For our last few days of this year's Wrimo, here is my pep talk that I wrote for Movellas. If you've never been on Movellas you should. It is the most incredible writing community I've ever come across and I don't know where I'd be without it.
I, on behalf of all the Wrimos who have reached the holy grail of 50,000 words, bestow this golden knowledge to you, fellow Movellian: you can do this. I know this for a fact because you are already trying. You are a mighty warrior and your war will be won. Glory will be yours.
You can do this, petrified
writer. Chant it to yourself if you have to. Goodness knows I’ll be chanting it
every day to keep myself chugging along.
You can do this, experienced and
inexperienced authors of Movellas. Reaching 50,000 words, though it is a
feeling like no other, is not the most important thing in the world. If you
don’t reach the finish line by the time December shows its Christmasy head,
don’t despair. You’ve still done something thousands, dare I say millions, want
to do but are too afraid to try. Yes, you started your book.
Keep powering on, beautiful
novelist. I’m not encouraging you to drop everything, (I’m afraid you still
have to do your school work) but you are allowed to abandon your friends during
these few weeks. This is a noble cause, your novel, let it know you can make
sacrifices.
My advice to you is to sit down
at the same time every day. Turn off your internet, put your phone in another
room, (or turn that off as well) and make yourself write. If nothing else,
you’ll get bored and have nothing else to do with yourself. After a few days,
the routine will be like an old friend and you’ll spend fewer precious minutes
twirling your thumbs and more time writing those diamond words.
Forget typos, you’ve no time for
that. Don’t read back unless you have to remind yourself where you are. Forget
about character and plot problems, they’re your inner editor’s problem. Do not,
whatever you do, brilliant creator, let your inner editor out of its cage. I
repeat DO NOT LET YOUR INNER EDITOR OUT
OF ITS CAGE. Let it scream. Let it shout. Let it cry. Rejoice in its pain.
It’s not often you’re allowed to do so.
Each day, stop when it gets
exciting (once you’ve done the crucial 1,667 of course). Doing this will make
it easier to start with minimal time wasted the next day. Every moment writing
is important. I know not writing is a strange thing to suggest for NaNoWriMo,
but doing this ensures you write lots every day and not just on odd days.
Your fellow Wrimo and friend
@[Prodigy] implores you to use any method you can to overcome that crippling
writer’s block. A spark of anything could help you out: a song, sketching your
characters, even doing some research. Stop at nothing to slay the beast that
haunts every writer’s nightmares.
Following those words, @[Ahlaam
Nightshade], another gallant Wrimo and comrade, suggests writing prompts to finish off the monster and
to boost your confidence because you are fantastic!
You can do it.
You are doing it.
You are an author and nobody can
ever take that away.
Molly
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