NaNoWrimo 2017 Day 10

If you’ve chosen to write an entire novel in the month of November, you’ve probably examined some of the stats.  While those that finish are in the minority, it’s interesting to note how many people begin a novel:

Hundreds of thousands.

Did you catch that?  Hundreds of thousands!

This is the second secret fuel of NaNoWriMo.  Did you catch what it is?

Community.   Yep.  Community with people that most of us have never met, and most likely never will meet.

One of my biggest motivations to take myself seriously as a writer resulted from an invitation to a Facebook group created by someone I met (digitally) in a book launch group.  This person invited me to a group for writers.  Just being in a group with them, and being invited by another writer changed the way I viewed myself.  That group took me seriously as a writer when I, myself, hadn’t.

But that all changed.  Because I changed.

Community changes us in so many ways.  I could go on and on about this, but I want to offer you three tips to take advantage of the NaNoWriMo community.

1) Be encouraged that while you struggle, someone else is struggling, too.  Writing is such a solitary activity.  It’s so comforting to know that as you strive to lay words on the page, there are others right along with you.

2) Do not be discouraged by someone with a high word count, but be encouraged with their willingness to share that part of their life with you.  I look at published authors in our group, published authors that I see on Facebook and Twitter, and even literary agents.  I have chosen to feel encouraged knowing that everyone had their start somewhere; and I get the privilege of seeing where they are going in their literary journey.

3) Don’t focus just on your benefit from the community, focus on a way to serve that community.  This adds the greatest power to community, in my opinion.  This is what prompted me to begin a blog about NaNoWriMo.  I am not doing this because I want to have more to do.  I’m doing this because I’ve been blessed by those who have chosen to let me walk alongside them on this journey.  Some have told me about software they use, books to read, YouTube videos to watch, and they’ve done so with absolutely no selfish motive.  They have just reached out to me to motivate me to become a better writer.

That’s the power of community.  Think about that as you’re laying words down on paper.  Stop and realize that there is someone with you, doing the same thing.