EP 335 - So You Failed NaNoWriMo

<p>So it's December 1st, and NaNoWriMo is over. And everywhere around you, fellow author friends are posting on social media that they made it, they did it. They wrote 50,000 words in a single month.</p> <p>You're happy for them, of course.</p> <p>But you didn't quite make it to that 50,000 word goal yourself.</p> <p>So what do you do?</p> <p>Do you hang your head in shame and despair?</p> <p>I say: NO.</p> <p>I might be one of those "the page is half full" kind of writers, but if you're in the same boat as me, as an author who didn't complete the 30-day 50K word challenge, let me take over the paddle for a while and share a different spin.</p> <p> </p> <p>Prior to the main content of this solo episode, Mark shares a brief personal update (explaining why there's another solo episode) and a word from this episode's sponsor.</p> <p><img alt="" height="381" src="//assets.libsyn.com/show/110600/TheRelaxedAuthor.jpg" width="254" /></p> <p>There are plenty of books and tips on writing faster, learning more marketing tactics and strategies, trying to maximize your ranking, hitting the top of the charts, judging the algorithms, and hacking different ad platforms. But not enough guides to help you take the pressure off your art and enjoy the creative journey. Return to the love that brought you to writing in the first place.</p> <p><a href="https://books2read.com/therelaxedauthor" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Check out The Relaxed Author in audio, print, or eBook format</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Links of Interest:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2021/09/24/episode-212-a-conversation-with-joanna-penn-on-co-authoring-the-relaxed-author/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">EP 212 - A Conversation with Joanna Penn on Co-Authoring The Relaxed Author</a></li> <li><a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2023/09/29/episode-325-reflecting-back-3-things-that-are-wrong-with-indie-publishing/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mark's YouTube Channel</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markleslie" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Buy Mark a Coffee</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Patreon for Stark Reflections</a></li> <li><a href="https://juliewroteabook.com/category/podcast-all/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Best Book Ever Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="https://loversmoon.ca" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Lovers Moon Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/relaxedauthor/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Relaxed Author</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://payhip.com/b/w7Gg1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Buy eBook Direct</a></li> <li><a href="https://payhip.com/b/QK4ks" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Buy Audiobook Direct</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/publishingpitfalls" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Publishing Pitfalls for Authors</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/workingwithlibrariesandbookstores" rel="noopener" target="_blank">An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wide for the Win</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">This Time Around (Short Story)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">A Canadian Werewolf in New York</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Stowe Away (Novella)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fear and Longing in Los Angeles</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fright Nights, Big City</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/loversmoon" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Lover's Moon</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/hexandcity" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Hex and the City</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/thecanadianmounted" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/diehardtrivia" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard</a></li> </ul> <p> </p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-dark-gray-background-color has-dark-gray-color" /> <p><em>The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of <a href="https://incompetech.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">www.incompetech.com</a></em> <em>and is Licensed under</em> Creative Commons: By <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Attribution 3.0</a></p>