While I typically save my own writing updates for my writing blog, I know there are a lot of readers participating in NaNoWriMo, so I want to make sure you’re up to date on what’s happening on my end.

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words of a novel in November. This is my second year participating and I am at 27,595 words so I have some catching up to do this weekend if I want to hit 40,000 words on Sunday and 50,000 by next Saturday. While NaNoWriMo asks that you start a new novel for November, I simply jumped back into a manuscript I just began this past August as I was barely 10,000 words into it. So I am officially past the halfway point for NaNoWriMo and for my first draft total word count goal (70,000 words). Progress!

So what’s helping me along the way?

* Scrivener. A Godsend. I started using this writing tool last year and I haven’t looked back. Word, who?

* Checking in with other writers on Susan Dennard’s forum and participating in #BAMFWordBattles is a great help.

* The 5am Writer’s Club has been a great push as I recover from my “low” word count. Basically, you wake up at 5am, write, and check in with others on Twitter who were crazy enough to do the same thing. It works. Think about it. If you force yourself to wake up at 5am, you’re not going to put that time you are choosing to be productive go to waste.

* This handy dandy list of resources that I add onto every few days on my writing blog. I don’t think I’ve ever actually linked to my writing blog on here so feel free to head over there but there’s not much to see at this point outside of the resource page. When there are announcements to be made, oh boy will you know!

* Using the DVR more than ever (and I already use it a lot) to get to sleep early and get some extra Zzzzs.

So that’s where I’m at. If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, whether you’ve already won, are on track or catching up on your word count, congratulations on your progress! As for me? Time to go write!