NaNoWriMo Day 7: Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful...

1.  ...that I was able to make my daily word count goal, despite the fact that I got a late start yesterday. II wrote 1,738 words on Day 6, which brought my total word count up to 10,996,

2.  ...for Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy), which I am listening to while I am composing this entry.

3.  ...that I have access to the website Write or Die because timed writing helps dispel writer's block, which I cannot afford to experience during NaNoWriMo.

4.  ...for the individual bags of cookies and pretzels I received this morning with my senior food allotment because now I have something to nibble on while I compose this entry.

5.  ...that I have an automatic washer because I can put the clothes in the washer and let them wash while I am doing something else.

6.  ...for the nice weather we have here in Las Vegas.

7.  ...that I have an automatic clothes dryer because I do not have to hang clothes outside or over furniture to dry.

8.  ...for hot water because I dislike taking a cold shower in autumn.

9.  ...that I was able to make fresh coffee this morning. I am a writer, so I do not need any reason to be thankful for coffee.

10.  ...for my internet connection because it helps me stay in touch with my friends and family.

Determining my Average word count

Ten more days until NaNoWriMo, I have to determine how many words I can write in 15 minutes. Since I cannot sit at the computer for more then 15 or 20 minutes at a time, I have to know how many words I can write in that time. My daily word count goal is 1,667 and I know I cannot write that many words in 15 minutes.

In order to find out how many words I write, I am using the website Write or Die to determine my 15 minute word count. Once I find an average word count I can schedule my writing sessions. I have already completed three word sprints, which is the name for the time I use this piece of software on this website. This is my fourth writing sprint and I have one more to complete on or before October 29. Right now my average words per 15 minutes of writing is 441 and I figure by the end of the five writing sprints my average word count will be about 500 words.

If my average word count is 500 words for 15 minutes of writing, then I have to schedule four fifteen minute writing sessions to complete the 1,667 daily word count. This means that I need to schedule two 15 minute sessions each morning and two each evening. This will allow me to complete the 50,000 words in November, as well as getting ready to move. I am supposed to move out of this house around November 25, I am not looking forward to the move; however, I am looking forward to National Novel Writing Month.

The novel I am working on this year is Midnight In Suburbia, which is a bit different from the novels I normally write. This will get me out of my box and focused on a subject I am interested in. The book is about a protagonist dealing with her mother's dementia. That is all I am going say about the novel at this time. I may write something more about it later, but right now I am interested in figuring out how many words I can write in 15 minutes so that I can determine how long it will take me to write 1,667 words each day in November. If my November writing goes like these sprints then the daily word count will vary. I am looking forward to finding out what the final average work count is at the end of these sprints and at the end of November.

word count = 421