Celebrate, NaNo Winners! [old announcement]

 [PLEASE NOTE: this is an OLD post. Information in this post may no longer be accurate and/or be cringy 😑]

I did it! I actually did it!!!! I completed National Novel Writing Month 2020!

It was so cool. I got a certificate and everything!!

I know I’ve got a lot of revising ahead of me. I know my first draft is far from perfect. I know I’ll need to change things and change them again. And again. And again. But for now, I’m just going to celebrate.

To all of the confident writers who braved NaNoWriMo 2020: this next part is for you!

This month, you completed a novel. In the midst of your busy life, you completed a novel. Why? Why did you take the time to do such a big project? After all, millions of other people write novels. Why did you choose to write this one? You got frustrated. You experienced ups and downs, highs and lows. You got through the torture of writers’ block. You stayed immersed in a imaginary world for hours at a time. You experienced one of the most stressful things ever.

So why did you do it? Why do you write?

Because you had an idea. A beautiful idea that wouldn’t back down. An idea that nagged at your brain day and night. One that you just had to get down on paper.

But maybe it’s more than that. Maybe you write for fun or to keep your mind off of things. Or perhaps for another reason I know nothing about.

You could write for any reason in the world. But let me tell you why I do it.

I love to read; I’m sure most of you guys do too, or you probably wouldn’t be on Bookwurm. But when you’re reading, you’re just experiencing something that someone else created. You might love the book or story with all your heart, but it’s someone else’s. I like it when I’m on the other end, creating something for someone else to experience.

I write because it’s fun. Escaping into imaginary worlds every day of my own creation is something nobody else gets to experience but writers. What else can you do to get the full feeling of exhilaration like that? Nothing, really. Only writers get to do that.

I write because I like to challenge myself. I get frustrated and I have to get over my frustration. I get writers’ block that I have to push through. Creating universes out of thin air isn’t easy, but I do.

But most of all – beyond a shadow of doubt – the real reason I write is because of one simple fact. This is a fact that I learned a year ago. A fact that changed my life. I write because…

My words can change the world.