Don't Smash Your Face
Today begins Nanowrimo. Here's a repost of advice I posted on October 31st, 2010. For context: I did Nanowrimo in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. In 2011 I acquired an agent. In 2013 I sold a two-book deal to HarperCollins Voyager. I'm speaking from experience here.
DON'T SMASH YOUR FACE.
I've been doing parts of the P90X exercise routine. At one point the host, Tony Horton, leads the group in a triceps exercise that involves lying down and lifting a weight overhead. After the exercise he looks straight into the camera and intones, "Tip of the day: Don't smash your face."
You can watch the clip here. Jump to the one minute point.
How does this fit into writing and NaNoWriMo? It's all about ego and how far you can push yourself. In P90X, it's all about building muscle. But once you're to the point that your muscles are quivering and the posture is going, you're done. Stop doing the move. Go and get a lighter weight. Take a break.
The same is true of NaNoWriMo. It's enormously stressful to do 50,000 words in one month. We're all adults. We have a hundred different demands on us every day. Kids, work, pets, chores, friends, and on and on. Then when you finally sit down to write, the words flow with the consistency and quality of raw sewage… and the clogs are constant. What's the point? It's hard to do two hundred words, much less 1,667 a day.
That weight is hovering over your face and your muscles are quivering like Jell-O. You want to get in just a few more reps, even though your elbows are lowering and a big hunk of metal is aiming straight for your nose.
Stop. Take a breath. Step away from the computer. Tell your ego to shut up. Don't smash your face.
Go for a walk. Make dinner. Let your mind work through your scene as you busy your hands in other tasks. Heck, go take a nap. Know your limits and give yourself permission to take it easy. It's okay to have a bad day, or many. Set a low goal or give yourself the day off. If 50k for the month seems impossible, aim for 10, and relish in it. This isn't about what everyone else is doing. This is about YOU and what YOU can accomplish.
And don't smash your face.
DON'T SMASH YOUR FACE.
I've been doing parts of the P90X exercise routine. At one point the host, Tony Horton, leads the group in a triceps exercise that involves lying down and lifting a weight overhead. After the exercise he looks straight into the camera and intones, "Tip of the day: Don't smash your face."
You can watch the clip here. Jump to the one minute point.
How does this fit into writing and NaNoWriMo? It's all about ego and how far you can push yourself. In P90X, it's all about building muscle. But once you're to the point that your muscles are quivering and the posture is going, you're done. Stop doing the move. Go and get a lighter weight. Take a break.
The same is true of NaNoWriMo. It's enormously stressful to do 50,000 words in one month. We're all adults. We have a hundred different demands on us every day. Kids, work, pets, chores, friends, and on and on. Then when you finally sit down to write, the words flow with the consistency and quality of raw sewage… and the clogs are constant. What's the point? It's hard to do two hundred words, much less 1,667 a day.
That weight is hovering over your face and your muscles are quivering like Jell-O. You want to get in just a few more reps, even though your elbows are lowering and a big hunk of metal is aiming straight for your nose.
Stop. Take a breath. Step away from the computer. Tell your ego to shut up. Don't smash your face.
Go for a walk. Make dinner. Let your mind work through your scene as you busy your hands in other tasks. Heck, go take a nap. Know your limits and give yourself permission to take it easy. It's okay to have a bad day, or many. Set a low goal or give yourself the day off. If 50k for the month seems impossible, aim for 10, and relish in it. This isn't about what everyone else is doing. This is about YOU and what YOU can accomplish.
And don't smash your face.
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