Why You Won NaNoWriMo (even if you didn’t)

Congratulations on winning NaNoWriMo!

Okay, okay, I know, you may not have technically written 50,000 words this November. Maybe you decided not to NaNo at all. But if you wrote some words, if you even thought about your book, I think that’s a victory.

Hell, I think it’s even a victory if all you did was survive the hell life put you through.

Because here’s the thing…

Your story is too important to rush.

You do not need to cram your story into an arbitrary time frame determined by an organization, your favorite author, or a publishing house.

Books are long, complicated, deeply personal pursuits. 

They are massive. They demand stark honesty and vulnerability. And you can be damn sure that all the negative voices in your brain are going to crawl out of their grimy holes to tell you how terrible of a writer you are.

That’s why you deserve the gift of writing slow.

Writing 50 words is progress. Thinking about your book counts is progress. Taking care of yourself and your loved ones so you can show up for your book in a few months is progress.

So no matter how NaNoWriMo went for you know that you’re doing an amazing job and you are exactly where you need to be.