Is anyone else there yet? That place where NaNoWriMo stops being exciting and becomes, well, a chore?
Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy writing when I do it. It’s just taking longer to get into the groove, and there are so many distractions.
I wrote a grand total of 0 words yesterday, and today reaching 1000 felt like pulling teeth. I hope I break through the wall quickly and find my writing flow again.
NaNoWriMo is HARD!!!!
Anyone else who feels like this, I’d love to hear from you! We can do this together if we spur each other on š
Blissful Scribbles 
Hi Amy
It’s so so hard but keep it up. Doesn’t matter if it all turns a little weird for a few pages. It will turn around and the sense of achievement when you’re done is just amazing. Good luck.
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Thank you for your comment, you’ve spurred me on š
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I just took my first crack at writing a novel and did it Nanowrimo style. It’s a short book (42,000) words and I’m editing now, but I did it!
Anyway, while doing it I set a word count goal for every weeknight (1,000 words) and set a weekend goal (4,000 words).
Writing like that is a chore. I think that’s the point of Nanowrimo, though. Most people (me included) think that writing a book will be inspiration and fun. The reality is that writing is work! I think that’s one of the points of Nanowrimo. Writing can be a slog and it is not always fun, but it’s important to stick to it even when it feels like a chore.
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Thank you, you make great posts here. Also, wow! Congratulations on finishing your first book š I hope the editing is going well.
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My thing for me is to keep the writing fun. We get to sit around making stuff up. We get to be kids again. We zap space aliens, we ride runaway trains, we fall in love. For me, it’s playtime: no hard work at all. š
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Amazing! Well done you š I will keep this in mind
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Yep, I’m there too. Zero words yesterday and no idea how to move the story forwards today. Good luck, hope you break down that wall.
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Thank you, you too. It’s good to suffer together š
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Amy, I’ve been struggling the last couple of days. But last night, I didn’t arrive home until late. I only had about 40 minutes to do some writing. I am also doing a #100daysofwords challenge, so I needed at least 100 words before midnight, or I would have to start my challenge all over.
I got 197 words written before the striking of the clock. But I wasn’t tired, in fact I felt energized. I wrote an additional 800+ words. But now it is time for bed.
When you break through, write for all you’re worth. Yes, NaNo is hard… but you can do it!
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Thank you, this is so encouraging. Well done you by the way! That sounds very dedicated, I think I would have just gone to bed!
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SAME!! Hardly anything done yesterday, and though the desire is still there, it’s harder to summon the energy to move from thinking to typing.
You’re right; NaNoWriMo is hella hard. But it’s also worth it š There’s a whole community rooting for you! We can do this!!! š
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Thank you, I love this comment. Yes, we can do it together š
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You’re certainly not the only one.
I’ve been struggling to break a hundred words for the past couple of days myself. I’m a little bit used to this kind of thing now since I’ve done NaNoWriMo and other long projects before, but that doesn’t mean it’s never discouraging. Bobbie is completely right though – you can totally do this! Just keep chipping away at it. Once you break that wall, you fly \^w^/
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Thank you Vincent, it is so encouraging to hear from someone who has done NaNoWriMo before š thank you
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I am in the same boat right now! Didn’t even hit 1,000 words yesterday, and I felt so off and discouraged. I’m even doing a rewrite of my project from November, so I already have the outline, but July is all about adding in new scenes and ideas and getting a really solid draft together. It’s still difficult, though. I’m trying to stay focused on my passion for this project, my desire to make it the best it can be, but I think it’s important to make realistic goals and to take breaks when needed. It’s all about balance during NaNoWriMo! Keep at it!
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Good point, I’ve been throwing myself in knee deep to try and get enough done before my holiday, that I’ve not got a good balance right now. Thank you for your comment and I hope that today has been more successful for you?
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It IS hard! Yesterday for me, was slower – so I did the minimum and stopped. Today I started slower as well. To be honest, it’s harder when the sun is shining and I’ve got so many good books to read! I think some of it is actually just a little lack of confidence about whether we’re capable of seeing this through to the end or not. In the back of our minds – our subconscious is hinting what we already know — “This is hard, lets do something easier like sit out in the sun and read!” (or answer blog posts lol). But we’re NOT going to let this beat us, right? No! We’ve got to stick at it! No matter what. We can prove we’ve got what it takes to finish, (and get a tan afterwards!) š
This is why the camps work for me. We have a moan on days like this, and we realise we’re all feeling the pressure. We’re not alone. It’s the pressure that works to both our advantage and our disadvantage at times! If you’re not in a group, you can always join mine. Anyone can, if they’re in need of support. (We’re three published authors and can offer lots of rah-rahs!) Anyone can send me a CampNaNoWriMo email and request an invite. Happy to help. or just be there for support. xx Oops! Sorry about the essay.
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This essay is more than welcome, I love essay comments :). Thank you so much. You are totally right, it is more about confidence than anything else. A good bit of stirring up is ideal. Also, thank you for your cabin offer, I am in one myself this time and so I wouldn’t want to leave, but really appreciate the offer.
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You’re very welcome! Stay in touch š x
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That blog post title! It usually takes me three days or more to hit that wall with Camp NaNoWriMo, but this time it was barely the second day. It’s hard to get back up when that happens, but we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off, and write some more. I’m behind on word count but when I decide I’ll “chip away” at it for a little bit, that small session becomes hours of writing and much more words than I’d anticipated. Half the battle is showing up, and once you do that, you’ve got it! Happy writing!
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SO true! Half the battle is turning up š that’s mostly the hardest part. Have you gotten back into the groove at all? Happy writing to you too š
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Yes, I’ve gotten back into the groove, thank goodness. Some days are better than others, but I still manage some decent writing sessions most days. Keep writing!
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I’m glad to hear it š keep up the good work
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Great post! I’m attempting to write my first novel as well, so I feel your pain. I read something once that said I needed 80,000 words to have a “novel.” Wow! Well, I did it: I wrote 80,000 words. Never mind that the plot COMPLETELY changes direction more than a few times. I also forgot the names of the characters halfway through, so I just re-named them–but hey! I’ve got 80,000 words, snacks in the fridge, and plenty of red pens for revision. I highly suspect those 80,000 words will become something like 40,000. Then, do I have to start over? I’m taking the summer off until I figure that out:) Happy writing!
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Amazing! Well done you. 80,000 is my aim too. I’ve got to 40,000 and then scrapped the draft, and then 20,000 and scrapped it again š. I’m now at 21,000 I hope to finish this one š¤
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