We’re over halfway through week three, and it’s crazy to think that there are novels being written all over the world. Last year there were nearly 400,000 participants–that’s the potential of 20 billion words. Granted, the final collective result is probably much less than that because 50k is hard. But still.

NaNoWriMo is about you and your story, but you’re not alone. There are writers everywhere, banding together to celebrate the stories and characters in our heads. So if you’re feeling unmotivated, then don’t just do it for yourself–do it for them. Do it for all the bookworms and daydreamers. Do it for the haters too, because whether you believe it or not, you have a story that is worth telling.

And if you haven’t even started writing yet, it’s never too late to start. The 50k is just one thing to aim for–it’s not the be-all and end-all. The important part is your ideas on the page and it’s never too late to start.

Today’s writing prompt:

Write a scene where someone gets either physically or emotionally hurt. Regardless of the size of the injury, make the impact devastating.

Pain makes a good story. It doesn’t matter how you hurt your character, but it will do several important things:

• Makes the reader sorry for the character and want them to succeed
• A happy, healthy, untraumatised character struggles to grow and have a character arc
• Pain ups the stakes
• A hurting character is volatile–you see what they’re really made of. How they break, how they fight to succeed–what they’re willing to do to reach their goals.

But by all means, don’t put yourself in pain writing it. Don’t forget to eat and drink water. Maybe a nice little power nap while you’re at.

And have fun!