Here we are, early into week 2 of NaNoWriMo.  To be honest, this is the make or break point for the vast majority of participants.  Many start with the idea of participating in early October (or before) and in a rush of excitement, they sign up.  Some fall by the wayside, forgetting they wanted to undertake this monumental task.  For the rest, the rush of week one is exciting.  Words flow freely, even if a character or two (or even the whole cast) doesn’t even have a name yet.

But somewhere towards the end of week 1 and the beginning of week 2, the commitment those who started out the month with high hopes takes a hit.  It may happen after not writing for a day or two.  Or perhaps it comes because a particular plot point appears to be at a stand still.   For some, life begins to intervene and try to lure the writer back to it.

When this happens, we need to take a moment to decide what is really important to us.  Do you want to quit and run the risk of always wondering what could have happened if you had kept on writing?  Or do you want to refocus your commitment to reaching the goal, no matter what?

It’s up to you to decide which path to take.  Some will take the former.  They may even tell others how NaNo is a waste of time.  But deep down, they often regret not pushing through.  For those who take the latter, though, the next few days will feel like climbing a hill.  As you get near the top, you get tired.  You feel like you want to quit.  You feel as if you can’t make it.  But if you push through this, you will find a renewed energy as you get to the top of that 25K hill.  The view from there is breathtaking, and revelations will happen that will send you coasting downhill to the 50K.

As I look through my list of writing buddies and browse through the forums, I can tell you that there are people who have already reached the 50K mark by the time the first week was up.  To these people, I say congratulations on reaching the 50K mark.  Keep going on trying to reach your own personal goal.  I see a lot of people who are at, or close to pace.  Keep going.  You’re doing great.  For those who are behind, don’t give up!  November 30th is still a long way away.  You still have plenty of time to make it.

One thing that can help is to sit down and write 500 to 1000 words.  Then do it again.  Do that two or three times a day.  Don’t worry about being 8000 words or more behind.  Just focus on the next 1000.  Remember, if you’re on pace, you need around 1667 a day, so if you’re falling behind, simply aim a little higher than that and shoot for 2000.  This is still very doable for many.   Don’t worry about trying to catch up if you’re way behind, just try not to fall further behind.  You can always find time to make up a little here and a little there if you try.

Keeping the will to write in this second week of NaNo is the hardest thing for many to do.  But if you hang on to that will to write and you keep pressing forward, then I’ll see you at the finish line!

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