Did I hit 50,000 words? | November Writing Challenge

On a navy background with white dashed border, a blue bar on the bottom with the title “Did I hit 50,000 words?” in the center of the image. The “November Writing Challenge” is inside the blue bar.

I honestly did not think I would be able to write these words this year.

I hit 50,000 words in a novel.

Now, I did it last year for the November writing challenge. You can read last year’s blog post. But, what made this year different?

Well for starters, work was going to be busy. With the work for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities to coordinate the Ability To Rise event, it was anticipated to be more work than last year’s event.

But I knew that and planned it into my schedule to see what I can reasonably achieve. With planning, 50,000 words still looked reasonable to me based on conservative word count per hour (750 words).

So, I proceeded with the challenge on November 1st, anticipating to still reach the same goal as last year. The general plan is below.

Weekdays (Monday to Friday): 1,000 words per weekday

Saturday (and holiday): 3,000 words per Saturday

Sunday: 3,500 words per Sunday

So, how did it go?

Week 1 | November 1 - 3, 2024

I do my weeks from Monday to Sunday so this week is 3 days.

Anticipated Goal: 7,500 words

What I wrote: 7,656 words

I got to my goal and had a good starting week. Since I write with a rough direction of where I want to go, I don’t have an outline and just go with the flow. So I really was letting my main character guide me into their world which I prefer when it is for fun.

Week 2 | November 4 - 10, 2024

Anticipated Goal: 11,500 words

What I wrote: 9,939 words

I hit my first major hurdle of the month. I put my cochlear implant back on for the first time in 4 months. This is an overwhelming feeling and experience. So sensory overload hit me hard (and kind of my own doing). I did not write anything on Saturday which did not set me up to hit the goal of the week. That was fine, I had the 11th off due to Remembrance Day so I can recoup the word count there. This week, I was really being introduced to all the characters and getting into the dynamics which I enjoyed.

Week 3 | November 11 - 17, 2024

Anticipated Goal: 13,500 words

What I wrote: 12,264 words

I wasn’t too far off from my goal but this is where I had to start reevaluating the word count goals. I need over 2,500 words to be back on the timeline for my anticipated goals. Now, I did not make it unreasonable. The reality is, I can do 1,200 words in an hour, even more if I get into the flow. So it was still achievable, I just needed to adjust my numbers to make it clear. I just had a mental health day on Saturday so it wasn’t out of the ordinary. This is the week I realized, I love the dynamics, so much that I write so much more about it than planned. I am now learning, this is a 100,000 words novel at least to do my imagined start to finish. The point is not to finish, but to do it and reach the goal. I will finish it another time, maybe just continue next year.

Week 4 | November 18 - 24, 2024

Original Anticipated Goal: 11,500 words

New Anticipated Goal: 13,500 words

What I wrote: 5,206 words

Let me show you further how this week went.

November 18th: 0 words

November 19th: 0 words

November 20th: 0 words

November 21st: 0 words

November 22nd: 0 words

November 23rd: 0 words

November 24th: 5,206 words

Yeah…

This was the time I was going to give up. Work picked up, chronic pain increased a little, sensory overloads were still a daily occurrence. Everything just caught up to me.

I was quite upset about the thought of not being able to complete the goal. I was enjoying the story. It was dedicated personal time in the busy season so not writing means I didn't really have personal time to myself.

Somehow, I convinced myself to sit down on Sunday and write. If I hit 5,000 words that day, it may be possible. When I saw 5,206 words written, then I looked at my week and saw where I could fit it into my schedule.

Week 5 | November 25 - 30, 2024

Original Anticipated Goal: 6,000 words

New Anticipated Goal: 14,935 words

What I wrote: 15,254 words

Determination is the driving force here.

There were gaps of time that made this week work. There was an evening meeting, there was the NS election so I got to go vote, it was also Thanksgiving football meaning I had more time in the evening that would normally be going to watch a show with my family. Even if I work many hours to get stuff done for the event, I found extra 30 minute time blocks that can make this work. Family and friends were aware that this was a goal I wanted to achieve so they cheered me on and provided the space for me to do it. I ended November 30th with 50,319 words.

Don’t get me wrong, pain still there, sensory overload still there. But I know what it is like to get down on myself and I know from experience that it is easier to get through a rough patch if I just try to keep going. It is impressive to look back and see a string of zeros for six days straight and somehow accomplish the goal. I normally have days here and there are zeros. I had six days last year that were zero days. This year, I had 9 zero days and 2 low writing days (less than 350 words). Needless to say, I am proud of myself.

This is just to share my experience. It was not linear but to my surprise, it got done. It is clear now that this is more of a 100,000 words novel idea based on where I am with 50,312 words. Maybe I will continue during the holidays. Maybe I will just shelve it and make it my challenge next year to finish it. The goal for the writing challenge for me is not to complete a draft of a novel that is going to be seen by anyone. It is to do something I find fun and creative that can be my personal time during a busy season of life. I had fun with the characters and learned more about the world that I was creating. Hopefully one day, it will be finished for my own enjoyment.

Amanda