Year: 2013

Validated today on first day. 

So I finished the monthly goal around noon.

Now I just need to finish the story. only 25-30k more words to go!

Oy.

Chapter 5 is complete, and I’m at 36k words. About right for an 80k word novel in 12 chapters, but I can’t help thinking I’m a bit behind (also I’m not sure if what i have planned for the leadup to the final scenes will actually work).

I had wanted to get through chapter 6 today, but it looks like I’ll finish 06 tomorrow. Finishing 50,000 words will not be much trouble–I likely will have that Friday–but it’ll be a lot harder to get the STORY done. That, I’m not so sure about.

The story itself should take at least 75k words–the question, of course, is whether or not I can get that many done in less than two weeks. I’m not quite halfway there, but I should pass 40,000 words tomorrow. But I don’t think I’ll have enough time, late in the week, to write all the words.

So looking at my historic info, every other year I have been behind pretty much until the last week. Close, but still behind.

I think my smallest overage this time around was 600 words.

Now, I have to admit: it’s a bigger story. And I bet I’m further behind story-wise than I am usually.

But it’s still a Big Deal.

This would be my fourth NaNo (fifth if you include Camp) since the first time I won.

Usually I struggle to get a thousand words in a little over an hour.

My first session, on November 1, I got 1667 words (exactly!) in 50 minutes.

I’m stunned.

Granted, practice helps. I’ve spent a lot of time over the past 4-5 years working through techniques and tactics and learning how I write.

But the most hopeful thing, to me, is that I’m not bored. A lot of times if I reach a certain low level of mastery or understanding of a topic or field, then I just… stop. I’m just not interested in it anymore. It gets boring. I am done with what I came to see.

Here, it feels like I still have a long ways to go before I get bored. And I really, really like that.

The current novel is the sequel to the Perdita story. I am hoping I can get this one to the 75-85k word range. If I can do that during Nano, that would be even better.

If I work out the next step, I should get another writing session or two in today–which will get me to 10k in the first weekend. That’s… never something I expected to happen.