Last week was a writer’s boot camp. Meeting all my fellow recruits, learning the NaNo ropes, and hoping I could keep up with the expected pace.

By and large, I’ve managed the pacing. It’s intense, but honestly, I was pushing myself at this rate on book two of by Depths of Memory series in October to get that rough draft finished up, so the ‘work’ of NaNo hasn’t felt out of the ordinary. I think that alone has helped me tremendously, because I’m just not fighting it.

I’ve given over. I’m in the home stretch of the novel. This next week is full of carnage and blood, sweat and tears. Not for me, for my characters. And I’m seeing areas I want to go back and expand out, characters I want to develop further. This always happens to me.

Most fun of all: last night I dreamt I was at a NaNo write in. There were men, women, trans, queers, aliens, daemons, monsters, vampires (both sparkly and scary), fey, etc. Oh yeah, EVERYONE was writing! It was a grand spectacle, with aliens asking monsters for aid on plot. Sweet and heart touching, really.

Just remember, writers, we’re part of something big. No matter where you are in your NaNo, you’re doing this for you, for your personal development, for your story. Don’t give up. Ask someone for encouragement, help, or a pat on the back. If you’re still in the game, you’re kickin’ butt. You’re training your brain, every time you sit your butt down and hit that page. Keep it up. The magic will happen.

Total word count for the week: 12,700. Less than the 16,300 from last week, but don’t go criticizing me unless you’ve written more, k? Total word count at 29, 033.  (58% done with the 50k challenge)

Average per day: 1,814 (was 2,333 in week one)

Total word count on The Daemon Summoner: 53,372.

WEEKLY PSA to other NaNoWriMo and other Authors: Back Yo Shizz Up!

On to week three!