The past month has been a blur for me. Combined with school, family, and Nano, I have been nothing but busy. I was able to do it though, 50,000 words in a single month.
I employed three methods to aid me in seeking to accomplish my goal.
Reasons for my success:
1. Stifling the Internal Editor2. Daily Word Commitment
3. Supporting Family
The first item on my list is the most important. One of the problems I struggle with the most is my Internal Editor. Every word I write, every thought I put on paper, gets scrutinized and rejected by my critical eye, judging my work as inferior to successful, published authors. Nanowrimo helped shut that voice up, ignore its complaints, and write with freedom and reckless abandon. My abilities have improved as a consequent.
The second Item was almost as influential as the first, I had struggled to gain the discipline necessary to write consistently every day. During Nanowrimo I was able to sit at my computer almost every day, and with only two exceptions, exceeded my daily goal, keeping right on par for completion up until the last day. It takes three weeks to form a habit, and I spent four completing mine. This habit has carried over into my everyday life.
Last, but not least, the support of my family was a big aid. I did not try to hide my goal to write 50,000. I was honest and my family responded. Often they would ask me questions like "How far are you?", "Have you done your Nano yet?", and "Wow, you got a lot done today". Including my family in the Nano process gave me a support group, cheerleaders who could motivate me to continue when I felt like giving up. Because they supported me through my first Nanowrimo, I now know they will support me through my journey toward publication. This gives me the strength to continue even when achieving my goal seems hopeless.
While I was doing Nano I slacked off creating blogposts. Now I will pick this back up and add to my posts and pages more consistently and frequently.
