For those doing Camp NaNoWriMo...

That dreaded week two.

It's that week the old people talk about like a bad predictable annual storm as they close the hatches of their writing ship. It's that week for the newbies where they wonder why they got into this crazy idea and going back to actually sleeping and socializing (and probably showering) like a normal person again would be so much better.

Cue lighting, cue thunder, cue 80% of the writers quitting.

I want to start off with a story that I read a long time ago that sticks with me during week two.

Once upon a time there was a boy and his dog. This boy and his dog were close. They played together every day, the boy used the dog as a pillow, they went hunting together… you get the picture. They were inseparable best friends.

One day in winter, the boy went hunting out on the moor with his dog pal. As he was walking, he fell through some ice and got his feet stuck in a sink hole. He was up to his knees in muck and waist in frigid water. He fired his shot gun but in vain – he was too far out and no one could hear it. It was common to hear him shooting on the moor if anyone did hear.

The boy's only hope was that dog. He told the dog he had to go get help and finally the dog leaped off, knowing his boy was in trouble. They boy sat there and kept whispering an old proverb to himself “champions are made of pushing on that one second more.” He whispered this to himself over and over and over again as he fought off falling asleep and going into shock.

Long story short the dog got help and the boy was okay because he kept whispering that proverb to himself until help came, forcing himself to push on that one second more.

That's how this week will be. Right now you've just slipped into the ice. The next couple days are those when you fire that shot gun hoping your characters (or sleep deprived brain) will get you something worth writing again. Then you'll get a small idea, barely anything, and you'll have to send your trusted main character on ahead to get help while you push on just one word more.

For those that are new to this crazy adventure, week three is the best. Week three is where the magic happens and unfortunately so many of us quit. I know it's going to be hard and you might not write a day or two and get some word debt – but that's okay as long as you keep pushing on that one day more.

The key to surviving week two is to write a little every day. (Even if it's 42 measly words.) Just poke into your novel a little bit to keep yourself mentally and creatively attached.  Write what little you can to keep back that word debt and you'll be all the better off.

So go forth little writerlings and just keep pushing because Novelists come from that one word more.

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If you're on julnowrimo.com you probably got this pep-talk in your email. I wrote it under my JulNo nickname. Hope you all enjoyed it if you got it there, if not enjoy it here and keep writing

AJ333