I managed to get about 1,000 words today and have a good sense of what I am writing at last, though of course it can change throughout NaNoWriMo. I’ve been interviewing characters for placement within the stories. It’s not enough, but it’s definitely better than nothing.

I haven’t written as many stories this year as I did last year. But despite all that, I think I have done ok. This year we finished B&T plus two other gaming articles. One has been published. The other two are upcoming. By year’s-end I will have had three short stories published in anthologies. I published both a paperback and ebook version of Lightning Scarred plus a special version with a game supplement addition. And through all of that we sold a house, bought another house, and have been trying to renovate the new house. So I’m trying to cut myself some slack and not be too hard on myself for not writing as much as I planned to.

The wonderful thing about NaNoWriMo is that it feels like a fresh start in writing. And it’s companionable in general. I’ve been thinking about what makes it work for me. Part of it is the companionship and part of it is that it is unrelentingly positive without much shaming involved. Sure, you want to get the requisite word count by the end, but however you choose to do it is fine. It is, when all is said and done, a celebration of words and writers.

For the second year in a row NaNoWriMo is not having any in-person meetings. This is hard on everyone I think. I look forward to being able to meet with people in person again for next year’s NaNoWriMo. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy NaNoWriMo virtually. I hope you are as well.

May all of your creative endeavors bear sweet fruit.

Be well, friends!