Dear writer, Let me tell you a secret: I've never, ever won Camp NaNoWriMo. This month, I set myself an ambitious goal of 20,000 words to complete a draft of a novel that's been slowly growing in scattered notebooks for the past seven years. "This will be the month I finally finish it!" I told myself at the beginning of July. What I actually wrote this month was about 5,000 words. And although it's hard to feel in this moment like I'm any closer to completing my novel, I'm going to continue to create ambitious goals for myself. Why? Because even though I've fallen short of what I wanted to accomplish, I am, in fact, closer to my goal. In the end, what matters is that I wrote more this month than I would have if I didn't have the support of this amazing community of writers. What matters is that I have a word-count-to-beat for the next time I try. What matters is that one of these months, I'll say, This will be the one! and it will finally be true. If you're in the same boat, please don’t get down on yourself. Focus on all the truly remarkable things you accomplished, small or large; and set some intentions for reaching your goal, no matter how far down the line. Thank you for writing with us and taking the first crucial steps to making your story a reality. You are creating magic simply by pursuing your own creativity—and that is a truly spectacular thing. Did you love your Camp NaNoWriMo experience? Your donation of just $10 can support our creative writing programs in classrooms, libraries, and homes around the world. What's Up, Camp NaNoWriMo: Now What?Set personal writing goals year-round. — Want to keep working on your project even though Camp is over? You can now create personal goal trackers year-round on the main NaNoWriMo site! Share your Camp NaNoWriMo story. — How was your experience writing with us this July? We want to know what you learned from, and what you love about, Camp NaNoWriMo! |