I’m not a NaNo Winner…

 

But I’m not a loser either.

I joined National Novel Writing Month with every intention of completing my 50,000 word-count goal for my third novel by November 30th and realistically, it was very possible.  It should have been a breeze for me to complete my desired word count, considering the fact that I haven’t had to plug away at a day job all month long.

Even so, I’ve had less available days to write this month than I anticipated, mostly due to how I was feeling health-wise or because of extra time I got to spend with family.  The first half of November was not very productive in the writing department at all so the last half of the month I’ve had to try to make up for lost time.  And it hasn’t been easy.

So why doesn’t it bother me that I didn’t “win” my NaNo certificate?

I’ll tell you why…

Because I feel like a winner regardless of whether or not I made my word count.  I didn’t meet my goal of 50,000 words but I did start writing my third book.  I put words to a page and have made pages into chapters and I’m moving ahead with another fun story plot and a set of circumstances I will enjoy watching Jorja tackle in her own way. 

Not only did I get a good start on my third novel, I’ve also been working on another project that required more of my immediate attention due to the timeframe I have to complete it.  While I may have made the word count on my third novel if I hadn’t decided to tackle something else at the same time, how can I feel like a loser when I’ve been able to use my spare time to work on not one, but two important writing projects? 

No, I don’t feel like a loser just because I didn’t “win” NaNoWriMo this year.  I proved to myself I’m capable of the task, even if I have to plug away nightly after busy work days as I did last year.  This year didn’t pan out – that’s just the way it goes. 

And I won’t complain one bit. 

This year, November was not all about working and writing.  Instead, it’s been about writing when I can as I focus on getting healthy and take advantage of the opportunity to spend more time with my family.

If that isn’t a win-win situation, I don’t know what is.