1530 words, better than I need, and another chapter down. I’m told I’m over the quarter way mark.
Now why couldn’t things be going this well during NaNoWriMo proper?

1210 words. Almost to the shorted goal, but not quite there.
What happened?
I’m working Chapter Six and have been a few days. Anyways, I finished it yesterday and thought it good. Only to wake this morning and realize there was too much chatter and not enough action.
Not fighting or anything like that. It just felt like everyone was just standing around yapping.
On this, it was a lot of exposition. Actually, there’s a lot of exposition here. It’s early going in a fantasy type novel. World needs building.
I was afraid it was dull.
Nothing was really wrong with the chapter, though. So I decided to chop it up, move stuff around, and, of course, rewrite Chapter Six.
Again.
Long story short, it should be finished, no further work to be done. Tomorrow, Chapter Seven and hopes to slip the former Chapter Six into place.
I might pull out stuff from older drafts. Assuming I can find it.
Anyways, good day. Not great, but good.
992 words isn’t what I call a banner day, but this restart doesn’t begin at zero. Not sure what the actual necessary number of words I need to hit is.
Might have to look into that.
The writing went well. I have stuff that needs reworking, but that’s for tomorrow.
I should also point out that I now believe I know who the killer is. Which is good for a murder mystery type thing like I’m writing. Fortunately the killer is different in this draft than the last. That was one part of the first run that I didn’t quite get behind.
Hopefully tomorrow will run smoother.
As one will infer, NaNoWriMo was not a great success this year.
In fact, it was a catastrophic failure, as I didn’t reach even the quarter way mark.
To put it in better perspective, I’ve failed at least five years of NaNoWriMo in recent memory. Last year was the outlier.
And what an outlier it was. Actual finished novel.
So what went wrong?
I shouldn’t have tried rewriting last year’s draft. Maybe.
Last year I was just struggling to finish. This year I was struggling to finish and do it right.
And this has proven to be more remake than rewrite. I added a major character and his presence changes things. For the better, I believe.
Anyways, what do I do now?
Reset the clock.
I’m writing a novel this month. Same one I’ve been working on since the start of November.
The NaNoWriMo site allows a certain leeway. You pick the dates, it keeps track of them.
Thus I’ve picked the end of December. I’ve put in what I have as the current count for today and am moving ahead with the business.
Why? Not continuing isn’t a choice. I like this novel and want to see it finished.
I’m using the tools given to me as an incentive. Giving me a goal every day to move one step closer to finishing.
What happens if I fail again? I reset the clock and go again. I lose no money doing this, any more than I gain money in finishing.
The important part, as always, is finishing.
Now, below is where I stand as of today, December 1, 2024. Actually I’m in better standing than this. I have some more writing from November that I think I can salvage. That doesn’t matter right now. What matters is pushing on.
Well the Month of Horror was a bust, now wasn’t it? Got sick, missed a few days, and never went back.
Oops.
Anyways.
Here we go again. Last year I won in every way possible. This year I hope to do better. Technically it’s a rewrite last year’s novel, but it’s a “reimagining.” I have a new character helping the protagonist out and some of the old ones are going the way of the dodo. Plus I have a better grasp of what I want to say. It’ll be less scattershot and all in all improved.
I’m at 1,561 words, which is a bad start. Still, I’ve come from behind before, and this isn’t that far behind the intended 1667 words.
Here’s hoping.


It’s much worse than the graph lets on. I’m rewriting the opening. Some of the stuff I have now is bound to be tossed.
Early days, and, to be frank, typical. Only plus is that when I worked at Walmart I never came home and wrote. These days, it’s easier.
Finishing the first novel might have helped with that.
Anyways, the goal is finishing Novel #2. The deadline is only there to push me down the path. I should be able to catch up Monday and Tuesday. If not, Wednesday and Thursday are my weekend. Should be able to catch up there.
All this aside, I’m happier tonight than last night, and that’s what counts.
I keep saying to myself.
Okay, so apparently NaNoWriMo’s site now lets you track your book whenever you want to do it. Just put in a couple dates and make sure you record your count each day. That’s it.
So today after work I started the Second Novel. Had an outline started up for it and everything. Thought it go smooth.
It did not.
I needed 1613 words. I got 905.
That ain’t good.
Anyways, it’s a start. Hopefully tomorrow will go better.
As an extra bonus, here’s a scene made by one of those AI image creator sites that might give you a slight feel for where I’m going.
Though, honestly? This scene doesn’t happen in the story. At least I don’t think it does. It’s just to give an idea, a sort of feeling, of what I want.