At the moment this post goes live, I am almost exactly one day behind schedule on my NaNoWriMo draft. I’m closing in on the midpoint of the story itself—it’s running a little long, but that’s ok. It’s a first draft, and they’re always a little unpredictable, no matter how much I plan.
I keep having these weird, panicky moments, where it feels like there’s no way I can possibly reach 50,000 words by the end of the month, and I have to remind myself that I’ve actually been doing well the last few days. I’m writing faster than I was at the beginning of the month, the words are flowing more smoothly, and, most importantly: I still love the story. It’s the first thing I’ve written in a very long time that (probably) doesn’t need an entire page-one rewrite to turn it into something good.
(As an aside: this week, I started trying to plan the rewrite of last year’s story. It’s… a thing. I know exactly what I want that story to be, I just can’t figure out how to make it happen.)
So! This is where I stand, going into the final stretch: the story is still good. I like it, and I like some of the things it’s teaching me as a writer. If I can write about 1500 words this weekend (weekends have been consistently terrible for me this month), I’ll be able to finish on time, and without pushing myself too hard.
When I put it like that, it seems entirely reasonable. Which makes me feel like I’m missing something.
Reghan Skerry 