Ever wonder why other people’s dreams come true, but you’re stuck? Dreams take consistent, hard work.

Dear Sister,

I am a writer. It’s something about myself I embrace. Am I where I want to be in my writing career? That would be a hard no. I enjoy the process, I enjoy the dreaming, and I enjoy the hope that one day I will see my book on a shelf in a bookstore.

I’ve written several books. I’ve written one that I’ve polished and honed and queried to agents. Though I haven’t fulfilled my publishing dream, I have fulfilled my dream of writing a complete novel. Maybe your dream is law school, learning another language, cooking your way through a favorite cookbook, or saving for a trip to Europe.

Have You Made Progress?

So my question is, have you made progress?

It’s interesting how we don’t spend time on our goals and dreams as often as we do the mundane. We feel we don’t have time. But then we can feel as if other people get to pursue their dreams and we don’t.

You know what I discovered when I was working on my MFA? Having a deadline forces you to make priorities. For the first time writing was allowed to be my priority. Maybe all of those other people simply made writing (insert your dream here) a priority.

After I finished my novel and thesis, We Were the First, I decided I needed a break. I was exhausted, I was moving, starting a new job, and couldn’t wrap my mind around a new project. I’ve had a few false starts to write a story. I thought it was time to write, but I couldn’t force it.

My Plan For November

But now is the time. I am going to push myself in November to write a novel in a month. I’ve done National Novel Writing Month before or NaNoWriMo, and I’m going to do it this year!

I have a general idea of what I’m going to write about, but this planner is going to attempt to pants her way through a novel and see what comes out. It’s exciting and scary all at the same time. Mostly I’m just excited to be writing for the fun of it again.

This is how NaNo works. You create an account and announce that you’re participating. You write roughly 1,667 words per day in the month of November. You reach your 50,000 word goal. You are a winner! Yay!

Will You Follow Along?

If you’re a writer, will you join me for this journey? You can friend me on NaNoWriMo.org or follow along as I share my ups and downs on Instagram.

If you’re not a writer, please follow me and cheer me on as I attempt this insane task! Maybe find a crazy, rewarding challenge for yourself. If you do, I’ll cheer you on as well!

Don’t forget, dreams don’t just happen. For the month of November, my posts on here will focus on my NaNoWriMo journey. Please forgive me if my posts are brief. Blog posts don’t count in my daily word count goal.

Your big sister,

Mallary

XOXO