First week is done. It’s over now. Time to put it behind you. At this point – brace yourself, I’m about to mention wordcounts – you should have written about 11,669.

That’s the thing about NaNo. The wordcounts look so innocuous day by day, but they sure stack up quickly.

For now, let’s forget whether you’re on track or not. In the scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. Stretch goal? Doesn’t matter.

I want you to look back on your last week for a moment and consider only your writing process. Are you trying something new? How is it working for you? Don’t get discouraged yet – a week isn’t long to try out something new, after all. You may be having a bit of trouble of adjusting, and that’s probably fine. Keep at it – you’ve only got three weeks left, and then you’re allowed to give up on the idea forever if you like. Three weeks isn’t very long, in the scheme of things.

So just take a moment today, make a note of what is working and what isn’t working. Make a note of what you’re going to try again next week, what you’re going to tweak for next week, and what your new goal is for next week, whether more, less, or exactly the same as it was for last week.

And remember: Take a break, have a snack. NaNo is not a measure of whether or not you’re a good writer. It’s just a fun challenge that we set ourselves. Keep writing, and remember to stay excited.