Halfway There and Full Steam Ahead

I don't know if many of you have been watching my stats cited above the NaNoWriMo widget on the left. I try to update it every night.

I am thrilled to report that last night, I made it halfway to my goal of writing 50 thousand words of my novel. This whole process has been such a rush for me. Despite nights where I feel like going to bed early, instead of attempting to flesh out another 2,000 words, I have been really energized by the NaNoWriMo method of novel writing.

I show up every night and watch my brain unfold more pieces of the puzzle. Since I am writing a mystery, I was aware of certain elements from the beginning (elements I haven't shared with anyone, because I can't wait for everyone to be able to read it for themselves, unspoiled). What has blown me away is how often I sit down to write, unsure what I should do with a passage of time or a nagging plot problem and then the muse billows down into my ear and I think, "Wow, that is perfect. This will add even more suspense!"

There is something magical in pushing yourself to keep up with the pack (especially, Cardiogirl, who is already at 39K!), to abandon your inner editor, to reach for more words and worry less about pieces which can be trimmed or cut or recrafted later in the game. I think I'm going to be sad when November comes to an end. Sad, and very tired! But then, I'm tired all the time anyway. In the meantime, this is one fun puzzle to put together, with a deadline.