Goal oriented works for me

As it turns out having a goal and a competitive environment, even if it’s only for myself, is an effective motivation for me.  The accountability of an encouraging group of similarly devoted “teammates” is helpful as well, maybe most useful.  By November 15th, I ended the day at 47,668 words, somewhat disappointed that it would take one more day to hit 50,000, but I got over it.

Since my goal was closer to double the NaNoWriMo goal, I felt in good shape.  In fact, I was so early I couldn’t even declare my victory on the Nano website until the 20th.  By that time I’d racked up 68,152 words.  The best part was that I like where my story was too.  It was coming together better than I expected and I finally understand how characters can take control and write their own tale.

Along the way, I’d also attended a weekly write-in with the other writers working on this crazy idea.  Writing can be a lonely endeavor so to have a group of people working at the same goal while still doing their own thing is comforting.  I was energized and excited to continue.