by Tiffany S. Doran

As I write this, I am watching the late summer leaves fall gracefully to the ground, hardly believing this year is almost over. In my life, there have been many much-needed changes, and I’ve had a feeling that another was right around the corner.

I have many ambitious goals that I know I will reach, but I must continue to be patient. Since I am constantly striving to reach the top, I’m always looking around for inspiration. And earlier this month, it came: I received an e-mail about the 10K Novel-Building Challenge, and I knew it was exactly what I needed.

I signed right up.

But almost instantly, doubts crept in. Did I do the right thing? My life is so busy. How will I ever make my word counts? My youngest daughter is starting her very first year of school, our dog is having surgery, I have a full-time work schedule at my day job, and then there’s the ever-growing pile of laundry in our hamper. Oh, and I need to cook dinner every night. How can I fit this all in?

As all that ran through my mind, I thought back to the last “10K” when I wrote Desires of the Heart. I remembered how helpful the feedback was and how encouraging it was to know others were enjoying what I was writing. I remembered the pressure of trying to make my word counts every day, as well as all the new friends I made in the process. I remembered how supportive my husband was.

In short, that Challenge was the pivotal moment my novel needed.

This was a no brainer; I had to do it. I worked on my first novel during a 10K, now it was time for the sequel. Even though my plate was already full, this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Besides, how much fun would it be to know that my first novel and the sequel were both written during a 10K Challenge?

I could tell myself I wouldn’t be successful in this, or choose from a long list of excuses. I’m sure you could do the same.

But even though it looks impossible, it really isn’t.

When you think you can’t do something, it turns out you actually can. Set your mind to it and go for it. Is it going to be easy? Probably not, but if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. It takes a special mindset to do these things—one that, fortunately, most writers have. This 10K Challenge is the most rewarding thing that I have ever been a part of. If you haven’t joined us yet, you really should! I know we’re all busy. Every day, we wake up to work and schedules and time frames, but it’s when you break down all these barriers and set yourself free to actually write that you realize you can actually do it, and that it was just your mind and all of its “what ifs” that were clouding your judgement.

Now, I am giddy with excitement over delving into my brain to pull out all the words that will lie beautifully on my ChapterBuzz page for everyone to read.

If your life is as busy as mine, you may need to use a few of my tricks to get those words onto the page: hide in the bathroom, write while you’re eating, write before anyone else is up in the morning. But however you choose to get it done, keep your goal in mind. Don’t give up, that’s the main thing. It can get overwhelming, but if you want it, you can do it. You got this!

Tiffany S. Doran is the author of soon-to-be-published Desires of the Heart. She’s a Tier IV Rising Star Author at ChapterBuzz, where you can see what she’s currently working on. You can also pick up copies of Tiffany’s published books on Amazon, and connect with her on her blog.