This is my 5th year doing Nanowrimo. I have not made 50,000 words yet. I did get 50,000 words in one month one time. But it wasn’t in November and it wasn’t when everyone else did it.

I want to say good for you for trying. As I’ve said before sometimes just stepping up can be enough. Trying is everything. If you don’t try, you never will. Enough with the cliches. But you get my point right? Give yourself a break. Sit down with your computer or pen and paper and try. Whether you write 2 words or 60,000 words, you’ve done something. That is more than most people can say. In years past, I’ve hated myself for not being able to get there. For not being disciplined enough or smart enough. November is a crappy month for me. It’s a crappy month for a lot of people. But I still vow to try. I vow to make every effort possible to breathe life into my novel. It may or may not happen.

Do you know what will happen if I don’t reach 50,000 words? If you don’t reach 50,000 words? Absolutely nothing. No one is going to roust you out of bed on November 30 and throw you in the pokey. The Grim Reaper isn’t going to come calling for you because you didn’t make it. They won’t take your children away. Little kittens will not die.  I will not be a failure. You will not be a failure. When we wake up on Dec 1, we will be the same person. The difference is, we will have more words put down than we did on November 1. There is something to be said for that, right?  We will have the beginnings. And guess what? You don’t have to stop writing. You can continue writing as long as you want. You can even keep writing into 2013.

So remember that NaNoWriMo is supposed to be about getting started. It’s about trying. Make it fun. Join your local WriMo group. Go to some Write-ins. Talk to other people who are doing it. If you get stuck, contact a writing buddy. And don’t panic.

A photo of train tracks. Just for the heck of it.

P.S. If any of those bad things happen, it’s not because you didn’t win NaNoWriMo.