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Monday, November 17, 2008

NaNo Day 17

NaNoWriMo Day 17 Word Count

Goal: 3,000

Actual: 2,384

Total Word Count: 20,406

Downside: Realizing there is no possible way now to get to 50,000 words by Nov 30. Between Thanksgiving and the day after (we will be traveling, so I will be gone for two full days) at my present pace, I will have like, 9,000 words to write on the 30th. I am disappointed, but trying to stay positive. There is still a voice in my head saying, maybe you'll still reach 50,000. But I remember back to day one, my goal was never to actually reach 50,000 words.


Highlight: I like my story! I am rediscovering parts of it that are so much better this time around. I think I am a much stronger writer then when I first started writing my novel a year ago. No. I KNOW I'm a better writer. And even though NaNo is not about content and quality, I still think this draft is already WAY better then 1.5 draft. I have learned that I can write when I'm tired. I can write when I'm sick. I can write after I've been to the dentist and I'm in pain. I can write with my kids home! That's a BIG one, something I was never able to do before. I have learned that headphones, really good headphones that truly block out noise, are indispensable! Invaluable. A must have when you have kids, a dog, the phone... etc. So, if I don't reach the 50,000 words by Nov 30th, I know now that I WILL reach them. I know now I will finish my book, even if that is not until December 30th.


6 comments:

Jean Wogaman said...

Sheri, you're doing great! You are an inspiration. I expect you're writing more than you would without NaNo spurring you on, and you're doing it all without neglecting your family. Well done!Hang in there. Remember, most middle grade novels are shorter than 50,000 words anyway.

cindy said...

sheri, i think you've won already. i'm only at 18k--that's 18k more than when i started. and that's a habit of 1k a day that i've started.

congrats! you've done wonderfully!!

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

Thanks Jeanie. You're words meant a lot to me as I read them I realized, yeah, I would never neglect my family, so if the price I pay is less than 50,000 at the end, then that's fine with me. Thanks for that perspective! (Jeanie, is that a self portrait? I like it)

Thanks Cindy, You perspective is also wise. You're right. My story had major issues. I worked them out in an outline and so even this rough copy is more than what I previously had and better than it too.

Thanks guys! I feel so much better!

Keri Mikulski said...

Great stuff, Sheri! Loving your story is so much more important then the word count. Congrats! You won. :)

Tabitha said...

I'm only at 12k, but I'm also loving my story. Such a great feeling, isn't it? :) Makes it so it doesn't matter so much how quickly I finish, because I love it so much that I KNOW I'll finish it. :)

And I totally agree about the headphones. An absolute must! :)

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

Keri, thank you! That made me smile!

Tabitha, maybe we can have a headphone convention! Just you and I and our block the sound out headphones!

Thanks everyone! Back to work!

“Personal limitation exists only in our ideas of who we are. Give up all notions of who you are and your limitations will vanish.”

- Anonymous