20k is A-OK

Well, I made it. Not to the end, but to the point of no return. Basically, I've invested too much thought and energy in my novel to back away now. I'm in it 'til the bitter end. Quite honestly, I wasn't sure I would even get this far.

Seeing that my word count is now over 20,000 words has affected me in a profound way. My worries that the writing life is incompatible with motherhood are fading away. I'm proving to myself that all it takes is a little time each day and, more importantly, the will to keep writing. Comparing my word count to those of my writing buddies spurs me on to catch up, to stay competitive. In sum, NaNoWriMo is pretty damn cool.

I've reached the point in my book where my main characters have identified their main problems and realized their need to solve them. The next section, which I begin today, will have them begin to plan (some might say scheme) to fix the broken things in their lives. The final section will put the plans into action, with all the messiness that comes from major personal change. Then comes the Happily Ever After, though not in a way (hopefully) anyone will foresee.

If I reach the ending before the end of the month, I'll be thrilled. Even if I just reach 50k, before my story ends, I'll feel like I've accomplished something major. I don't know if my novel is any good or not, but I don't care. And that attitude is the best thing that NaNoWriMo has given me so far.

Hit the Ground Trotting

Well, I'm off. I got almost three hours of writing done on November 1st and clocked in at over 2000 words. Not too shabby, although there are people out there whose clickety-clacking puts mine to shame. I think that all things considered, I'm off to a decent start, though I'll be hard-pressed to keep up the pace.

My strategy is to write what I can during weekdays, in between changing diapers, nursing, soothing tantrums, making homemade baby food (why did I decide to start doing that this month?), cleaning the house, and compulsively reading the blogs I follow. If I fall behind, as I undoubtedly will, I'll try to make up for it on the weekends. Ideally, I'll have the time and a little extra cash to do so at a coffee shop, away from the responsibilities and temptations at home.

I'm done with write-ins, however. My first experience with one was a dud. I was kind of expecting a friendly, supportive atmosphere, but no one even made eye contact with me. Plus, having a ton of laptops in a place with limited outlets was a problem; I ended up sitting at a counter with my back to the room, hardly the sort of social experience I was hoping for. It's possible that I'm just too shy, and may have missed a welcoming smile or gesture, in which case I'm being too hard on my fellow WriMos. Whatever. The point is, write-ins are not for me.

Which is not to say I don't have support. I've got a few writing buddies through Pen and Palette, the online writer and artist forum I occasionally post on. And I've got a mentor, through the local forum on the NanNoWriMo website, who seems quite friendly and knowledgeable. Slowly but surely, I'm clawing my way toward respectability by getting to know other writers. I'm opening myself up to their criticism as well as their praise, which will hopefully make me a better writer. In the meantime, I'm just going to keep getting those words down, and keep my eye on that 50k.