Writer’s Momentum

It’s almost here. NaNoWriMo.

A year ago I had no idea what that even was, but now I’m counting down the days until November with an eager anticipation.

One would think that since I’ve known I was going to participate in this fifty thousand-word mad-dash a year ago that I’d be well-prepared. But then, it would be obvious that the one doing the thinking along those lines wouldn’t know me very well.

Actually, knowing myself the way I do, I’m kind of surprised how calmly I’m approaching the guillotine-err… I mean starting line.

At least, I’m not panic-stricken – yet.

I had came up with a course of action at the beginning of this year that would lead me to safely to National Novel Writing Month’s doorstep, and sound of mind while pursuing my creative writing career.

But as it always does, Life came along and happened. So while things were great most of the time, if I would get overly busy, I would cut back on time spent on my creative writing.

Big mistake.

Right now I’m about half way through a book called @WriMo: A30-Day Survival Guide for Writers. In it, author Kevin S. Kaiser says that it’s a “fatal mistake” to stop pushing ourselves towards our goals. He says that we should never give ourselves a break in our drive for making our dreams a reality.

Think about how hard a writer has to work to even get started; to come up with a story idea, to figure out the plot points and character arcs, and then fit it all together. To stop in the middle of all that (before we’ve reached “The End”) is to kill our creative drive.

Kaiser points out how much easier it is to keep going once you’ve started and have momentum behind you. It’s tougher to do anything when you haven’t started yet.

“The trick is continually and consistently adding ‘push’ to your situation so you can keep momentum,” Kaiser writes.

So far, I’m really enjoying the little bursts of wisdom and encouragement that are provided throughout this book’s pages. Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book to review, but that’s not why I’m writing this post (I’ll probably write a full review later).

Keeping that last statement from Kaiser in mind, I’ve noticed that about successful people; they all have this common trait. I’m not just talking about writers, but those who have made it despite people all along the way saying they couldn’t do it.

They all push themselves onward. They don’t “take breaks” from their dreams. Look at Stephen King; they say he writes every day of the year without fail.

So, if we have stopped pushing ourselves for a bit (*raises a guilty hand*), how do we get back into the game?

---> If you have any advice for NaNoWriMo, or would be willing to guest post here about it sometime in October, please send me an email!