Re: Adopt-a-Day ToNaNo PEP TALKS!

Day 22 Pep Talk

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We're nearing the end of Nano, and I know that there are plenty of people out there who are, by now, thinking, "There's no WAY I'm going to finish this! I can't do it!" I know it because I'm one of them. This year has been extremely frustrating and disappointing for me - frustrating because I've hit block after block writing, from household distractions to physical ailments, and disappointing because my wordcount seriously sucks. So this talk isn't about hitting the 50k mark, exactly. Instead, it's about something my mother used to say to me, a quote that has stayed with me for all these years, and colored my thoughts when I've been close to failure.

"'Can't' never did anything."

That sentence has always sounded a little strange to me, and it took a long time for me to really get the punch of it. It took longer still before I truly understood not only the meaning behind it, but also the feeling, and while it may be very self-apparent to the rest of you, I'm going to belabor the point just a little.

Can't never did anything. If I let myself think that I "can't" do this, then I won't, because that's exactly what it takes to ensure failure. I'm not willing to let that failure get a handhold this way, and neither should you! There are still eight days left to go, and it doesn't really matter how far along you are or are not, because if you really put your mind to it, then you can accomplish your goals and dreams. All you have to do is turn your back on one little word: can't. Ignore it, and it will go away.

I've turned my back on 'can't'. I will hit 50k, though my own roadblocks have left me wondering exactly what I'm going to have when I'm done. Being sick for half the month certainly didn't help my initial progress, but I still have a little more than eight days, and I can make it in that time. I know I can, because as of right now, I'm making that other little word my best friend. "Can" will be the companion who sees me through to the end of this, and all I have to do to keep that friendship in the forefront of my mind is to remember the one sentence my mother taught me as I was growing up.

Can't never did anything.

I'll add my own sentence to it, as well.

Can will do everything.

There you have my mantra for the next eight days. I hope you like it, because I'm going to go back to working on my novel now. It's crunch time, and I believe that we can all make it, if we just keep trucking along.

No matter where you are in your novel, you're all awesome for continuing to try. We can do this!