Well, as I am writing this blog post, I’ve done about 60,000 words on the novel Voices Abroad. I can’t tell you how giddy I am for not only getting this far in the novel, but for getting to 50,000 words in about nineteen days. I kept to my schedule, and now I’m one day away from meeting the goal of 50,000 words in thirty days and writing more than I have ever written before for a novel. Is it finished? Nope. I still have about 35,000 more words to do, but now I can slack off on the work count a little bit. Maybe either do 450 three times a day or do 650 twice a day and reclaim either the mornings or lunch time for reading and research. I really want to make sure I get the Gothic setting right for the novel – not my next one. That’s going to be The Marvelous and Malefic Doomsday Medicine Show. That one is going to get started in January.

It’s been a hard time, but somewhat fun this November. I’m aiming for next year to hit par – 1,700 words a day – everyday in a self-contained novel. I don’t think there are enough of those out there in fantasy, especially. Everything must be a three or five or seven novel series. I don’t mind it if the series is finished. I would like to have a novel that’s a self-contained, one-shot story. Something I can read one time, and possibly pick up again if I’m bored. Of course, I’m saying this as I try to stretch out one character’s story from three to five books. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Next year is going to be the Year of Fantasy. I am only going to focus on finishing up two projects: The Marvelous and Malefic Doomsday Medicine Show and The Ushabit Series. I might do a small novel for Nanowrimo next year, but most of my energy is going to finishing these long standing, longer suffering books. I might end up just restarting The Ushabit series from scratch with the outline and all that. I seem to write better when I have everything planned out in advance. Medicine Show is too far into itself to be re-done, so I’m going to muddle through it as best as I can and get it edited down after I get The Show Must Go On edited…which I may get that started next year. I know I’ve brought Serve Me Now to my writer’s group…but it doesn’t feel good to me. I think I rushed it to get done and out. Might just rip the whole thing down and restart it.

Thank you all for bearing with me this November while I engage in temporary madness. I’ll get back to the regular blogging schedule in time to take a week off for Christmas. Stay safe, have fun and I’ll see you in the next.

Nanowrimo has me wiped today. Have a kitten.

By the time you are reading this, I will be up to my hips in Nanowrimo…again. I think this is the fifteenth time I’ve done this, but this will be the third time I’ve won (God willing). Of course, the only thing I get for winning is bags under my eyes and a manuscript that needs some love and doctoring. But, hey – I don’t do these things because they are easy. I do them because they are hard.

Do I recommend Nanowrimo to everyone? Only if you want to see what it takes to be a dedicated writer now. I’m crazy and driven to do this. I’m one of those people that says ‘do it’ to anyone who says they wanted to be a writer. Go for it. Take this November to fire up your word processor and write 1700 words a day – about maybe two hours of time. You can miss a couple of shows. You don’t have to speak to your spouse all the time. Your pets can take care of themselves. Write to soothe the muse.

This blog is going to be a little short because I do have to get in my word count for the day, and I wanted to touch base a little. I didn’t want anyone to think I’d abandoned the blog again. Updates will come, but there won’t be a lot to it, sadly.

So – bear with me this month, keep writing and I will look forward to a more substantial update / after action report come December.