10 Reasons to Keep Writing

It is now week 2 of NaNoWriMo! How is everyone doing? We hope you’re exercising that right brain of yours and staying on track with your writing goal. It was not realistic for me to go for the 50,000 word goal this year, so I set myself a goal to write 500 words every day this month. That I could do, but I knew it would still be challenging with where I’m at in my life right now (can’t make it too easy!).

This blog post is for those of you who are feeling overwhelmed with your NaNoWriMo goal. Please don’t stop writing.

Writing should be fun, even during NaNoWriMo. Instead of giving up, adjust your goal. If you are aiming for 50,000 words this month, but it’s not working out for you, then set yourself a more realistic goal. Maybe writing 1,000 words a day would be best for you, but still a fun challenge. That’s still 30,000 words you will have typed by the end of the month! 30,000 words closer to finishing your novel! Or perhaps simply writing every day would be perfect for you. Just keep writing.

When I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed about something the first thing I want to do is stop. So, I know how it is. I know it's hard to keep going sometimes. Stevie and I wholeheartedly believe that writing is one of the best things you can do for yourself. If I still haven’t convinced you to keep writing, then here are my top 10 reasons I think you should keep writing. Please read!

Happy writing folks!

YOU SHOULD KEEP WRITING BECAUSE…

1. It Makes You Happy

This is number one for a reason. No one writes in their free-time if they don’t like it. And if you don’t like it, it will never make you happy. If you are reading this, I’m assuming you are a writer. You write because you enjoy it right? Because it makes you happy? Remember that, how happy you feel when you write, and keep plugging away at that novel that’s slowly gathering dust in the corner of your mind! You don’t want to lose that excitement for your story.

2. You Can Lose Yourself in It

If life is getting you down, there is no better way to forget all your troubles than by putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). Just like reading, you can lose yourself in the world you create, the relationships, the chaos, the beauty of your story. But, unlike reading, your story can go wherever you want it to go. You are thinking of new, amazing possibilities in that world and new situations and characters. Creating is, in my opinion, the best way to forget all of life’s miseries. I truly hope that your life does not have many.

3. It Can Help Combat Real-Life Problems

Ever suffer from depression? Anxiety? Or maybe you suffer from something else that makes you feel out of control at times. When you write you are in complete control and that can help to alleviate these feelings. For instance, many people who suffer from anorexia do so because they need to feel like they are in control of something in their life (which would be their diet) because there is something else in their life that makes them feel out of control. I’m no doctor or psychologist, but along with their advice and prescribed medications/routines, adding writing into that mix can help. Of course, that’s not a promise, just a push to get you to try it out and see if it helps you in any significant way.

4. It Gives Your Right Brain a Workout

Are you looking to stretch that creative side a bit? Well, sit your butt down and place your hands on your keyboard and write. Write about your life, about your day, write about somebody elses day and create a world around them. If your job requires a lot of right brain usage, this is a great way to stay balanced and when your left brain is activated it may help you be more creative in you heavily right-brained job. Who knows!

5. You Can Possibly Make a Career Out of It

If you complete your novel and do a bang-up job editing it, then there is a possibility you can become a published author. That is the ultimate goals isn’t it? So why not finish your book, edit it, and start sending it out to publishers or go the self-publishing route. Either way, you have a chance. Go for it!

6. It Relieves Stress.

I think of writing as a form of meditation, much like those art therapy books that you see around every corner of every store these days. And why are they so popular? Because coloring in those crazy, detailed birds and jungle scenes is relaxing and frees your mind. When you're using your creativity, you meditate, you ponder life's meaning, heaven and space, pick apart society down to the cells in one's' body, and that can help you manage your stress. Knowing who you are, knowing your environment, and being mindful of your emotions and how certain things effect them.

7. You Can Reach Your NaNoWriMo Goal!

Of course I had to fit this one in here. Whether you are striving to hit the 50,000 word mark or want to complete your own personal writing challenge, it always feels amazing once you have reached your goal. So go ahead, raise your self-esteem and get writing!

8. You Will Become a Better Writer

Boost your confidence as a writer. It’s easy! All you have to do is write. The more you write the better your writing becomes. You can read all day long about how to make your characters more believable, how to pace your story perfectly, etc, but without writing on top of that, you are not going to become a better writer. It’s really the only sure-fire way to improve your writing.

9. You Can Discover Yourself

You find out a lot about who you are when you write. You connect ideas, figure out why you are the way you are, why you do things the way you do. And this is not just through journal writing. You’ll find aspects of yourself in your characters and even in the worlds you build.

10. It’s a Great Way to Connect With Others

If you write, other writers will gravitate to you, or vice versa. Writing groups, online or in person, are wonderful, in that you can find like-minded people to hangout with and/or to help improve your writing. Look online. Even through writing blogs and workshops, other writers are always there cheering you on and giving you support. It’s fantastic and one reason why I love NaNoWriMo so much. We all come together even more because 50,000 words in 30 days is quite a challenge, but one reason why it’s so much fun is because of the enormous amount of love and support you receive from your fellow writers. You need all the support and inspiration you can get!

You already have your challenge! Go write!