This month I selected quotes I thought might inspire writers as we head into NaNoWriMo. The idea being to inspire you as you finish plotting out your upcoming story(s) and prepare for the chaos ahead. If you need a little more inspiration, check out the quotes from June 2023. Each quote was about first drafts. As you head into November, remember that you can’t outrun that first draft. Write. Write messy, write crazy, write your heart out. We’ll all have a messy first draft in the end. 

Some may argue that writing isn’t art, but it’s a form of creativity and expressing yourself. I think writing can be art, just not in the traditional form. Either way, create your heart out, and don’t worry about the critics. Not every story is for every reader.

This little quote is on my vision board this year. A reminder as I slog through revisions, critiques, and several first drafts not to give up. To keep moving forward because my stories may be the one someone needs to hear one day.

This is another one that is on my writing vision board this year. This one reminds me I have what it takes to slog through all the different aspects of writing and revising. In this world of people turning to AI to work for them, it’s a gentle reminder I have the ability to accomplish my writing goals.

Here’s the thing, everyone who writes has an inner critic. Sometimes the critic stays buried or pushed to the side, opening the gateway for creativity and peace. Often resulting in a writing session where you accomplish far more than you expected, but there are days when the critic voices its opinions loud and clear. There seems to be this point somewhere along the third or fourth round of revisions I’m doing on a manuscript where my critic appears and lays out its opinion on how what I’ve written it a steaming pile of hot garbage. This quote, for me, is a reminder that my critic’s opinion doesn’t lend itself to the purpose I had in mind when I wrote the story.

There’s nothing wrong with writing aloud before committing it to paper. Most nights, as I drift off, I’m working out a scene in my head. I view it from each character’s perspective, noticing their body language, their voices, the scenery. Sometimes those scenes become so real to me I need to be reminded to write things out in more detail. I love how this sums up much of the way I write.

I once attended a writing conference where one speaker said, “Look, there’s no shame in going into the closet, closing the door, and acting out your entire scene. I mean, you could do it in the middle of the living room, but in the closet there’s less of a chance someone will notice.” 

Although we all laughed, most of us raised our hands when he asked who acts or thinks out their scenes before writing.

I’ve honestly never forgotten that chat. I can’t tell you who it was, or even what he looked like, but I remember the moment I realized I wasn’t crazy. Realizing I was amongst people who understood the things that other people viewed as weird quirks.

If you don’t write this way, there’s nothing wrong with that either. I have times when I don’t work through scenes before I commit them to paper. It might take more revisions to get the final product, it might not. Other times I’ll have worked through a scene and be writing it down when out of nowhere an entirely new scene springs to life and I’m able to write it without having to pause and work my way through it. 

There’s no one right way to write. Find what works for you, and ignore the rest.