Ready Set Write

In ten days, this year’s National Novel Writing Month, known as Nanowrimo will begin. Each year, thousands of people begin this thirty day challenge with the dream of writing a book. Some complete their first novel, others begin a writing journey that will lead to the completion of their first book.

As someone who has written over thirty books myself, their dream excites me. I would not only like to applaud them on their journey, but would like to help guide you on yours. Have you always dreamed of writing a book, or do you feel like you have some knowledge that would benefit others?

If the answer to either question is yes, then don’t you have a reason to write?

Writing is as accessible to all of us, regardless of circumstance or situation. It can be daunting, even a little scary at times, but I promise you it is most definitely achievable. If you would allow me, I would like to serve you as a guide on your journey to being a writer.

Most will start on November 1, but I would encourage you to start today, why wait? Beyond a jumpstart to your book, starting early can do several things for you. I can provide you with some tools that can make this journey easier for you, if you would allow me too.

For today, I would encourage you to write 500 words. Before you are intimidated by that number, consider this. The average sentence is 15 to 20 words. The average paragraph is 5 to 6 sentences. This means that the average paragraph is 100 words, so 500 words would be roughly 5 to 6 paragraphs, or half a page.

To begin your novel, you don’t even have to write a whole page worth of words, but it will get you started. Getting started is half the battle. If you still have any trepidation, there are some other things you can do to make it easier.

Instead of trying to start from scratch, write down an event that occurred in your life. Be as detailed, or as general as you care to be. Tell it from beginning to end, then count the words. If you’ve written 500 words, guess what, you’re done for the day. You began with a goal in mind, and you completed it. Tomorrow, writing 500 words will be easy, because you already have.

Writing is a muscle, it must be exercised to become stronger. One way to do this, is to write daily, and the best way I can recommend is 500 words a day. Let’s talk more about this tomorrow, but for today, let me encourage you to write!