NaNoWriMo 2014

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I completed a 50,000-word rewrite of a YA novel last November, so when this year's challenge rolled around, I signed right on up. Never mind that I have clients that need my attention for work booked well into February of next year, or the fact that the magazine I edit went into production on November 7. I've had an idea for a new contemporary suspense/thriller YA in my head for about a year now, and I thought National Novel Writing Month would be the perfect time to work on it. Did I mention I went into this thing without even so much as an outline? Probably not my best decision.

I'll be honest. It's been a tough go of it. I had forgotten how tired I get when daylight savings time hits and how I'm worn out from writing magazine copy during the day. And also how much shuttling around I have to do with my kids to their various activities. Though I started out pretty strong, last week I wavered, going several days without writing anything for the book because I had a more pressing deadline.

But I'm determined not to give up. The fact is, when I sit down to work on this novel, the words do come out, even if it's a slow start sometimes. This is a story that needs to be told and so far it is unfolding pretty organically. The main character in the book, a teenager named Cassidy, ends up being stalked by a male classmate who is initially very charismatic and charming. I personally was a victim of stalking two different times in my life, both while in college. I recognized the stalking for what it was when a classmate in my department major began doing it, but it took me years to realize the behavior of an older ex-boyfriend could also fall under that category. When it happened to me, I was too young and scared to seek out help, so I wanted to channel that fear into the main story line of this book. I hope I'm doing it justice--and it's also been therapeutic as well.

The stats as of Nov. 19, 2014:
22,011 words written
27,989 words to write by Nov. 30
I need to write around 2,600 words per day to finish on time.

Can I do this? Yes! I wholeheartedly intend to. Here's a post I wrote recently at WOW! Women on Writing about holding myself accountable for my writing projects (hint: this blog post is part of that).

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? If so, how's it going?