My NaNoWriMo: Round 5, Week 4

We’re down to the final seven days of the NaNoWriMo writing challenge! The second half for me is always the hardest because the story becomes more intense and awkward at the same time.

Oh, and did I mention it’s Thanksgiving Week? That throws a plot twist into the writing challenge for me every single year.

So, did I reach my target daily word count goals for National Novel Writing Month? Keep reading.

It’s Thanksgiving Week! That means lots of traveling, chopping, mixing, sautéing, baking, socializing and shopping. Did I forget to mention eating?

I remembered from last year that Thanksgiving week is always a tough seven days when it comes to writing close to 2K words daily. Then again, ask any National Novel Writing Month participant (in the states, that is) and they’d tell you the same.

But the question is this: Did I hit my NaNoWriMo writing goals? Continue to scroll to see the progress I made this week.

My Progress

My writing goal was to write at least 1,667 words each day and to hit at least 35K words total on my 50K writing goal. I checked my National Novel Writing Month profile every day—as well as update my progress every day—to see if I was going to make it.

Since last week, I surpassed my word count goal of 35K words! In fact, I just passed the 40K word count just minutes before this blog post went live, earning me another NaNoWriMo badge. Usually I was writing exactly 1,667 words a day or a handful of words more during this week.

My Obstacles

I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I celebrated Thanksgiving this week with my family!

We all know what Thanksgiving entails. And being a vegetarian around a meat-obsessed holiday, that meant extra time in the kitchen for me to whip up my meal alongside the main courses of the holiday.

Thanksgiving this year was celebrated back in my hometown state, so I made the four-hour drive back Home. And since many from my family were back in town, we planned to spend some quality time together.

Since this wasn’t my first Thanksgiving, I knew that finding time to write would be tough. I also figured that I wasn’t alone within the NaNoWriMo writing community when it came to this obstacle, so I did some research as well as scratched my head on ways to keep writing during Thanksgiving week.

My list ended up being longer than expected, so I wrote this blog post about it.

Even though I had a hard time finding time to write this blog post, it was worth the time. Not only was I able to continue writing during the holiday week, but I also got to share my secrets with my fellow writers during National Novel Writing Month.

My Successes

I cancelled all my social plans and made only one commitment last weekend: Get ahead on my NaNoWriMo writing!

Between travel days and nights sitting around the table, I knew I’d need a few buffer days with the Thanksgiving holiday when it came to my word count for National Novel Writing Month. So I focused both Saturday and Sunday on not only reaching that day’s word count goal but to double my minimum of 1,667 words.

Because of my stubborn determination, I was able to write 3,334 extra words—that puts me two days ahead in my writing challenge!

So far, I have not needed to dip into my extra word count bank! I know I will need one group of 1,667 words for my drive back home (not to be confused with Home). After finding ways to write more around Thanksgiving for my blog post, I am inspired to putting my tricks to the test.

My Goals

I plan to continue hitting a daily minimum of 1,667 words and to FINALLY reach my 50K word count goal before November 30—just in time for next week’s (and final) recap of my National Novel Writing Month progress.

What are your NaNoWriMo goals for the final week of National Novel Writing Month? Share it with us in the comments section below.