Friday, December 3, 2010

The Verdict's In.. Which side do you choose?

It's hard to believe we're in December already, isn't it? Where did the year go?

Thank you all for your comments regarding my NaNo inquiry a couple of weeks ago :).

I've decided that I won't officially post it on the site, even though I think it counts halfway (50k in 30 days, right?). But just to adhere to the rules and the spirit of NaNo, I'll just keep it here between us ;)

The fact of the matter is that I know I did it, and what's more, now I know I can do it.

I think that's what the driving factor was from the very start... overcoming that self-doubt and pushing myself to see if I could.

Because I didn't believe I could.

There's just too much going on in my life, it's almost impossible to balance and it's just so... hard. But I think this was just my excuse... something to make me feel better about tottering on the edge of the fence, afraid to see what might be on the other side.

I'm going to delve a bit more into the power of doubt and its inhibiting role on Monday, but today I wanted talk about pushing yourself to do things you never thought were possible.

50k... heck, even 20k is no small feat. It's a lot of work, and it takes a lot of commitment, perseverance and time--which is something we never seem to have enough of. And it's always more or less depending on what stage of life you're in.

But you can do it.

You just have to believe in yourself that much, and know that even if you don't get to it today, you will get to it. Just don't give up.

Because this is your dream. And you want it that badly.

We can't always follow our schedules... life, kids, families, work... don't always allow for things to be cookie cutter perfect, but that's okay. Don't beat yourself up over the small things. They'll always be there - we just have to learn to accept them.

My goal for this weekend is to finish the novel. I haven't touched it for two weeks. I'm about 4k away, but I know it will take a bit more than that to tie up the loose ends, but I am going to do it.

Because now I know I can.

And I hope you know you can too. At the end of the day, you can't stay on the fence forever--you need to pick a side, and the positive side is a heck of a lot nicer than the one filled with doubt.

And of course you know it's sharing time :)

Have you ever felt this way about your writing, or anything else? Did you ever accomplish something that you thought wasn't possible? How did you feel?

I hope you all have a wonderful, inspiring, and hopeful weekend!


13 comments:

Wendy Lu said...

Best of luck with finishing your novel. :) You can do it!!!

Yes, I've accomplished several things that I didn't think I could actually, including writing a 50k novel in a month. xD They always felt really exhilarating, and I felt very much in control.

~TRA

http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com

Jai Joshi said...

That's one of the best things about finishing a task we set ourselves - the simple satisfaction of knowing we did it and that we could do it.

Well done on your accomplishment and have fun finishing the book. You're not far away now.

Jai

Jamie Gibbs said...

Congrats on making the word count, it's one hell of an achievement :) I tend to go for things that I'd otherwise think myself unable to do, just to see if I can do them. There's not much point in doing something if it's easy - the challenge is what makes it worthwhile.

Theresa Milstein said...

You should be proud of yourself.

There have been so many times I felt ready to give up when something big faced me. There have been undergraduate classes (Calculus, Economics), graduate papers, teaching exams, and so on. I try not to give up in those times.

Working full-time is awful. When I was a kid, mothers were home and it made my life different than the one I'm now forcing on my kids. It's all rush, rush. I feel like there's less quality time. At least I'll be off in the summer.

Mandie Baxter said...

That is an amazing feat! Congratulations. I agree on never having enough time. With a full time job, husband and three year old it seems impossible! Just try to fit it in where I can.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I still think it counts!
And yes, completing NaNo was a big accomplishment for me. Not just writing that many words - I wasn't sure I could write another book, especially a sequel. Now I'm cruising toward the ending and I'm excited!

Jodi Henry said...

COngrats on the word count. It was a difficult task, but I finished as well.

I am with Alex on this, as I wasn't sure I had another book in me as well. Turns out my self doubt was missplaced, and I have more than just another book locked away in my vault, but a few.

Thanks for the encouraging words.

J

Do you blogfest. If so I have one happening Dec. 12-18 and it's for query letters. check out the link.

http://jodilhenry.blogspot.com/p/query-letter-blogfest-page.html

notesfromnadir said...

When I look at your sidebar & see the Current WiP chart at 95% done I can only be happy. I know how much work that is & that you're so close to the finish line of your ms is such an exciting time. Being a NaNo winner is also quite an achievement & obviously you know that you CAN do it.

Melissa Gill said...

That's an amazing accomplishment, getting that many words written is huge. And it does feel good to know that you have it in you to complete something. I knew you could do it all along.

The Words Crafter said...

Good for you!!!!! Yes, I battle doubt and you're right. Knowing that I can do it makes a huge difference.

Janet Johnson said...

I so agree with you . . . any writing done is a feat when you have other commitments filling your time, but it's very easy to use that as an excuse.

I didn't Nano, but I pushed myself to finish my wip enough to send it to some betas. I hadn't planned on finishing till the end of Dec. We're definitely able to do more than we think we can if we push. :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I hope you had a great and productive weekend. It's such a fantastic feeling achieving a difficult goal. It makes all the hard work worth it.

The Happy Whisk said...

Congrats on all your hard work. You did great. Very cool.

Happy Writing :-)