Scientific fact: November moves a whole lot faster than the rest of the year. Maybe it has to do with the rotational force caused by hundreds of thousands of writers typing at the same time, or maybe it's wizards. Either way, it seems like November just began, and now we're halfway through! Here's how my month's gone so far:

• Day 1: Wrote a ton of words. Decided my novel was amazing and I should probably just publish it now.
  
  
• Day 2: Exceeded my daily word-count goal. Celebrated with ice cream.
  
  
• Day 7: Missed a day of writing and vowed to make it up over the weekend. Watched a bunch of Netflix instead.
  
  
• Day 10: Decided that novel-writing is dumb and I don't care about my story anymore and who cares if it never gets finished because it's awful anyway.
  
  
• Day 13: Listened to a friend's advice and wrote with her, just for five minutes. Only wrote 200 words, but made myself laugh, and realized I missed my main character. Decided to lock up my Inner Hater and Inner Imaginary Judgemental Reader along with my Inner Editor and try to keep writing through the month.

Whatever your journey this November, know this: it's not about the word-count goal, it's not even about the novel. It's about you, having fun and practicing something you love and want to get better at. If your goal is so high it's discouraging you, change it! If you hate the direction your story is going, write about something else! Do whatever you need to do to bring joy back into your writing practice. I'll be doing the same (and trying to stay away from Netflix).

Rooting for you,
Marya Brennan
Young Writers Program Director

November 15 is Back Up Your Novel Day!

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Pep Talks

Need inspiration? Read a pep talk from a professional author, or a Young Writers Program participant! Look for new letters each week in Breaking News.

Read Julie's pep talk letter.

Read Grayson's participant pep talk letter. 

"Remember, you’ll never be the same writer again. You’ll never be the same age, or look at the world with the same eyes again. Your perspective is unique."

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NaNoWriMo on YouTube

Need a break from actually writing? The Procrastination Station makes a return:

• Let our YouTube guides help you through the writing process, from outlining to character development to plot problem. 
  
  Get tips from our YouTube guides!

• Team up with NaNo staff and other writers to focus on your novel for an hour at a Virtual Write-In—complete with word sprints and dares.
  
  Join a Virtual Write-In! 
  
  

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Stuck? Try a Novel Prompt!

Find more prompts here.