NaNoWriMo 2020, Week 4, and the Home Stretch

Through Sunday, November 22, my total word count is 77,400 words. The NaNoWriMo pace for that period is 36,674 words, and the pace I set for myself of 2,000 words/day would have put me at 44,000.

Although my pace is slowing from the blistering 4,000 words/day of the first week, I am continuing to make progress. I’ve hit my 2,000 word goal every day so far (though some days, just barely).

I’m finding all sorts of holes in my plot. But I’m also discovering a few wrinkles I hadn’t realized before. One of the seventeen-year-old boys in my story wants to get married. The other is learning that his parents knew more than he thought they did. (Though, of course, like any parent, I was aware of that going in. I just didn’t know how that theme would play out in my story.)

All my historical novels deal to some extent with families in the making and the breaking. “Who is my family?” and “Where do I fit in my family? are central questions for many of my characters. I am finding that to be true with this story as well. As I go back and edit this book, I’ll be developing these themes to a greater extent.

Another theme I might explore has to do with developing leadership skills. My main protagonist starts out drifting. Will he have found his anchor by the end of the story? Will he be able to stand up to authority figures? I’ll find out as I finish the book.

But in the meantime, I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on this rough draft. And that feels good. I don’t know if I’ll finish the draft by the end of November, but . . .

. . . I’m into the home stretch!

My husband and I made the difficult decision to stay home over Thanksgiving. I know many others have made similar choices.

Wherever you celebrate, I hope you have much to be grateful for, and I hope you stay safe and healthy.