Day twelve of November’s month-long torturous noveling endeavor is here, my friends, which means that even though many of us are still slogging through the muck that is Week Two, there are just three short days until the halfway point. Just three days! Come November 15th, it’s all downhill (for your blocks and stresses, that is. Uphill for your novel.) Take heart, Wrimos!
If you’ve fallen behind in your effort to reach 1,667 words per day, or whatever other goal you may have set, don’t give up! There is still more than enough time for you to catch up and win NaNoWriMo! In past years, I was right there with you, always managing to scrape by with a win at the last second! (Well, except for once. We won’t talk about that.) You can do this!
This year, however, I’m not in this boat (yet). Whether it is due to four years of training in the field of English literature and creative writing, the host of great books I have read and learned from since my last attempt, or the simple act of warming up to NaNo by writing every day in October (though NOT 1,667 words), somehow, this year, the story is just flowing. So despite the fact that I’ve had a hot pad on my wrist for much of the past 24 hours due to the crazy 5,000 words I wrote during the NaNoThon on Saturday, I am so excited to be able to say that I have reached 25,000 words!
Not only have I reached those words, but three days early! Even in the years that I won, I never reached this important milestone so early in the month. Plus, achieving 25k officially puts me one full day’s word count past the total count of my failed attempt (the one we’re not talking about), restoring my confidence in myself and my writing, and convincing me once and for all that this year I will win!
Another thing I have never experienced in NaNo before? It’s not the temptation to look back at these 25,000 words and think about how crappy they are, for sure. Yes, I’ve written a lot, and yes, I’ve written it fast – but it’s not any good! So who cares!
I do. Because this year, as this rough, rough first draft is being born, I can see what I want to improve. I know what I’m going to change when I come back to it for a second draft. Sure, this may be a story that is, at the moment, worthy of Anne Lamott’s criticism – but that’s okay. It’s a first draft. And someday, it will be better.
So here’s to 25k! And to crappy first drafts that will someday be great. Don’t give up on them now!
Also, because I’m so happy about reaching 25k, I wanted to go back and remind myself why I am writing this story by reading my favorite part of it (go figure – it’s the first page).
Related articles
- NaNoWriMo Tip #6: Don’t Think Like an Editor (Yet) (mediabistro.com)
- Help! NaNoWriMo’s almost half over and I’m stuck! What should I do? (poppycockpublishing.com)