And the Game Begins

It's the end of October. Pumpkins and skeletons and goblins and witches are everywhere, it's just a few days until Halloween, and the week many dub "NaNo Countdown Week" has begun.

I'm no stranger to NaNoWriMo. I've participated every year since 2008, and this year is no exception. My current plan is to write the second part of my current WiP, since I know it's going to be one of the most difficult sections of the story. Since NaNoWriMo is all about pushing yourself to write something, whether it's good or utter tripe, I'm using it as the push I need.

Every year since 2010, when asked for advice about NaNoWriMo, I've offered up the same anecdote. At the end of October in 2010, I was sick. Nothing life-threatening or even all that remarkable...until NaNoWriMo hit. I got so caught up in the competitive spirit that I pushed myself to write as fast as humanly possible. I hit the 50K goal in four days, and kept going. I slept the minimum hours I could get away with, snacked instead of getting up to eat, and hardly left my desk.

Remember, I was also sick at the time. That cold developed into full-blown walking pneumonia through my horrid lack of self-care, and a week into the month I landed my ass in the hospital with a temperature of 107.3.

Which, if you didn't know, is right about the temperature where you start losing brain cells.

So yeah. That sucked, it was dangerous, and if my mom hadn't taken my temperature and rushed me to the hospital when she did, it could have been a lot worse.

That story being told, my advice regarding NaNoWriMo is as follows (lifted from my Twitter):

As we get closer to #NaNoWriMo, this is my advice: pace yourself. It's not a contest. Don't beat yourself up if you write slow. 

I wrote 50k in 4 days one year while sick. It put me in the hospital. Remember to sleep and eat and exercise. #NaNoWriMo 

Writing is good. Writing can even be fun. But don't hurt yourself just to say you were the first of your friends to reach 50k. #NaNoWriMo 

Likewise, don't try to shame those who write slow or see #NaNoWriMo as casual fun. It's not life or death. Don't make it such. 

Also remember that what you write during #NaNoWriMo won't be perfect. It probably won't even be good. That's okay. It's not supposed to be. 

The important thing is that you're writing. Even if you don't finish, you got something done. Even if you only wrote a sentence. #NaNoWriMo 

Be good to yourself. Feel free to treat yourself. Enjoy the ride. #NaNoWriMo  

This has been a series of inspiration and advice #NaNoWriMo tweets. Back to your regularly scheduled shenannigans.

Remember, folks, it's not a contest. Have fun, and be safe.

'Til next time,

J.