I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time this year. I use the term “participate” loosely here, as my final word count turned out far lower than expected or desired—but I did, technically, participate. I started a new project and wrote every day.

Well, actually, I started two new projects; I switched to an entirely different story on Day 10. I’d blame my low word count on that, but to be totally honest, internet stranger, I wouldn’t have hit 50,000 words even if we factored in the first 10 days.

I won’t make excuses. That’s not what this post is about. Instead, let’s focus on positives…

What I Learned:

1. I am completely capable of high-yield days. On one day alone, I wrote 2,500 words in just a few hours. This means that I can—and should—hold myself to higher expectations in my daily writing.
2. I write easier with time pressure. This website annihilated procrastination and really got the words flowing. Fellow writers, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
3. I like tracking my progress. I’ve always been a data nerd, but I was surprised to realize that seeing my daily word count over the course of a month sparked as much motivation as it did. I’ll continue that data tracking as I work on other projects.

Now, it’s time to revisit my YA fantasy WIP. I finished the complete overhaul in October, and I’ll focus on revisions and edits this month. Here’s the basic schedule:

• Week 1: Plot and Continuity
• Week 2: Characters and Descriptions
• Week 3: Tone/Atmosphere/Mood and Themes
• Week 4: Line Editing

The goal is to be ready to start querying in January 2020. I’ve had enough distance from the project now that I’m actually missing it, so here’s hoping I can ride that fondness to the finish line.