Prep...Prep...Prep...For NaNo!

A little over a week to go for the big write.  Are you ready?  To tell you the truth, I’m a little nervous.  Excited, but nervous.  It’s like standing in the wings of the theater waiting for my cue to go on stage.  Afraid I’ll forget my lines.  Well, I’ll have to trust that the muse will arrive and if she doesn’t I’ll have to start without her. 

If you need some last minute guidance here is a link you might find useful:

Larry Brook’s site Storyfix.com has 31 empowering posts on building your story for NaNo.

Also, here is a spreadsheet you can download that will help you do the following during the great write:

Daily word count

Monthly word count

Number of scenes written

Number of writing sessions per day

Words per hour

Words left until goal

Average words per day

Tomorrow’s goal

And some other stuff.

And last but not least an empowering commencement speech by Steve Jobs to inspire you.

Here are a few gems from his speech that hit home with me.

“….you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

The following also struck a chord for me:

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

So my friends let’s go for it!  Are you ready? Let me know how you doing?

Later,
Elizabeth