As you’ve probably guessed by now, most of November’s posts will include Nano. Unfortunately I was ill with fever all day yesterday, so I barely managed to reach my word count, and I’m still feverish today so this will be a quick post. Sorry everyone.
National Novel Writing Month AKA Nano, is a great exercise for any writer. Getting up the courage to attempt Nano is a huge first step to becoming a serious writer. My hat is off to everyone who even attempts it. It can be nerve wracking, but also exciting. At the end when you’ve reached your 50K minimum goal, it is an incredible feeling.
Watching your novel take shape, even in it’s roughest form, for the first time is akin to giving birth. It’s extremely nerve wracking, but you also feel a huge sense of accomplishment.
As with birthing a child, created from the love between two consenting adults, creating a novel is a labor of love. What comes out at first isn’t always what we expected, and often times then novel took many twists we would never have thought of until then.
As with a child you must nurture your novel and help it grow, make it stronger. You can’t cut the weakest parts of a child away, so instead you teach them to accept their faults and learn to compensate to balance them out, good with the bad.
Don’t be afraid to follow where the characters lead during Nano. It’s just the first draft, and that’s how you discover the true core of your character’s personalities. When your characters and story take on a mind of their own, then you’re starting to discover your real character’s traits. Embrace it, don’t stifle it.
I am definitely trying to let my characters go their own way a bit. I think this is one of the great ways we can use nano to our advantage…really allowing characters to flex and show us what they are made of.
Hi Angela, thanks for taking time to comment.
Nano can offer a lot to writers like us. Getting the first draft down is hard for me because I stop and edit, mid way, then continue. But, during Nano there is no time to edit, lol. Hoping Nano will me train myself to not edit before the first draft is done. 
I am having a great ride with my Nano project! It was so vague at first that I had no idea how to even start, but now the chapters are beginning to flow and my protagonist is really throwing in some surprises, as are her supporting characters! I hope you feel better now, Catrina. I had a stomach bug last weekend, that time of year I suppose, but it does come at completely the wrong time work-wise!
Awesome! Nano can do wonders for any writer.
Especially if it’s the first time working on a novel. 
Thank you. Sinusitis acted up. One of the pitfalls of winter for me.