NaNoWriMo
Last month, I started the NaNoWriMo challenge. Since November is National Novel Writing Month, people around the world focus on writing 50,000 words – at least the start of a novel – from Nov 1 to Nov 30. It seems like an insane endeavor but it was definitely worth it.
On Saturday, Nov 26, I hit my 50K.
50,000 words.
I actually did it.
It was fun working toward something. There were times that I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to hit the mark. I stressed and stressed, and almost gave up. A few people told me, “Well, just keep writing as much as you can. Then you can use that as a benchmark for next year.” That’s not the way that I function, though.
If I don’t have a goal (versus “just do my best”), then I won’t actually do my best. I will slack off and not put my all into it. I will be lazy and just do what is “good enough.” I will also know better… I will know that what I settled for as “good enough” would not be my best. Of course, then I would be disappointed in myself. And round and round it goes.
Meeting Our Goals
Creating goals is a great way to push ourselves. What is more important, though, is sticking to them. New Years is just around the corner. It’s a time that many people focus on setting goals. Just remember to make a game plan! For NaNoWriMo, I had my sights set on writing 1,667 words per day. I woke up early each morning and scheduled days to stay up later so that I could get my word count in. I did not always hit my daily goal, but I did my best and I did not give up (even when I wanted to).
The best way to stick with a goal is by setting smaller, short-term goals to get there. Pick a word count per day. Choose what days you will exercise different muscle groups and do that for two weeks. Drink one glass of water every day for a week before moving up to two. There are so many different ways that can approach meeting a goal. Find what works for you and go for it. Oh, and remember that January 1 is not the only time you can set a goal. Start today!
