My current word count is 16,998. I'm not exactly killing it this time around.
That low word count begs the question, what's going on? I win NaNo EVERY year. Usually, I hit the 50k mark around the three week mark, and gloat like a gloatasaurus rex all over the internet. To call this situation is perplexing is an understatement.
As for what's impeding my progress, a few things happened. I had to reevaluate the publishing timeline for my Parthalan series, and complete a massive re-edit ASAP. That took up the first week of November, which put me behind in my word count but moved my series forward. All in all, that was a good trade.
Having put out that fire, I got into my WIP...and right around the 6k mark, the plot went off the rails. It didn't deviate all that far, and it's definitely fixable. This story is one that I've wanted to write for years, and I will definitely see it completed. Could I fix it and still hit my 50k goal? Probably. But, then something happened.
Something kind of awesome.
Out of the blue, I was hit with the most fricken' amazing idea ever. It's a YA, and I never write YA, so that in itself is exciting. It takes place in Ireland, and there are mermaids and lost cities and surfing. I haven't had this much fun writing in years, and even though I'm 10k behind, I don't care. I am going to finish this story, and then I'm going to edit and revise it to perfection. Who cares if it doesn't hit 50k by November 30? No one, that's who.
My confidence is bolstered by the fact that my previous NaNo projects have fared well. My 2014 NaNo, Changing Teams, released last November, and the third in the series, Changing Fate, will release on March 28, 2017. And my 2013 project, Gallowglass, will release on June 6, 2017.
You read that right--GALLOWGLASS HAS A RELEASE DATE!!!
To sum up, keep working on your WIP, no matter where you are in your word count. To steal NaNo's motto, the word needs your novel.
Have you encountered some NaNo setbacks? How did you work around them? Tell us in the comments!
Get Changing Teams here: http://amzn.to/2f5PDcZ
And the sequel, Changing Scenes: http://amzn.to/2giKSPC
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