I actually got ahead! 34K. Just over 15K to go. The first 15K went really fast, but I think the last 15K is going to be harder, because I made a point of writing all the easy stuff first. Now when I sit down to write I don't necessarily know the plot in as much detail, and I've written all the scenes that were vivid in my head.

My daughter has done this for the past two years. Even though last year she started off the month getting hit by a truck and for a few days she was typing with a cast on her left arm. She could still wiggle her fingers so she kept writing once she could get up and think. It slowed her down but it didn't stop her.

What was really cool is that I had sent a message to the organizers telling them that she might not make her goal because of the wreck, figuring they might send her an encouraging get-well-soon email, and they mailed her a little package with buttons and stickers! It was so sweet and it really brightened her day.

I don't know if it was because she did make her word count (30K for the Young Writer's Program) despite the hurdles, or what, but I think she inspired a lot of other people to do it this year. My husband and I are both doing it, a friend of ours, and both of her grandmas started.

Of that list, I'm the only one on track. My daughter has been far too busy with district band auditions and the school play. My husband and our friend are trying. They probably won't make the 50K but they've both made progress. My mom dropped out, she didn't like where her novel was going and went back to working on another book she & I started last year. My mother-in-law hasn't made much progress. Her house got destroyed by a tree limb and she's living out of hotels while it gets repaired.

Guess I'm on overachiever. Still I think it's cool that she inspired so many people to do it. And I've been having so much fun with it! After this month, I plan to edit it and post it somewhere in an easily downloadable format. Then we'll see if it's any good!