NaNoWriMo Day 11 | 3 Encouragements for Writers

Taken from my Instagram @eahendryx

As with all books that I've written so far, this one is taking a lot of 'blood, sweat, and tears" and did I mention coffee? Because, maybe more than anything else, it's taking lots and lots of coffee!

Maybe I'm just being overly critical, or maybe I've placed too much pressure on myself, but for some reason I'm doubting things at every turn.

Is it interesting? 

Are my characters real? 

Do I need more action? 

The answer to these questions vary, but for those of you who may be in the same boat as I, do not fear - there IS hope!

It's just a FIRST DRAFT. 

I know, you've heard it, I've heard it, but that doesn't make it any less true. I remember back at the ACFW Conference I heard Tosca Lee speak in a group with other well known authors and one of the things she said really resonated with me. She admitted that one of the biggest battles she faces with her writing is fear. Fear that her work wont be as good or that she could lose popularity or just fear of others opinions in general.

I can say I face that and I'm not even published yet! Fear that what I write wont be good. Well, that's the beauty of NaNo - you don't write "good" in a month. You write.

And then you rewrite.

And then you write some more.

It really is a beautiful thing! It's painful and sometimes a little daunting (okay, let's be honest - really daunting) but that's what a writer does. They write for the sake of writing.

So, here are 3 encouragements for writers:

1) It's just a first draft 
         I know, I already said it, but it bears reminding. You can make it better later ;)
2) Write because you love it. 
         You're not trying to impress someone, you're trying to write a novel (in a MONTH!) - and let's 
         face it, that's impressive anyway!
3) Remember to rely on the Lord. 
         When fear creeps in, we must remember that it is not man's approval we are looking for.

Happy noveling, all of you!

And, Happy Veterans Day - thank you to all who have and/or currently are serving our country. You are true heroes! 

>>If you're participating in NaNoWriMo I'd love to hear how you're doing! What's your Day 11 word count?

As a personal update I'm very far behind, BUT I'm working for a solid chunk of time today so we shall see what I get done. I'll update later today but so far...

[I'm currently at: 11,681 words]