First off, look at this graph! Look!

That’s what we call “ahead of the game” and “above the curve”.

Well, it’s not really a curve, more like a straight line.  But, as of this evening, I am ahead of where I need to be! Woot! 3,401 words written this evening at the Wednesday South Denver Panera Write-In, putting me at 46,319, only a mere 3,087  words short of VICTORY!

That’s child’s play!  I have Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to make it! I’m in! It’s easy! It’s —

Sorry, what was that?  Oh, right, Thanksgiving on Thursday. Get up, get the house tidied, folks arrive around Noon, entertain, drink some wine, eat some onion rings, help with table setting, eat dinner, take a walk, eat dessert, chit, chat, etc.  Big day, lovely holiday, all’s right with the world.

But, still, that leaves Friday and Saturday, and with just two days, I can easily —

Um, what’s that?  Oh, right, Friday. Our traditional “Invite everyone over for a game day to relax, play games, eat left-overs, relax, be sociable, stay up way late …”

Well … um … that leaves … Saturday.

Actually, I’m not really worried here.  It’s the Saturday South Denver Tattered Cover Write-In, and three hours is probably good, but there’s nothing actually stopping me from getting there a leeetle early and having more than enough time. No, really.  I mean, what could possibly go wrong …

See? Easy-peasy!

I was ahead of the game Thursday.

I blew off (fell asleep) Friday.

I kicked out 3K words today at a write-in to pull even with where I should be.

It was odd. They seemed very interested in St. Jean. I very much wanted to know why. “Scoping things out,” I said. “I could see the number the gent at the front desk –” Who had clearly told them about me. “– rang, so I went up to that floor to get the lay of the land. I might need to find a niche to lean into if I catch up with this Mary St. John and they head back to the hotel.”
Wolchowsky had moved up behind my chair. “You wouldn’t have broken into her hotel room, would you?”
I turned partially and craned my neck to meet his gaze. “That would be illegal, Detective Wolchowsky,” I said, letting myself sound slightly puzzled.
He put a hand on my shoulder, “Listen, you –”
“That’s enough, Stan,” Gill said. “Let it go.”
“We should –”
“Let it go, Stan.”
A pause, then Wolchowsky pushed my shoulder as he stepped back. “Fine.”

Enjoying myself at the moment, and wrapped up a 10Kword Chrys chapter, so I’m feeling good.

I’m currently at 24,324, which is not quite a day ahead of the game. The handy widget on the page indicates that at this rate, I’ll be done on 29 November.

Yyyeeeah … assuming I have no other lapses and that I write my share of words every day, including Thanksgiving Day. Which seems … dubious.

Still, I’m generally getting great traction at the two local Write-Ins I go to, and doing decently from home each evening.  For the first time in a novel and a half, I’m feeling solid about a chapter with one of my two protagonists, which makes me wonder what I’ve been doing wrong until now.  I’m been having good scenes pop out of my outline and out of my brain at a reasonable clip, and have another one to follow along tomorrow.

The outline has been a help, but not nearly that cast-in-concrete thing I thought it would be.  The characters have had a mind of their own as to what’s natural for them to do, and sometimes it feels like I’m a mere conduit for them. Still, it’s a comfort to have some plot milestones to aim toward (no matter how much veering goes on beforehand), as well as the flexibility to throw in the stuff I think about along the way.

It remains a serious grind to invest an hour and a half or so each evening doing this thing.  That’s somewhat discouraging in terms of long-term “Hey, I can be a writer as a side-line” kind of stuff — the focus that NaNoWriMo provides is elusive the other eleven days of the year.  I joke about winning the lottery, but it would certainly be easier to work 2.5 hours per day than 11.5 hours per day.

But, bah! And, never you mind!  I’m finishing this NaNo year on time and with some product I can be happy with.  That’s all that I know, and that’s all that matters.

Hit 20,051 words today — below where I should have been, but it was a damned busy day (and evening), and I pushed as hard as I could to hit the 20K mark.

Of course, milestone numbers are abitrary, but it’s still kind of cool that I’ve gotten this far.

Onward to the 25K halfway point!

“A vampire comes to town that has no vampires. People are killed by a vampire.” I smiled, without mirth.  “As a detective, I believe I have solved the case.”

Push, push, push, and I’m at 18,816 words, out of the 18,337 I’m supposed to be at.  Huzzah! My deficit for being a lazy slug last week is erased. Yay, me!

Of course, in an hour and smattering of minutes, I’ll suddenly be behind by 1,200 words or so.  That’s the damnable thing about NaNoWriMo … you’re never ahead for very long.

But, for this brief, shining moment — I’m ahead!

I won’t say it was a marathon, but I cranked out another 2,500 words plus today, to bring me to just over 16K, or about 700 words behind where I should be.  Which is close enough for today’s effort, since I’d like to spend some time with my wife this weekend. 🙂

That, and a big cliff-hanger, protagonists in conflict, a dagger at the throat (or a close analog thereto), and … what happens next?!

Actually, I know what happens next, which is kind of neat.

My rough outline isn’t exactly in tatters, but events have occurred somewhat out of order on it — faster in some places, but with room to circle back.  Plus there’s another subplot I haven’t put in yet.

And here we are, a third of the way through — go, NaNos, go!