Meg Dowell Writes

I, GodRoxMySox092, was bumped down in the JulNoWriMo stats three places, from #11 to #14, overnight.

And when I say I fell behind, I mean I fell way behind. I was only about 3,000 words away from the #10 spot when I finally gave up and went to sleep around ten-thirty central time. Now I’m roughly six thousand words behind the Wrimo in the #10 spot. My goal today, other than surviving five hours of school and the homework that comes along with it, is to get to that spot, no matter what it takes.

Not to say that I’m willing to write complete crapola to get to that spot. I guess the phrase “no matter what it takes” was a bit over the top. I can’t stand filler writing, and I can’t stand mush. I’m going to keep it quality, while still writing as many words as possible. That means, of course, more detailed descriptions of locations and characters. If it turns into filler (and I already have some of that in Chapter 16) it can always be deleted later.

I plan to get as much done at school as I can, though that can be hard sometimes. After all, it is school…we do have the occasional quiz, lecture, and classwork time. I tend to write only when I feel it’s appropriate, which isn’t nearly as much as I would like to most days. But I did promise myself I would pass with a B this semester, and I plan to keep that promise while still writing a kick-butt novel. Thank all that is good on this Earth for multi-tasking!

Anyway…back to the rankings.

I know what you’re thinking: it’s either “stop complaining and get to writing” or “there’s nothing wrong with being ranked #14 out of 455 JulNo participants, so close your oral cavity.” Either way, you’re totally and completely wrong. I’m not complaining. This is ultra-motivation. That’s why I registered for JulNo in the first place; I didn’t do it to win, but instead to keep myself typing away.

I’m not in the same boat that everyone else is: the only reason I’m ranked so high up is because I started at 11,000 words. That means I have to get my word count up to 61,000 instead of just 50,000 words to technically win. I know the site doesn’t know the difference, but it’s all in the head. I won’t go around and brag about winning unless I actually get to my own personal goal.

In truth, I’m not even sure if my novel is even going to be 61,000 words long. Like I said, I’m not a big fan of filler, and I’m not doing July Novel Writing Month to win. If my novel is finished at 50,000 words, then I’m not going to write more just to get my word count up. If my novel isn’t anywhere near finished by the time I reach 61,000 words, then I’ll keep going. It’s only July 6th: I’m at 21, 553 as of right now. If I keep writing like I did yesterday—almost five thousand words in one day—I’ll be good to go.

I wish I could have more for you, but honors economics awaits. Good luck with your writing, fellow JulNo Wrimos. And to those of you who don’t, haven’t ever, and never will write, I hope you enjoy reading. And, if not my words, then hopefully somebody else’s.

And remember: never leave a cordless phone outside when it’s raining. Bad things happen.

Love&hugs, Meg♥