Tomorrow

Tomorrow (well... technically tonight at midnight) is the start of NaNoWriMo... November 1st is almost upon us, my friends.

Which means this - in other parts of the world, NaNoWriMo has already started, and hundreds (if not thousands) are pounding their keyboards in hopes of producing a novel in thirty days... a novel of at least 50,000 words. Everyone I say that to who isn't a writer and has never heard of NaNo thinks 50,000 is a lot of words. I'm thinking it doesn't sound quite so tough when I really break it down.

50K words/30 Days = 1667 words/1 day
750 Words = 3 Pages (double spaced, 1 in. margins)
Cat's word count = (abt) 50 words/minute

If I aim for an average of 8 pages (or 2,000 words) a day, I should reach 50K by November 25th. If I can keep my inner editor in check, that means 40 minutes a day at 50 words/minute. If I can't, then I should count on doubling the time, which means about an hour and a half a day.

Heck, with that time frame, I should be able to get through more than 2,000 words a day.

This is starting to sound like a cake walk, but I know that's the optimism talking. I'll only be able to sustain that kind of a pace for so long before the inner editor decides to rebel, or something else happens. It usually does.

But the number break down (besides giving me an awful headache) does let me know this is doable. For that, I am very happy.

NaNoWriMo Countdown: 8 hours, 10 minutes and counting.