Image credit: The Maple Tea House
NaNoWriMo begins on 1 November, and I get off to a flying start writing well over the expected word count. I know it’s just first day excitement though, a built up idea pouring out with enthusiasm. I continue this way the next day and the next, before I falter and it starts to be more of a struggle to even reach the 1667 word mark. I’m glad I went hard and fast at the beginning, as it offers me leeway when the words aren’t as forthcoming.
I find myself unnecessarily updating my word count after a few hundred words, checking the NaNo site’s stat counter to see how close I am to my target. I have a few supportive exchanges with some other participants over email, which spurs me on to keep going. The very fact you update your word count on the site is like a reminder that I’ve pledged to do this, and my progress is visible to others. I have to keep going! Each time I reach a new thousand mark it feels like a small victory, particularly reaching 10,000 words (and this week, 20,000).
It sinks in how long the story is becoming when I attempt to read it one night, and keep reading…and reading…and reading to reach the end. My story is long! It’s like reading…a book! All things NaNo keep referring to the two week slump, and I worry my motivation levels have taken an inevitable nosedive. It’s the halfway point already, but there’s a still a long wordy road ahead….
Well done! How did you go? I attempted this one year but didn’t pass the first week.Someday I will be back, though!
I finished with a day to spare – yay!! Was a great experience and glad I did it (as painful as it was in the last week or so!!). I will never think a few thousand word essay is daunting after this. If you give it another go in the future let me know and I’ll join you!
Well done!