It’s the final countdownnnnn! Today is not only Thanksgiving, but just two days until the end of NaNoWriMo. Looking back, this month has been a mixture of productive nights and afternoons stuck staring at a blank page. Through it all, I’ve had the encouragement of my friends and family helping me battle against my procrastinating-tendencies to keep going. While I will not finish at the 50,000 word goal, I have done a lot that makes me proud.

At the beginning of this month, I wanted to hone in on my characters, expand the plot, and build the world of my story. I feel that I have made strides in the right direction, especially with my story! Each day I got myself to the writing stage, new and interesting things would come up. Why would my main character decide to join a ban of thieves? How does the big reveal and/ or twist occur? The seeds of ideas planted themselves in my brain, and I can’t wait to see where they’ll take me next.

Writing a story is like pouring a small piece of yourself into a living, breathing, art form that others can then read. Basically, it’s horcrux. I never had anyone read the writing I worked on this month, but I did talk it through with a few people. They offered great questions and insight that helped me fill in some of the cracks. My sister was my champion in this area. We’re often on the phone for long stretches of time, so I decided to fill it with my story ideas. She would patiently sit and listen to me blab for thirty minutes about something I wanted to expand upon, and ask me some questions that sent my brain buzzing with ideas. Thanks Twin! You’re the best.

With these new ideas and a deeper insight into a few of my characters and their relationships with one another, I feel like I’ve accomplished the heart of NaNoWriMo. While it’s mostly about writing an entire novel of thirty days, it’s also about growing in your skills and learning new things about the writing process. I hope that I can use the skills I’ve gained this month and apply them into 2020.

I hope to finish this challenge with 20,0000 words under my belt. With only 2,791 words left before I hit that mark, it seems like a possibility. To me, hitting 20,000 words will be an exciting win. Last year I only wrote 6,000, so it would be over 2x the amount of words! The idea of it is very exciting. However, I still have around three days until the challenge is over. Counting my chickens before they hatch would be a bad idea. Until the final day, I’ll keep on truckin’ and hope for the best.

Good luck to all my fellow participants as we get into the last few days! How did your NaNoWriMo go? Are you hoping to expand your story after November ends? Let me know in the comments below!