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“A jug fills drop by drop.” — Buddha

It’s the start of the third week and we’re halfway there. We should be hitting 25,000 words today if all is going well. If you’re not there, now’s the time to start coming up with plans to make up ground.

I can already tell it’s going to be a squeaker for me this year, as I developed a nasty cold Saturday morning that had me in bed and sleeping most of the weekend. Writing got done, but it was only a scant 100 words Sunday, and, as I pen this, I’m still feeling fairly crappy and face with the prospect of not missing time from the day job. That’s going to have a negative effect on writing most of the week because when I come home, I’ll likely be more focused on hitting my bed and resting rather than writing.

But whether you’re ahead or behind, the writing continues because that’s how we build our stories and our words, drop by drop, word by word. It may feel as if it’s painfully slow – and I’m not going to argue with you about that – but it is progress. The only way it isn’t is if you’re desperately trying to fill your pages by repeatedly typing “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” (I ban all versions of The Shining from our house during NaNoWriMo. The crazed writer hits a little too close to home at that point.)

This is going to go back to what I’ve said a few times already, but I think it bears repeating: each word is a victory because it is more words than you had yesterday or the day before. These are our drops, the individual pieces that make up our story. Even the smallest of them contains a wealth of dreams, hopes, and ideas.

So be good to yourself and celebrate your progress. Also, get your flu shot if you haven’t! We’re heading into that season and, trust me, writing while you’re sick is no fun. if you’ll excuse me, I need to go rest.

Word Count Goal: 25,000

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