This post was originally titled “Finding Success in Failure,” but that sounded cheesy and I wanted to mix it up. Anyways, today is day nine of frantic noveling, also known as NaNoWriMo, and my second favorite time of the year (second only to Christmas). Today’s post is three-fold: some thoughts about this new story I’m writing (eeeek! exciting!!), some things I learned from NaNo last year, AND a very important announcement about The Conductor, which will be releasing in just a few weeks!

First things first. If you’re doing NaNoWriMo this year, congratulations! And best of luck to you, brave writer. I usually try to compile some tips that are helping me as I write, so here are a few that are working for me this year:

• Write every day. I’m well into my college career now, and as much as I would love to just get lost in the world I’m creating and stay there all day, I can’t do that. There is simply not enough time. There are days when I don’t meet my target word count, and do you know what? That’s okay. But I have resolved to write every day, even if it’s just half a page or even one paragraph. This has turned out to be a very good decision, because at the end of every day, I feel as though I’ve accomplished something.
• Make a writing routine. I like to feel cozy when I write, so usually I grab a blanket and maybe some tea before I start writing. Writing in the dark also helps me not get distracted as much. Try out some different things and see what works for you!
• Make a story playlist. This is my favorite, favorite tip, guys. It doesn’t take that long for your brain to build associations with music! Did you know that the part of your brain that processes music is very close the part that stores memories? No wonder my brain goes into Automatic Writing Mode whenever I listen to that song.

Now, you may be wondering, why am I doing NaNoWriMo at all? Usually I’d say something along the lines of “well I want to write another story and suffer from caffeine and lack of sleep at the same time,” but this year, my motivation for writing is altogether different.

I’m writing because I want to succeed where I’ve previously failed.

I don’t remember if I blogged about it, but I did do NaNoWriMo last year. I didn’t win. I didn’t even come close. And do you know what? That’s okay.

To say that 2020 was a hard year would be a massive understatement. In addition to the pandemic and heightened political tension, I was dealing with a lot of things happening at school and trying to cope with depression. Throw a novel into the mix, and, well… the mixture just kind of spills over the sides of the bowl and catches fire on the stove, which sets the smoke alarm off, and the mess you’re left with rivals the current state of my room.

But although I did not win, there are a lot of things I learned from the experience. To name just a few:

• 2020 is a bad time for me to write a novel
• Final exams + novel = something doesn’t get done
• Mental health comes first

Most of all, I learned to let go. I learned to take care of myself first. That story didn’t work for me at that time, and I learned why that happened. But do you know what? That story will still be waiting for me whenever I decide to come back to it. The characters will just have to wait a little longer.

Writing a new novel this year has, so far, been very healing for me. In the first three days, I wrote more than I had total from last year’s challenge! Not only that, but by writing I get to explore. Not only do I get to explore a whole other world, I get to explore pieces of myself I didn’t even know existed until now. Perhaps I will share more of the story later. (If you’d like to get the details about it, head over to my profile on NaNoWriMo.)

And finally, a quick update on The Conductor! I’ll get more details out on this later, but I may be pushing the release date up a little bit! That means it could hit the shelves in just a couple weeks! This is because I will be hosting a book signing in the next month or so, and I want to be sure there’s plenty of time to order enough copies for that event. Stay tuned for more details, and happy writing!