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I received an email yesterday asking “Are you Failing NaNoWriMo?” I was…annoyed. We’re just past the first week, and, yes, some of us may be lagging behind, but even if you are, YOU ARE NOT FAILING.

We may “lose” NaNo, but if you end November with more words than you had when you began, you haven’t failed. If you edited instead of producing new words, you haven’t failed. If you spent time focusing on your writing this month when things tried to pull you away, You. Have. Not. Failed. You certainly haven’t failed nine days in when it’s still possible to catch up. (You don’t start writing until 11:50 PM on November 30, then we need to talk.)

NaNoWriMo isn’t for everyone, and even for those who love it, this exercise in literary madness may not fit into your life at this moment. Doesn’t mean you’re a failure, and don’t let anyone convince you that you are. Especially when they’re trying to sell you something.

Go write. Or edit. Or whatever it is you need to do in your creative process. Do what you need to do for you in order to move forward. Here endeth the lesson.

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