Last year, I didn’t think I could do National Novel Writing Month — write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November — too onerous. This year, I wanted to try but not sure, again, if I could. Then I read a Writer’s Digest article about it, checked it out, and in a fit of go-for-it attitude, I signed up and filled in my profile. Lifeliner was barely over 50,000 words when I first wrote it. And although I had improved tremendously since then, having completed another year of brain biofeedback, experienced spontaneous healing, and agreed to settle that bloody lawsuit, I still wasn’t sure I could write every single day. Still, I set myself a higher goal than 50,000 words in a month, 2,000 words per day, and the early days went well.
Today, I’ve not only met and exceeded my goal every day but one, I’ve also exceeded NaNoWriMo’s goal. I’ve written a total of 50,935 words. Even better, I’ve finished the sub-plot: the worst is over. Happy times begin! (OK, I’m being optimistic in that one.)
I couldn’t have done it though without the regular pep talks and videos from NaNoWriMo headquarters. On the hardest days, when I absolutely did not want to write and could I please have a writing vacation, they got me pumped to go write. I couldn’t have done it without the Twitter #nanowrimo crowd and NaNoWriMo’s twitter feed. Reading those tweets of people achieving word goals way ahead of mine, encouraging people like me or other Wrimos who hadn’t started yet, got me feeling I could do this and able to plant butt in chair and write. I couldn’t have done it at the beginning without my writing buddies on the NaNoWriMo site, seeing how they were doing, and feeling competitive enough to keep going so maybe one day I could catch up. Well, now I’ve exceeded my buddies’ word count, but in the Toronto v. London, UK word war, I’m still below 20th on my team! So I have a new bunch to try and keep up with. Of course, the top ones who pour out words like Niagara Falls, I’ll never catch up to, but they’re inspiring nevertheless!
I can’t get complacent though. I still have a novel to finish, and those last few days when I can see the end drawing close but am not done yet, will be the hardest, for sure. In Chris Baty’s words, take a moment to celebrate, and then get back to it.
