NaNoWriMo Pep Talk: More Than Halfway There

© Lizzie Gudkov

And suddenly, it was the halfway point. Could you call that Hump Day? Or is that reserved for Wednesdays? I think that’s an American thing, because this Brit had never heard of it for a long time and then thought it meant something completely different.

Nomenclature aside, here we are at the halfway point, or possibly a little beyond by the time this gets posted. That graph thing on the website would have us be around the 25,000 word mark by now, but, well, if you read my previous post, you know what I think about that idea. You are where you are and that’s just fine. We’re all different. Some can do it at a steady pace. Some can sprint at start and then amble in for the finish. Others dawdle and prevaricate and then do a massive sprint towards the end (which is how most of my university essays got done). And, some, like me, write in fits and starts, as and when time and energy allows. My progress graph will probably end up looking like the ECG of a very sick person.

You are wherever you are, however many words you have above or below that mythical halfway point and you are doing just great. Don’t go stressing about it. It’s meant to be fun after all. Halfway is just some arbitrary point along the way. And, just like Hump Day in the week, it’s different things for different people. For some it means that the worst is over and they can glide to the end of the week, for others, it means they have to ramp things up to get things done by the weekend. For me, Wednesday is just fish & chips night, because that’s when the fish & chips man comes round our way in his van. Which is great, because that gives me more time to write.

There are many different reasons for doing this – a personal challenge, like doing a 5k or a Marathon; or doing it because, like Everest, it’s there; or doing it just for the fun of it. Whatever reason, somewhere in there you are doing it because you have a story to tell, a tale to relate. That’s the important thing – they are your words, your tale, your creation – a story only you can tell. So don’t worry about how well, or not, other people are doing. What you are doing is unique, and it will be wonderful because of that, and only you can do it. However far along the way you are, pause a moment, give yourself a pat on the back and a rousing cheer. You’ve got this far, and that in itself is an achievement. If you got this far, you can make it to the end and feel proud. You can do this!

About Nathaniel Ballard

Nathaniel Ballard is a fictional character in Second Life® who also now serves as his creator’s alter-ego online and as said creator’s pen-name. Outside of Second Life®, he has been a sausage straightener, an engineer, a trainer, a fund-raiser and now manages a charity shop. He writes a lot of words. Some of them even coherent.