One of the highlights of Nanowrimo for me has always been the Pep Talks. These are the things that keep me sane, that assure me that I’m not alone doing this crazy push to 50,000 words.

This year’s Pep Talks, even the ones by Nanowrimo founder Chris Baty, have taken some time to sink in. Sure, most of the time they apply to newbies and those who are stuck, but they haven’t talked to me yet.

Not until Maureen Johnson’s. She puts wonderfully into words what I could not describe before this, that the Middle, where the books and drafts are actually written, are addictive.

I’ll leave you with the bits that made me wonderfully happy, and you can read the full Pep Talk here. Happy writing!

And once you’ve crossed The Middle once or twice and you’re lounging on the other side, you’ll find you miss it. You’ll realize you long to be out there again, under the sky and the stars. The weather changes a lot in the middle. Some days, the skies are dark and it’s hard to find your way forward. Those days are long and little progress is made. Some days, it’s strangely bright and clear, and suddenly you can see the horizon ahead, and dozens of possible paths present themselves to you. But every day is different, and every day there is a new way to go and a new thing to see.