A Post on Perseverance

Now that the election is *finally* over, and we have our winner, I figured that while I'm disappointed I might as well write a blog post about perseverance.

Right now I don't feel very motivated to do anything except curl up in a ball and fall asleep. I'm tired of politics, and I want everyone to stop gloating on Twitter that Obama won, and among other things, I want to finish a darn novel.

But the surprising thing is (and I was blown away to find this out--they don't tell you this kind of stuff going into it), you actually have to write to finish a book. You don't sit on a comfy throne in a lavish gallery, with one of Rita Skeeter's self-writing quills spilling away the works of Shakespeare onto the paper. Writing is very lowly, can be done from anywhere, and is often very low paying. Not much motivation right now, but just hang on.

Photo found on Pinterest.

Now here I am, on the other side of the photo. It's time for some motivation. Four NaNos really is not a lot. There are veterans out there doing their seventh or eighth, and have never lost. Just think of how many words that is! That's a lot of perseverance, if you ask me. 

Even when you're feeling tired, if you haven't met your word count goal for the day, plow on! I assure you that it is very possible to do--on several occasions I have been half-asleep, my eyes nearly closed, and still I have made my word count for the day. Let me tell you that you will thank yourself heartily when you wake up, knowing that you don't have to tack on the previous day's word count to your new one. 

You have to work.

I know, it sounds boring, right? You, like me sometimes, are in it for the completed manuscript, a sweet publishing contract, and several thousand (or million) dollars for the first book to what you plan to make a dystopian trilogy. And all the power to you! Just realize that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single footstep. And then another footstep, until you reach the end. 

You can do it. It is possible.