Pep Talk 11/17/2016 – Thursday, Week 3

Hello, there!

Target word count for today to reach 50K this month:  28339

Since I started doing these Pep Talks, I have used affirmations specifically for writers. I am comfortable with that – we’re writers, this is a writing challenge, and it seems appropriate to share writing affirmations here.

Recently, on several communities I belong to, I have seen posts from people which seem to be setting the stage for them to “give up” on NaNoWriMo. The posts range from “I’m just too busy…” to “I am just too bummed out from the (U.S.) election results…” to “Writing two thousand awful words makes me unhappy. I would rather write one thousand words that I can be proud of…”  These posts make me shake my head sadly. I understand that doing this while you have other pressing responsibilities (family, full-time job, taking care of a friend or family member, etc.) is not easy. I can also understand deciding that 50K is just too much to get to given a certain set of circumstances. My advice – DON’T GIVE UP!!  If you think 50K is too much, change the goal. Will 30K be a stretch goal? Then set your new goal at 30K. Use the energy of NaNoWriMo to get to the new goal.

Here in the U.S., next week is Thanksgiving. Many people travel to visit family or have family visit them and they cook for tons of people. Some folks know that they will not have copious amounts of time to write. OK, fine. Enjoy your holiday, enjoy your relatives and friends. If you can hide in your room/writing space/rest room, I don’t know where you hide – for five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes and write a scene or plot a scene or do a character sketch or deepen your understanding of a character – you will still be “into” your story, and when you get back to dedicated writing time, you won’t have to take so much time to get back into the story.

With all these things in mind, I have chosen an affirmation that is very general – and which I love. I poked online for twenty minutes today, trying to find an attribution, and couldn’t find it. If you know the attribution, I’d love to hear about it, I dislike using quotes without attributing them, but affirmation lists are like that.  Your affirmation is:

“Today is a good day to have a good day!”

I hope your day is a joy and a delight. I hope you choose to keep going with NaNoWriMo, even if you change your personal goal. If you think there is any way I might help you with any of these things, please comment here or send me a NaNoMail.

Write bunches and write with joy!

Bright the Day!

Cedar

Pep Talk 11/15/2016 Tuesday, Week 3

Hello, there!!  It is hard to believe that the NaNoWriMo challenge is halfway done. WOW!!

To achieve 50K words during the month, your target word count for today is: 25005

Here is your affirmation for the day:  The blank page is my canvas and today I paint it brilliantly!

It is week three. This is usually my difficult week. In prior years, my muse has decided to go on a tropical vacation in week three without telling me. This year, it does not seem that will happen this week.  However, I have come down with a nasty cold instead.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the process. If not – do you know WHY? If you know why perhaps you can determine a different way of approaching the process to make it more enjoyable.

If you are having trouble and think I might be able to help, please comment here or send me a NaNoMail.

Write bunches and write with joy!

Bright blessings – Cedar

Pep Talk 11/12/2016 Saturday, Week 2

Hello!  This is Saturday of Week 2 of NaNoWriMo. To be on target for 50K by November 30^th, your word count goal for the end of today is: 20004

I hope you are still writing and still excited. It has been an odd week here in the USA. The Election happened and there are protests and other events going on. It has been a big distraction for many people. Except for the night of the Election itself, I have been able to hunker down and get my words in. Two of the reasons I am getting my words in are 1) I am hosting two Write-Ins every weekend at the local library. Whether anyone else shows up, I’m there, my computer is there, I might as well write. Today I didn’t even get 2000 words in during the Write-In but that’s OK. I got words on the computer. It’s all good. 2) I belong to a Facebook Writers Group. They have official sprints every Sunday. Folks will also reach out and say “I need some sprints. Who wants to sprint with me?” I did sprints with two other folks in a chatroom yesterday for an hour. It was great.

If you feel stuck – do something different. Write out of order. Write from the POV of another character. Interview your characters. Rewrite the beginning. Change the ending. Start in the middle and change what happens after. JUST KEEP WRITING.

Your affirmation for today is:  My writing is a stream of feeling that flows from my heart to my reader’s heart.

Write bunches, write with joy!

Bright the Day -- Cedar

NaNoWriMo Pep Talk Thursday, week 2

Hello, there!!  Today is Day 10. It is Thursday in week 2.

The target word count for today to make 50K by the end of the month is 16670.

I wish I could say “Good morning” but I ran out of morning. When my alarm went off this morning, I realized that I needed more sleep. I could have gotten out of bed and been functional. However, I chose to practice kindness for myself. When I finally did wake up 90 minutes later, I felt ready to get up, so I did.

NaNoWriMo is a whirlwind. Often it means writing when you would normally be sleeping, eating quickly so you can get back to writing or even eating WHILE you are writing, and not getting the normal amount of exercise. These things can be harmful if carried to extremes.

YAY you got to Thursday of week 2 and you haven’t quit. That’s AWESOME and I applaud you. I would like you to think about how you are taking care of yourself, and what you might be able to do better.

Your affirmation for the day:

Today I am attracting the ideal writing opportunities for me.

If you are having trouble with self-care or getting to your goals in general, please reply here or send me a NaNoMail. I’d be happy to help you figure out ways to get around that.

Write bunches, and write with joy!

Bright the Day – Cedar

Pep Talk -- 11.8.2016 -- Tuesday, Week 2

Hello, there!

Your affirmation for today is: 

Writer’s block is NO match for my desire to get my thoughts into writing!

To reach 50K by the end of the month, the target word count by the end of today is 13336.

So, we survived week one!  Hooray. Now we find ourselves in week two. Statistics show that the people who drop out of NaNoWriMo often drop out during week two. The new shiny bright thing they were writing is not so shiny or bright. They are tired of giving up whatever they have given up to find the time to write. They want to watch TV or play video games or do more social media or go out with their friends. This is no longer new and exciting, it is boring, and tedious, and they hate this stupid story anyway. WAAAAAH!!!

I don’t feel like that. I’ve done this for years and week two is never my crisis week. That usually comes in week three when my Muse decides to take a trip to the Bahamas without telling me and I have no words to string together on the page.

I hope you are entering week two still feeling pleased about what you are writing. My novel is a great mess. It is as if I have quilt squares, and they are quite nice – yet I have no idea how to put them together to make a quilt!!  However, this is NaNoWriMo. It is a first draft. It is not meant to be perfect. I still love the world I am creating, and my characters, and the things that I am finding out as I write.

Find something that you still like about what you are doing. Capitalize on it. If you are stuck, try a different approach. If you always set a timer and sprint, sit down and just breathe and then free-write. If you NEVER sprint, set a timer and write at break-neck speed until the timer sounds. If you always free-write, work on a bit of structure. (All words count in November, if they are connected to this story or the process of getting it written.) If you always depend on structure, free-write. If you always listen to music, try silence, or change the type of music. If you never listen to music, try it for ten or fifteen minutes.

I hope you are still happy to be doing NaNoWriMo and meeting your personal goals. If you need help with anything send me a NaNoMail or reply to this and we’ll see if we can brainstorm a new approach for you.

Write bunches, write with joy!

Bright the Day – Cedar

Pep Talk for November 5, 2016 – Saturday, Week 1

Hello, there!

Sorry, this is getting out late today. I’ve been very busy with NaNoWriMo things today. Which is grand – while not getting me home to write a pep talk.

To be on target to write 50,000 words this month, the word count goal for the end of Day 5 is 8335.

Your affirmations for today is:  Inspiration for my writing flows to me from everywhere!

This morning I hosted the first of the Write-Ins for which I am contact person. They take place at my local library – Saturday mornings from 10 AM to 12 noon, and Sunday afternoons from 2 – 4 PM.  It was a bit of a mess this morning. The library had a gala event last night. The room they had assigned me was still full of food and quite a wreck. Consequently, they put me in a different room. At 11:30 AM the people who usually have that second room from 11 AM – 1 PM arrived. Since no one else had shown up to the Write In except me, I was happy to move. However, I couldn’t carry all my things from the room. I expressed that and one of the ladies offered to help me. She carried my bags out of the room and onto a table in the main room. She asked if I needed any more help and I did not.

My husband picked me up at noon and drove me to the pharmacy for a quick errand and then to my Region’s Kick-Off Write-In/Snack-In at our County Library at 1 PM.  The Region does this every year and it is a BLAST. I love it. It was a wonderful afternoon. Large turn-out – I think there were 17 people there. I love the camaraderie. I typically type more words at home alone. However, there is something about being in a room with others embarked on the same journey that is quite awesome. The Event was a joy and a delight, and I had a wonderful time.

I got home an hour ago and have just been poking at my e-mail and Facebook. Then I looked at my Bullet Journal and realized that TODAY is a Pep Talk day!  EEEP! So here I am.

I hope everyone who wants to read these Pep Talks finds them on the forum.

I am quite happy about my word count. I have passed 11K and I haven’t recorded any words for today.

I hope you are making your goals. If there is something preventing you from reaching your goals, and you’d like to talk about possible solutions, feel free to post here or send me a NaNoMail.

Write well, write bunches, write with joy!!

Bright the Day!  Cedar

Pep Talk -- Day 3 -- Thursday, Week 1

Hello, there!!

This is Day 3. To be on target to make 50K this month, the word count goal by the end of today is 5001.

I hope you all got the message about the new system. There is a new thread “Pom Poms and Pep Talks” in the Writing Groups and Clubs forum on the NaNoWriMo.org site. My pep talks will be posted to that thread.

I will also be posting them to my Cedar – Wordcrafter blog.

I have been writing consistently. Currently, I am ahead of word count and have yet to start writing for today. I didn’t do enough research before this month. Consequently, some of my writing looks more like research notes. However – they are words, they are about this world and the folks in this novel. NO ONE WILL EVER SEE THEM IN THIS FORM EXCEPT ME! If I am the only one who will see them, it doesn’t matter what they look like.

I have discovered the split-screen feature in Scrivener. It is very useful to have plot notes, character notes, character names and such things open on one side while I type new words on the other. It makes me very happy!!

I hope you are all typing busily when you can. Remember, no matter what number of words you write on any given day – they are more words than you had the day before. Just keep writing!!

Your Day 3 affirmation:

Bring it on, blank page! I am ready to fill you with amazing words!

Keep writing, write bunches, write with joy!

Bright the Day -- Cedar