Writing in November

Ah! It is here again. National November Writing Month. This is my second year spending a month scribbling away. I’m not much for signing up for things so I do it unofficially. Last year I had a huge writing spurt in May and June and when I heard about NNWM, I realized that I had already achieved that speed wtih the volume I had done before. The other thing is that both last year and this year, I am not writing an entire novel in November. I am just working on my current one at that pace. Last year I started with 15,000 words and finished in December. This year I started with about 33,000 words and am hoping to finish, if not by the end of November, in very early December.

It is a challenge to keep up the pace. Last year I carefully tracked how I was doing. This year, I have the figures and I could track it, but the only thing I am worried about is staying ahead of the goal. For the first week I was behind. Then I caught up and I’m trying to stay caught up. My goal to beat is 53,000 words, my accomplishment for November 2009.

In thinking about NNWM this year, I realized that whoever decided on November was not nice. In the middle have a major holiday, at least for us Americans. And not just any holiday, but a big eating and shopping holiday (read into that time consuming). This is the perfect time of year, but it’s also the time of year when holidays and travel can get in the way. Fortunatly for me, this year is quiet so it looks like I can get my quota of writing done on each of those days.

So for any who are joining me is the quest for 50,000 or more words in November, good luck. For friends and family of NNWM writers, be patient and understanding.