NaNoWriMo Week Four: How Novels Are Lived

Week four is the hardest part of this challenge. Excitement and buzz have worn off and the ending still feels miles away and possibly even pointless. And yet here it is: Everything now reduced to did I hit my goals or not. That’s why I like to tailor NaNoWriMo with my students so that it’s not only a 50,000 words do or die.

In the real world, by the time you get to this part of the book you have figured out how to write it. I’m not convinced that Kierkegaard is right that life is lived forward but understood backwards, but it is always true in writing a novel. With each book, I only figure out how to do it by the time I’ve gotten to the end. It’s why I believe so strongly in writing every day. Just keep going, no matter how awful it is, keep going.

That is the extent of my advice as you throw yourself toward the end. Oh, and be open to what happens. Whatever you finish with, you have an exciting step to the next revision. It is always easier to edit what is the page than what is still trapped in your head. Embrace it and have fun. Writing is one of the world’s best joys. Don’t miss it!