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I am still pushing forward, trying to hold on to some steam, but as the month charges forward to its last week I am looking over the progress of the last several weeks and considering what it all means to me.

I don’t expect to count myself in this year’s winner circle for NaNoWriMo, and I mentioned last week that not winning is okay. And it is. Because we have to admit that winning isn’t just about the 50,000 words at the end of the month. How many words did you write in October? Or September? Or even this time last year? I know how many words I wrote in September only because I was tracking for my short story, but before that – or even after – I couldn’t really say for sure. This month has helped me find a way to track how much and how often I write. And it’s definitely more than I have written in one month than ever before. That’s a win in my book.

What the last week’s stats look like:

• Monday, November 19th – 767 words
• Tuesday, November 20th- 736 words
• Wednesday, November 21st- 100 words
• Thursday, November 22nd- 80 words
• Friday, November 23rd- 123 words
• Saturday, November 24th- 477 words
• Sunday, November 25th- 1717 words

I’ve hit a total of 16,718 words so far over the 25 days of NaNoWriMo, and with not having even hit the halfway mark that could be a let down. I refuse to see it that way. Instead I am going to remind myself that hitting 16,000 words is a plus for someone who has never written a novel before. A couple months ago was the first time I’d ever written a story that was complete. This month is the first time I’ve ever created an outline. Maybe next month (or the next) will be the first time I write the first draft of a novel.

Make note of your writing firsts and celebrate them. If you’re willing, I’d love to hear about how they went. Let me know, either in the comments or feel free to contact me directly through the contact page or via email: hsellers@heather-sellers.com