Thread: The Home Straight - What have you learnt?

I worked out, before even starting Nanowrimo that I would need to 1,700 per day every day. I have, as you can see from my signature blown that target away. I'm well over 6,000 words in front of where I need to be.

I have learnt so much. Mainly I have learnt that for the last ten years when I said that I had writer's block I was lying to myself. An old writing tutor I had always said, "There is no such thing as writer's block. You just have to write. Write anything. It will come."

He was correct. By having this daily target of 1,700 words I found that once I had stuck down three or four sentences of "something" the rest started flowing. As the days have gone on it has been easier and easier to kick start my brain.It's a valuable lesson I have learnt and it couldn't have come soon enough.

So as we all start approaching the home straight, what have you learnt or taken away from the Nanowrimo experience?

That's a good thing to have learnt. That you can create even when the mood doesn't strike. Eventually, if you just keep doing it, you'll get something written.

That has always been the case, I mean, journalists and screen writers and all these other people with consistent deadlines write and get things done. Sure, an inspired piece may have more personal meaning to you as the writer, but any well-written work will be accepted by the reader.

I think the important thing to take away from this is that a writer writes. It's not about being published, or getting fame and recognition (all nice things, though), it's about writing. If you stop writing, or working on writing, you stop being a writer. Simple enough.