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.