First week down, now bring on the second! The first week of Camp NaNoWriMo flew by and was a great first week for me, so I am hoping that the next three are the same. Anyways, sometimes the second week is when you start losing motivation for your project but remember to keep going! If that is the case, I have a few tips, tricks and inspirational quotes for you to keep that creative flame burning and help you chug full steam ahead with your project. Hope they help!

• Remember the First Draft is Supposed to Be Messy – This is one I always have to remind myself because the inner perfectionist and editor inside you deeply wants to go back and rewrite whatever you just wrote to perfection. But when it comes to writing a book that you want to actually finish before you die, then you have to shut off that part of you. It is okay for your first draft to be a complete disaster and make close to no sense because eventually you will write a second, third, fourth, or however many drafts it takes for you to make your book good. During those rewrites you can edit your work, but take pride that your first draft is messy because everyone else’s is too! The first draft is as bad as the book can get, remember that.
• It’s Okay if You Don’t Really Know Where Your Story is Going – Sometimes your story gets the best of you and takes you in an entirely different direction than you ever imagined. That’s okay though because that is what writing is all about. Our stories change and shift for the better, and sometimes it isn’t always what we planned out. Let your imagination seize control!
• Forget About Your Word Count – A word count is a goal for yourself, nobody else, so if you some days you cannot bring it in yourself to write up to it then that is totally fine. We all have days where our daily word counts are not realistic, but the point is that when that happens we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about it. As long as you are putting something down on the page, consider that progress.
• Read, Read, Read – When you are not writing, read, read, read. By reading, you pick up on what not to do and what to do with your writing. It gets your creative juices flowing and is not only beneficial but fun!
• Write Like There Are No Rules…Because There Aren’t! – There are no rules when it comes to YOUR writing. Write the story you want and don’t put yourself in a box that contains your creativity. Just because you see that many writes do things one way, doesn’t mean you have to as well!

There comes a point in your life when you need to stop reading other people’s books and write your own – Albert Einstein 

I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build sand castles – Shannon Hale

Write a page, only three hundred words, and in a year you have written a novel – Stephen King

That is all for my Camp NaNoWriMo Week 2 post and I hope you enjoyed it!