NaNoWriMo Day 15 Reflection

Words Written in November: 24,433

Total Word Count in Manuscript: 47,120

Happy halfway day! It’s hard to believe that we’re already halfway through the month and through this challenge. Overall, I’m feeling great. I had a small slump last week but with the help of my newfound writing community, I got through it and was soon back to hitting my target daily word count.

The community has become one of the most incredible parts of this experience. As any writer (and most artists in general) can tell you, our craft is typically done in isolation. Hours spent typing away alone, a story swimming through your head that you can’t really talk to anyone about. It can be lonely. Otautahi has hosted numerous write-ins at the local libraries and coffee shops, and it’s been a joy to sit and write among others (and commiserate too of course).

Flexibility has been a key lesson so far. Whether that’s flexibility in my routine or in the actual writing, I’m realizing how important it is to not be too rigid with myself. Some days I can sit down and crank out 2000 words in one sitting. On other days, I have to do multiple small bursts spread out through the day (writing sprints have been awesome for that). The important thing is that I’m building that habit of writing daily, regardless of the conditions. The same applies to the manuscript—new characters are popping up, the story is morphing into something much different than how it began, and it’s easiest to go with it. Keep plugging along, getting that first draft out, not worrying too much about the details.

I think it’s true what they say about the first draft—you are telling yourself the story. It doesn’t need to be perfect, there will be mistakes and plot holes and poor word choice, but it’s an important step in eventually getting to that final draft. At least, that seems to be how it’s working out for me. One of the beautiful things about writing is that it is so personal. You can watch 10000 videos about writing craft, but eventually you’ll just have to find the unique combination of things that works best for you.

Keep moving forward, with whatever you are working on. I’m here cheering you on!

—River