Ten Days left of NaNo...

There are only 10 days left in the month of November. Ten days to accomplish the NaNoWriMo challenge that I signed up for... and I'm still making my way through the corn maze, trying to find the words I need to find my way to The End.

I'm at 25,261 words. More than half-way, but not nearly close enough to the goal line.

But it's not like I haven't been writing. I have a cool new story I'm thrilled with. I had to take time out from the new story to work on finishing revisions to my Mermaid middle grade book, in order to send the full manuscript to an agent who requested it from a partial. I also renewed and then completely revised my website, since supporting my online presence is part of being an author. And worked on CapeWomenOnline magazine.

I also survived a Girl Scout sleepover and planned two other Girl Scout meetings with my daughter's troop (one of which is tonight) as well as attended the Veteran's Day ceremony with the scouts. I've helped with middle school math, moon journals, tide charts, essays... I've driven to guitar lessons, kids' hair appointments, band practices, voice lessons... I even went to a dinner party off-Cape (without kids, what a concept!)

So should I consider it an epic-fail if I don't make it to my NaNo goal?

I don't think so. I'll still have accomplished all of those other things. And I'll still have the first hundred pages of a new manuscript all ready to work on. But I think I'll keep trying to finish anyway, to make it through the maze to the finish line, even if it really isn't possible.

Because the only real failure would be to give up and not try.

As long as I try, I win.