For everyone who's still working toward that finish line: you can do it! Keep going! It doesn't matter if your characters suddenly change, or if the chapter doesn't make sense. There's always the rewrite to take care of those small or large plot holes. Right now, you're on your way to finish a novel, a real novel, one that you can wave under the nose of everyone you know. Bragging rights are almost yours, so keep going!
And if you know there's no way you will hit 50K, go for the next milestone. Try to hit 40K, or 30K, or, if you've had a really rough month, shoot for 10K. Everyone will still cheer for you because you are a working novelist. Plus, you'll have inside experience on how to hit that 50K goal next year. Don't give up! During my first year at Nano, I wrote 30,000 words the final week. In the years since, I've always crunched on the final day to hit 50K. This is the first year I finished before dusk fell on Nov. 30, so experience does pay off.
Need some encouragement? The ES Nano chat room will be open through chatzy at the usual time, 4-6, today. Keep writing, because you're almost there!
Beth
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ML-Eureka Springs, Arkansas
