It’s hard to believe, but November is already halfway over. For those of us participating in NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, this means we only have a few weeks left to hit that 50,000 word goal. It’s hard work, but who else will write your novel, if not you?

If you’re feeling discouraged and having trouble staying motivated, remember that all the best writers have felt this way at some point. But as Jodi Picoult said, “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” Clear out those mental cobwebs, turn off your inner critic, and write the first thing that comes to you—then the next, and then the next. If you need to recharge your writing brain, CLP locations across the city are holding Come-Write-In gatherings where writers can meet to trade ideas, cheer each other on, and power through those last few thousand words with the help of the writer’s holy trinity: coffee, snacks, and free WiFi. Find even more resources to help you fill those blank pages at nanowrimo.org.

Chinua Achebe says, “I believe that a good writer doesn’t really need to be told anything except keep at it.” With the days growing shorter and colder, now is the perfect time to hunker down and write your heart out. NaNoWriMo writers, keep at it!