Sometimes simply beginning is the hardest part

Throughout our lives many of us possess dreams and goals we wish to accomplish. From a young age, I was captivated by stories, and I remembered when I was 13 years old, I read the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. During many late evenings, I read and reread passages of the book, and I was absolutely stunned by how well the author was able to seamlessly convey the images in her mind to her readers.

During the end of the following summer, and before school was due to return to regular session, I spent many nights in front of the computer typing away my response to Hinton's beloved novel. This was the first time in my life when I aspired to write a novel.

Many authors will say that one of the hardest things to do when you first start writing a novel is to simply begin. There is nothing more intimidating than staring at a blank page. It is a journey, often arduous, where during the act of writing, (especially in the difficult points) the writer will experience satisfying visions of their computer being thrown out of the window and the hardware shattering when it reaches the ground.

There have been many nights, since I first attempted to write a novel, over half my life ago, where I often stare at my computer from across the room, and struggle to find it in myself to muster the energy to walk over to my desk and just start writing.

Every November, since the year 2000, there is an Internet-based project called National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which challenges authors from all over the globe to write a novel in one month. This is an ambitious goal, and in fact few participants are able to achieve it, but the great attribute about this program is that it challenges authors to write at least 1,700 words everyday. The words do not have to be the work of a seasoned master, but the great attribute is it forces the writer to persevere to reach the goal.

Just as in every other practice, writing takes discipline and practice.

This is the first year I have decided to participate in the project and I learned about the program through a friend and fellow author. Most days I do not achieve my goal, but since I began this project, I have produced more work than I have the previous six months.

This project sets goals for writers and by the act of setting goals, you begin to hold yourself up to a certain standard.

As the month of November nears toward the end, I know that I will not be able to complete all of the goals I have set since the beginning of the month. But one thing I look forward to is to form a habit and eventually finish the piece I am working on.

If you have the goal of one day seeing your name inscribed on a dust jacket in bookstores across the country, but sometimes struggle with the energy to begin, I would recommend this project because it not only forces goals, but it allows the user access to a community of like-minded individuals who are inspired toward the same goal.