Short Fiction Break

Break From Reality. Daily.

  • Stories
  • About
  • Staff
  • Writing Contests
    • Current Writing Contest
    • Past Contests
      • 2024 Spring Writing Contest
      • 2023 Writing Contest
      • Fall 2022
      • Spring 2022 Contest
      • 10th Anniversary Contest
      • Spring 2021 Contest
      • Fall 2020 Contest
      • Summer 2020 Contest
      • Summer 2019 Contest
      • Fall 2018 Contest
      • Summer 2018 Contest
      • Spring 2018 Contest
      • Winter 2017 Contest
      • Fall 2017 Contest
      • Summer 2017 Contest
      • Spring 2017 Contest
      • Winter 2016 Contest
      • 5th Anniversary Contest
  • Submit

On Writing – What to Do When You Fall Behind the NaNoWriMo Count

November 7, 2015 by Jeff Elkins 7 Comments

SFB On Writing

It’s hard to watch my son lose. That’s what his soccer team has been doing all season, losing. They’ve had eight games, and haven’t been close to victory once.

There are lots of reasons for it. The other teams have been playing together longer. Many are club teams that have been together for four or five years, and have moved into the new Middle School league. Often the teams are older than my son’s team, and there is a large physical difference between a twelve-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old boy. Without question, their skill levels are leaps and bounds beyond what my son’s team is capable of. Regularly, opposing players dribble the ball through four or five or our boys, and then effortlessly pound the ball into the goal.

Sometimes the opposing team leaves their starters in for the entire game. Scores are 8-0, 12-0, 14-0.  By the second quarter, our boys are demoralized.

Other times, the opposing coaches will put restrictions on their kids so they don’t run up the score. Once a coach told his team they were only allowed to score on headers. They still put two more points on the board before the game ended. Our boys were still crushed.

My son’s teammates all respond differently to these beatings. There’s one boy who cries at every halftime. He rolls on the ground and yells about how it’s unfair. There are other boys who make light of losing. They sing songs about being losers. They joke and tease one another. Still, there is another set of kids who simply stopped showing up. After the second or third loss, they quit.

I thought about pulling my son from the team. I thought about sparing him from the weekly pain. I asked him if he wanted to stop, but he wouldn’t even discuss it. Every game, he takes the field and gives it all he has. Even when it is clear there’s no chance of victory, he fights on. By the end of each game, he is ready to collapse. When the whistle blows, he’s got nothing left in the tank, and I couldn’t be prouder of him.

Winning with dignity is easy.

Losing with dignity is hard.

Many of us (writers) are in the throes of NaNoWriMo. We made a commitment to ourselves that we would write 50,000 words in the month of November. We may have even broadcast the commitment across social media, hoping public knowledge of our efforts would strengthen our resolve.

Today is day seven. We should be at 11,667 words written to stay on pace. Of those of us who made the commitment, there are many who have fallen behind.

My first year doing NaNoWriMo, by the end of the first week I was 6,000 words behind the pace. I knew, there was no way I would catch up. It was clear I was not going to win the victory of 50,000 words. On day eight I sat down at my computer,  completely demoralized, with a decision to make. If I’m going to lose, what kind of loser am I going to be?

It’s easy to make excuses. “I have to work a full time job. I don’t have time to do this.” Or “I just don’t write as fast as other people.” Or “I’m new to this. It’s my first time.” Even when the excuses are true, they aren’t helpful.

You might be tempted to make light of the commitment you made. You might want to turn the whole thing into one big laugh. “Remember that time I thought I could… That was hysterical.” While making fun of frustration might mask it, it won’t make it go away. The next time you sit down to write, it will be there, waiting for you.

The temptation to quit when we fall behind is powerful. Don’t. You’ll regret it. You’ll always wonder, “What if?”

That first year, when I fell behind, I quit. It took me another two years to finish my novel. Not because I’m a slow writer, but because quitting built mountain of self-doubt in my path that was difficult to overcome.

I would propose that if you are behind, there is only one thing to do – keep fighting. Leave it all on the field. Give it everything you have. And at the end of the month, you may not have 50,000 words, but you will have the satisfaction of a match well played.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About Jeff Elkins

Jeff is a writer living in Baltimore with his wife and five kids. He is the author of four books, including Mencken and the Monsters. He regularly blogs at Vagrant Misunderstandings.

« Family Ties
Hands »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top Stories

Wednesday at the Cemetery on Pot Spring Road

...

Read More »

Whatever Happened to Jeremy Mankin?

...

Read More »

Horror Short Story: The Journal Entry of One Violet Cooper by Alice Thompson

...

Read More »

The Last Game

...

Read More »

Blue

...

Read More »

Resources for Writers

The Write Practice | The Write Shop
Let’s Write a Short Story | Character Test Podcast | Point of View Guide | Best Software for Writers | How to Publish a Short Story

Best of Short Fiction Break

Suspense Short Stories | Magical Realism Short Stories | More Coming Soon

Story Ideas

Short Story Ideas | Mystery Story Ideas | Romance Story Ideas | Thriller Story Ideas | Fantasy Story Ideas | Sci-fi Story Ideas

CONTACT || PUBLICATION RIGHTS || Copyright © 2025