Last year I ran a thread with a post every day to inspire and encourage all our NaNoWriMo participants. I'm doing it again this year (yay!) These posts are also appearing on my blog.
No need to comment if you don't want to - these are meant to be quick to look at and enjoy, not to derail or allow for too much procrastination. Good luck everyone!
Remember: NaNoWriMo is whatever you need it to be. You win just by showing up.
xoxo
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 1st, 2011, 10:12 am
by Sommer Leigh
DAY ONE: Word Count Goal: 1,667
There is nothing more beautiful, and more terrifying, than a blank page and a single beginning. Kick some ass, NaNoers.
I’m starting off the month with a little inspiration I created for the A to Z Challenge in April. It was “B”.
Not participating in NaNoWriMo? Be a cheerleader! Help cheer on the Bransforumers who are participating in this month long writing extravaganza!
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 2nd, 2011, 9:05 am
by Sommer Leigh
Day TwoToday’s Word Count Goal: 3,334
How are you all doing? Was the first day a success for you, or an absolute terrifying look into the future 29 days? Whatever day one was, don't sweat it. It's only day one, and whether it was a rocketship first day or just a tiny comet first day, the second day always feels easier. The excitement and nervousness has passed and now you can take a deep breath and move forward. Welcome to the rest of the month, it's going to be an interesting ride.
Insecure Writer's Support Group day is one of my favorites of the month. We tend not to want to talk about our short comings, our flaws. We want to pretend we have it all together, so I relish the momentarily permission we are given to let it all out. Be all, "OMG I am such a nut job sometimes guys!!! This business makes me feel crazy. I make me feel crazy. And here's why."
My Insecure Writere's Support Group topic is on facing yourself, but there are a lot of topics going up today. Here's a couple you might enjoy, and you can check out all the other participants too.
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 3rd, 2011, 8:01 am
by Sommer Leigh
Day ThreeToday’s Word Count Goal: 5,001
I have made these for you!
Right click on one you want, do a save as, and viola. You can post it to your blog, your website, facebook, your forehead, wherever. No credit necessary. These are gifts, like party favors. Welcome to NaNoWriMo November!
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 3rd, 2011, 2:28 pm
by Sanderling
Sommer Leigh wrote:Day ThreeToday’s Word Count Goal: 5,001
I have made these for you!
Right click on one you want, do a save as, and viola. You can post it to your blog, your website, facebook, your forehead, wherever. No credit necessary. These are gifts, like party favors. Welcome to NaNoWriMo November!
These are awesome, Sommer! I'm gonna nab one myself. Thanks!
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 3rd, 2011, 2:31 pm
by Sommer Leigh
Sanderling wrote:
Sommer Leigh wrote:Day ThreeToday’s Word Count Goal: 5,001
I have made these for you!
Right click on one you want, do a save as, and viola. You can post it to your blog, your website, facebook, your forehead, wherever. No credit necessary. These are gifts, like party favors. Welcome to NaNoWriMo November!
These are awesome, Sommer! I'm gonna nab one myself. Thanks!
I am a *huge* Julian Smith fan It probably snuck in there because of his influence on my brain.
I'm glad you like the badges!!
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 4th, 2011, 10:17 am
by Sommer Leigh
Day Four: Today’s Word Count Goal: 6,668
Today's inspiration is about romance, but first....
Recently on the Bransforums I said “NaNoWriMo is whatever you make of it and whatever you need it to be.” People seemed to like this statement a lot, so I’m stealing from myself and repeating it here.
Just by participating you’ve already made leaps and bounds in accomplishments. The opposite of reaching 50,000 words is not losing. Just so we’re clear. I’ve known people who won and did nothing with their manuscript, won and rewrote it, lost and finished later, ended up with an agent, lost and discovered a different, fantastic, story in the burning pile of crap they’d sort of written. I’ve known someone who wrote 50,000 words of short stories, one who wrote a cookbook, one who wrote poetry, and one who wrote dozens and dozens of blog posts to fill up half a year of posts. I have also known spouses of Wrimoers who took the month to work on their own project while their loved one wrote on and on – painting rooms, building furniture, finishing an XBox game.
NaNoWriMo should be redefined as Permission to Do…whatever is in your heart to accomplish. Winning occurs by way of pursuit.
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 4th, 2011, 7:11 pm
by Dana-Lynn
THANK YOU for this! It's all so inspiring.
This is my first year doing NaNoWriMo, and so far (as of the end of day 3 -- I'm waiting till the kids go to bed befre I start my day 4 writing adventure), I'm right on track. So far so good!
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 4th, 2011, 7:16 pm
by Susan Quinn
I love these posts (and your badges! And Alex's Insecure Writer's Group!)! I'll be popping back ... I'm already woeful behind, but I'm just getting started with NaNo (having finished up the partying for my book launch). Looking forward to tomorrow's!
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 4th, 2011, 7:55 pm
by Sommer Leigh
Susan Quinn wrote:I love these posts (and your badges! And Alex's Insecure Writer's Group!)! I'll be popping back ... I'm already woeful behind, but I'm just getting started with NaNo (having finished up the partying for my book launch). Looking forward to tomorrow's!
I'm glad you like them! They aren't meant to detract from your writing, so it is good you get back to it! I can't wait to check out Open Minds! Love love the cover. I plan to get a copy after I'm done judging the Cybils.
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 5th, 2011, 12:31 pm
by Sommer Leigh
Day Five: Today’s Word Count Goal: 8,335
Take a minute to think about this – right now hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, in every major city, from rural Nebraska all the way to Tokyo, are sitting down to write 1,667 words every day for 30 days. Think about all the words, all the story ideas, all the characters and all the kisses in the world. There’s power in that level of storytelling. I don’t see why the stars themselves don’t shudder under the weight of it all.
And you. You are one of them.
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 5th, 2011, 4:33 pm
by Mira
Sommer, you're wonderful!!
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 5th, 2011, 5:34 pm
by Sommer Leigh
Mira wrote:Sommer, you're wonderful!!
Mira! So are you!
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 6th, 2011, 11:55 am
by Sommer Leigh
Happy NaNo Day Six everyone!
Today’s Word Count Goal: 10,002
How's your word count looking? If you're not quite there, never fear! The world gave us an extra hour of writing today, so take advantage of it!
“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.” Leon Joseph Suenens. I have no idea who Leon is, but his words are wise. The price for publication is astronomical, usually more than most writer-dreamers are willing to pay. NaNoWriMo gives us a taste of that price – the endless hours of toil and trouble, of frustration and panic and fear, not getting enough sleep, of frozen meals and mountains of laundry and occasionally skipping showers for just One. More. Page. It’s the way a search for the right word or metaphor and you can’t seem to move on until you find it and how you kind of haven’t talked to your best friends in weeks because you’ve got a deadline and if you can’t eat at your keyboard then the meal is too fancy.
How far are you willing to go? How much are you willing to pay?
Re: NaNoWriMo: 30 Days of Support and Encouragement
Posted: November 6th, 2011, 10:22 pm
by Sanderling
Sommer Leigh wrote:“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.” Leon Joseph Suenens.
Love this quote, Sommer. It particularly rings true for me because my husband and I are both dreamers, he an artist and myself a writer, living at what would be considered below poverty level because we'd rather pursue our dreams than take a well-paying traditional job that would make for comfortable living but would be creatively stifling. And, I would argue, we're just as happy, if not more so, than many people I know who are making a comfortable living. The key part of this quote, I think, is "are ready" - many dreamers try to pay the price but they're not prepared for the price, and the price makes them unhappy even as they pursue their dream. I think we seek happiness as a goal to be reached or acquired, but the truth is you make your own happiness.
Suenens seems to have been a cardinal at the Vatican.
Thanks!
