Wake of Echoes

It's November first again, the official start to National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. Are you already feeling the pressure to hit those daily word-count goals? Create something magical? Write that masterpiece? Get up, Get up, pressure, pressure... Paint the scene for me, Paint it bright and clear... So, maybe Bastille isn't talking about the pressure to write a great novel in their song "Lethargy" but, nonetheless, it plays in my head when I sit down in front of a blank page. So how do we keep going when we're weighed down with pressure, almost before we've even begun?  Here are my tips for tackling your writing goals, whether you participate in NaNoWriMo or not: 1. Write Now. Some people will make excuses. Others will write. Those excuses might be valid, by the way, and there are many great writers who completely ignore NaNoWriMo. That's fine. But if YOU want to participate, then don't make excuses. Go Write. 2. ...

I'm a failure. A big fat failure. I'm so sick about my failure, I write this post distracted. Don't expect pithy sentences or clever metaphors. Expect cliches, danging participles and archaic expressions. I'm too upset to even try to impress you. Yes, it's a real thing. Why am I a failure and what are my excuses? Read on, dear reader. It's all because November is over, which means National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWRiMo , (the silliest acronym ever created by people who are supposed to be good at this stuff), is also over. And I have failed to reach any NaNoWriMo victories. Any! I know I shouldn't take it so hard. Failing at NaNoWriMo doesn't mean I'm a failure at writing. I wrote two novels before I had ever heard of NaNoWriMo. I wrote my third manuscript (currently being shopped to publishing houses by my hardworking agent ... stay tuned!) without participating. And yeah, "participating" is a...