Taking a Deep Breath. NaNo Day 10.

I'm not done writing today. I promise.

With that said, you might note that I haven't added too many words to my word count-o-meter in the last couple of days. However, some really great things have come out of my 4500 marathon.

First, seeing the 10,000 mark was oddly overwhelming. A weird sense of responsibility to finish the story took over and I went to bed dreaming about my story. (Like I do when I'm in the middle of reading a really good book. So, I take that as a good omen.)

Second: The outline for my little book is extensive. My plot has thickened! I am so happy with the progress I've made and I'm already feeling proud of what I'm creating. That's a big deal!

Third. Since Sunday, I've needed to chill out a bit, but I was feeling a little guilty for falling behind just as I had caught up. Some really awesome people have written some really great stress-relieving blogs:

Jes, you're so right about the having fun part.

Sunday was super fun, but also super draining. I needed the time to really pound out a huge chunk of story. And in that way, NaNo is such a motivator for me. I am a person who needs some external motivation. But I don't want to come out of November sick of writing, either. It's all about creating lasting habits.

Beth Revis wrote about herself and other authors in the Young Adult realm of literature. It's short, but very encouraging for those of us who would love to someday be the new kid on the block.

Maureen Johnson (who is writing NaNoWriMo advise daily, fyi) in her 11/10 post writes simply that "try as you might, you can't force the voice".

Who hasn't hit a point where the words just don't want to come? It's true that sometimes I'm all 'talked' out, or maybe my characters are. It's okay if they're not speaking to me today. I have faith that they won't be silent very long.

It was good timing to read these lovely notes. After so much good progress, I took a long deep breath and now I'm ready to forge on ahead again. The big run was exciting, but slow and steady wins the race.

There's been much debate over NaNo and the quality of work that comes out of it. Personally, I'm using the word count goals to get my bum in the chair typing. I'm new at this and here's an opportunity to create good habits and network with tons of other people who are in the same boat.

I know I'll have a LOT of work to do after NaNo in order to have something worth reading. But as a new writer, I couldn't ask for a better (or more intense) network of support.

Okay, back to work.