Moments ago, I earned the 21 Days badge for updating my National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) word count for three weeks straight. Tonight, I hit 38,875 words of the challenge that calls for writing 50,000 words of a novel manuscript in a single month.

At this point, I am well on track to finish NaNoWriMo. I have no doubts in my mind that I can bang out another 11,125 words in the remaining nine days of this challenge. Not to get too cocky, but it feels like a foregone conclusion now. I have pulled far enough ahead of the daily par that I have two days of buffer room.

My toughest day was actually yesterday. After a couple of months of planning and a hardcore week of prepping, I hosted our family reunion/Thanksgiving shindig. The party was a success as about three dozen or so family members and friends arrived, ate good food, played games, and enjoyed each other’s company.

I was physically wrecked. And, I was so mentally exhausted that I didn’t even remember to drink my nightly cold brew as I began my writing session. But, I toughed it out.

Tonight’s session went much better. I got a solid six hours of sleep last night (more than I have been getting lately). Then, I crashed in the afternoon, sleeping well into the evening. It is amazing what a four-hour Sunday nap can do for the mind, body, and soul.

Needless to say, I had my best writing session. I knocked out 2,157 words toward my overall count.

I could have pressed on, maybe even writing another 1K, but I also know the importance of leaving a little fuel in the tank for tomorrow. That has been one of my guiding principles during this challenge. Work hard for the day’s goals, but do not burn yourself out so much that you have nothing left for tomorrow. It is something I learned in my old powerlifting days, but it is just as easily applied to mental tasks as it is to those that are physical.

I am feeling good about where Part 1 (of 3) of the novel is at. My personal goal for NaNoWriMo 2021 is to wrap it up before the end of the month. I am still enjoying getting to know my characters and watching them grow as they are about to take on a challenge that they are ill-prepared for. I am excited about seeing how they react.

With any luck, the next time I check in here on the blog, I will be either finished or nearly across that 50,000-word mark. Until then…