER, November is also what the writing world refers to as Nation Novel Writing Month, aka, NaNoWriMo!
NaNoWriMo is a month-long event, taking place in November, with the goal being to write an entire novel or 50,000 words of a novel, in one months’ time! This is no small task, BUT, lucky for you I just published a post on how to write a novel in a month!
You can check it out by scrolling down just one post if interested!
Now, I won’t claim to know what each of you are thinking, however, I do know what some of you are thinking. Why? Why rush through a book in one month? I have plenty of time, there is no reason to push it. You might be thinking that the quality will suffer or that plot holes will be imminent.
None of these thoughts are wrong and for some, writing a whole book in 30 days is not ideal and that is perfectly fine. I will say though, that there are some absolute up-sides to taking advantage of NaNoWriMo! If you have any interest at all in the event, here are a few reasons why you should consider participating.
1. It Gives You a Reason
I know that, for the writers here, some of you are right at the point where you have an idea or an urge to finally let that first book out of you, but you just haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I know, because I spent a LONG time at this stage.
Writing a book can be daunting and telling people about it or actually letting people read it can be even worse! Let me ask you something though. What is scarier? Trying something you might fail at or never trying something that could change your entire world for the better?
To me, it is terrifying to think about what I could miss out on if I don’t try. It scares me to death to think about not hitting my full potential all because it was a little uncomfortable to get started!
I know it is uncomfortable, but once you get past that first little bump, that first book, it gets a little easier. And then a little easier. And with every passing check mark on your goal sheet, you start to feel less fear and more motivation to keep going!
NaNoWriMo is the perfect excuse to get started! The perfect reason to try! It is a month that is dedicated to accomplishing this thing that is on so many peoples To-Do list!
Even if you don’t complete the entire thing, just use this as a reason to get started. Write a little bit every day and every day you will get a little more comfortable and a little more excited about your project!
2. You Are Not Alone
Writing is generally a solitary activity. It requires a writer, a computer (or paper), creativity, hours of time and, in most cases, silence. It can even be a little lonely at times. NOT NANOWRIMO! Writers from all over the globe participate in this event!
People join together in small writing groups on the NaNoWriMo website to help encourage each other to keep going! You can even see where other writers are in your area and meet up for writing sessions!
NaNoWriMo is a great exhibit of the writing community and how supportive we all are of each other. Technically, we are all competitors! All competing for the same readers to enjoy our work. At the same time, though, we all want each other to succeed.
This concept is especially important if this would be your first book! It is nice to get a plethora of support right off the bat while you are getting started! This is a great opportunity, don’t miss it!
3. It Shows You What Your Pace Is
There are writers out there who will tell you that you MUST write quickly so that you can build an audience faster and have more people reading your books. Then, there are writers who will tell you that you MUST write slowly over the course of several months because otherwise it won’t be a quality story.
There are arguments on both sides and there are more reasons than the couple that I listed, but the truth is IT DOESN’T MATTER. There are no rules! You can write twenty books in a year or you can write one book in twenty years!
As long as you are enjoying it, that is what matters. That is why we do this in the first place! What I will say is that it helps to know what your natural pace is so that you can plan and take advantage of it.
I am a naturally quick writer and I am able to somewhat hold a story together even writing very, very quickly. Of course, I always have to bring in my editor, Laurie, to catch any plot holes my haste created!
I know writers who are naturally slow writers and who need to take their time to make sure the story comes out correctly. That is their pace and that is perfect for them! Just like you shouldn’t try to be something you’re not, you shouldn’t fight against the way you naturally work.
You CERTAINLY shouldn’t writer faster or slower just because someone says you should!
This is one more reason why you should consider participating in NaNoWriMo. Yes, it is fast paced, but there is no law stating that YOU MUST FINISH if you choose to participate. There is no punishment. If nothing else, it will help you to discover your personal pace and that can be very powerful!
Tuesday blog post IS A WRAP. Speaking of which I have a joke:
Taco Bell just came out with a brand-new song, well, it’s actually more of a wrap.
HAHAHAHA, NICE!
Little pat on the back, just for me, for a joke well written.
Hey, if you are interested in participating in NaNoWriMo it doesn’t cost anything other than your time! It really is a cool concept and I hope you will consider it! If you need no more time, you can create an account https://www.nanowrimo.org/ right there!
I can’t forget my little bit of motivation for the day! I have been seeing on social media that there are quite a few people in my immediate atmosphere who are going through a rough time. I have seen death of family members, sickness, stress, injury, and the list goes on.
We all experience rough things in life. It is inevitable. We are all going to have hard things thrown at us that we have to figure out a way to get through. I have always found it really helpful during tough times to just have someone let me know that it was going to be okay.
So, look it is going to be okay. Everything is going to be alright. I know that right now it might seem like it is never going to get better, but the sun is going to rise tomorrow. A new day is going to come and the pain that you are feeling will pass. No matter what it is you are dealing with, you CAN do it. There is nothing that you can’t handle, you just have to trust yourself. Do not give up. I am rooting for you. I’m in your corner. I know you can make it through whatever it is, so just keep going. One foot in front of the other. You got this!
Tyler Porter Books 