How are you doing?

How is everyone doing now that we are halfway into the month? I am at 20,111 and am planning *crosses fingers* to be at 25,000 by the end of today or Sunday.

Heresy

After a thoroughly enjoyable three (winning) years of NaNo, I won't be participating this year.

(Pause for the shocked gasps to die down)

But it's for an incredibly cool reason, and it's writing-related! Suffice it to say that I'm working on a PAID writing project, with a deadline of the first of the year for completion of the manuscript. I'm trying to keep it kind of under wraps for the time being, but this much I can tell you: I have an agent, so I'm on my way for "real"(tm).

The thing I'm working on is 10 chapters long, and I've got 8 of them done. Now I'm just struggling with writer's block to finish the last freakin' 20%. Why is the ending so hard for me? (I got 50K words of my 2007 novel done by 11/30/07, but didn't get around to finishing the story until like March!)

Needless to say, I'll be pulling for all of you. Who knows? Maybe the adrenaline in the air will help me get this mofo done.

So Close...

8 days, guys! :) I had to dump my entire plot and start all over again with a new outline, and I still need to do that outline, but hey. That's alright. I have time.

Plot Ideas 2008

Anybody have any fabulous plot ideas for next month?

Still Going, but Embarrassingly Slowly

I'm up to 60,000 words and not quite done with the story. It could easily end up in the 65-70,000 range, which would make it an actual novel by something other than the NaNo definition.

I'm pretty disappointed at how slow it's going, particularly since I just proved to myself that I can hack out 2,000 words a day for 25 days straight. Ah well. I suppose there really is something magical about November and that NaNo synergy.

Disappointment

I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed in myself. I realized about a week ago that my chances of finishing were a little less wonderful than I'd hoped they would be at that point. I thought I had completely steeled myself against the possibility of not winning. I didn't think it would bother me that much.

It does bother me though, and it's not just because I don't get the nifty winner's icon. It's because looking back at my wordcounts for the month, and knowing how many words I cranked just in the last couple of days, I know that I could have won, I should have won, and, really, I sort of gave up before I even started. I think that by expecting to not finish, it became something of a self-fulfilling prophecy and that just ticks me off.

The good news though, is that I managed to get to over 42000 words which is about 36000 more than I wrote on my first attempt at NaNo two years ago. Plus, I actually really like the way my story is developing and I plan to continue working on it until it's actually complete. And even more important than liking my own story is the fact that I've let my husband and my 16-year-old daughter read what I've got so far, and they both like it too. (and that's sayin' something since both are avid readers and both tend just a little bit toward brutal criticism when they feel it's warranted.)

So overall I guess I'm disappointed with my effort, but still happy with my results. I guess that will have to be enough for this year.

I did it!

I'm at >50K words and still plugging. Thanks to PK for the suggestion and the encouragement along the way!

A