My #CampCarePackage Week Begins Today!

I am so excited to be a part of @Nanowrimo’s Camp Nano as a counselor! Starting this week, I’ll have advice posted up to the website about how to get through the third week of writing and you can respond to my advice or just tweet me or ask me anything using the #CampCarePackage hashtag on twitter!

Writing 50K words in one month is bonkers and not for everyone. But for those who give it a try I say kudos to you and great job! Keep it up! Even if you don’t make it to 50K, even just giving it a shot is a great start.

You know, for those furiously writing, I do have one bit of advice that’s a bit different than the official piece I wrote for today. And I think that’s about self-forgiveness in navigating the published writing world.

As people are writing their stories, they have all these rosy ideas about how being published will feel like. But having crossed over to the other side, I can honestly tell you that it’s not always fun and games. There are so many experiences, so many moments that make you feel like shit. So many moments where you feel like you’re not good enough. What’s worse, I believe, is when your own peers make you feel lesser than, or when even responses from readers can tug at your self-esteem.

One of the biggest reasons why it sucks is because if you’re like me, you tend to dwell on your experiences and that dwelling can get in the way of what really matters: your writing. It’s hard to sit down and write that cool story you’ve been writing when someone or something has just finished making you feel as if your writing sucks and there’s no point in even pursuing it.

The writing world, the publishing world, is one where you constantly have to guard your emotions and hold your head up high. No matter what happens, and no matter what anyone might think of you, you have to know that your work matters, your voice matters to the audience that understands it. It can be such a feat to set everything aside — all the trying experiences that weigh down on your soul and confidence — and just write. But if that’s what you have to do, then do it. Don’t let those negative feelings get in the way of what you love.

Just write.

Happy Nano-ing!