A few milestones this week for my work in progress.

#1 –  It’s the middle of #NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and with the support and encouragement from my writers’ group on Facebook, I have committed to writing EVERY SINGLE DAY of the month. From a high of 1,025 words on this past Sunday to a low of 89 words on Wednesday during a flight home from Baltimore, I’m already at over 5,000 words for the month, my most productive month to date! To those who aren’t familiar with word counts, 5K words equates to about 20 pages in a novel. The way I’m pacing, 20 pages is 1.5 chapters. This milestone is my “Glass is Half Full“. A goal that I’m proud of and a pace I hope to continue.

#2 –  I have also hit the 35,000 word count mark which is the half-way mark for a minimum word count recommendation for a first-time novel. I wish I was further along by now as I’m nearly nine months into this project. At this rate, I won’t finish a first draft until next August. And, then I still need to edit and polish before it’s ready for submission to an agent or publisher. I need to pick up the pace. I want to submit by next April / May to stay on track for a hoped-for publication date of May 2021. This milestone is my “Glass is Half Empty” and makes for a good kick in the butt for more focus and more commitment. At a minimum, I want to complete Part 2 of the story by the end of November. I’ll need to carve out some time over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and relish my writing time.

Rather than take any time next week for a blog post, I’ll extend my warmest wishes to you all now for a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am grateful for the support you all have given me in reading my posts, hitting a like button or leaving a comment. They all keep me going.

I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends and lots of yummy drumsticks, mashed potatoes, squash, green bean casserole, cranberry chutney, pies, rolls and breads. Those are the standard menu items at the Daly house!

Disclaimer: Photo is Google sourced. Ha Ha – looks good though!