Don’t Let Your Writing Goals Become Barriers

How are your Camp NaNoWriMo projects going, writers? Are you on par with your goal, blasting ahead, or feel like you’re lagging behind? Today, Camper Shay Duchaine shares a few words of wisdom about the importance of having your goals help rather than hinder you:

It’s that time of year, folks, and we have found ourselves in the middle of another Camp NaNoWriMo season. Some of us are already deeply involved in our projects, while some (like me) are getting a little bit of a late start. Regardless of where you stand, be proud that you have decided to embark on this wonderful adventure.

When a new NaNo session starts, or when I am working on a new project, I like to set personal goals for myself so that I can monitor my progress. I love feeling that sense of triumph when I hit a word count or hear the ding of my alarm after writing for an uninterrupted amount of time. However, I’ve noticed that sometimes when I’m trying to achieve large accomplishments, I can turn personal goals into expectations. When these expectations have gone unmet, for any reason, it can be easy to become self-critical.