It's Almost Over

Wow. Four days to go on NaNoWriMo. I passed the 45,000 word mark last night, and I might have 46,000 words down in another hour or so. That would give me plenty of breathing space for this last stretch, since I could write only about 1,000 words a day and still be done in time.

That wall I was worried about never came. I never hit a spot in this novel where I was stymied on the next step for more than an hour or two. When that happened, I just played a video game or read something else for a while, and when I came back, I knew where I wanted to go.

The only thing I'm really stuck on now is precisely how I'll end the book. I don't want to just stop writing when I hit 50,000 words, I want there to be some closure. A sequel hook, if nothing else. I think I have an idea, but it's going to be tricky.

This has been a real ride. At first, I was exhilarated, and times I still find myself in that sort of zen state I hit when I'm really into what I'm writing. But lately, it's been a real chore, pounding out this novel every single day for a month straight. I think I'll be real glad in a few days, when this is over and I can turn away from writing for a little while. But just a little while.

-E. Maxfield Moen