I wrote my first NaNoWriMo despite juggling two jobs, and an interoffice move. I was disappointed that I did not have time to finish the last 7 chapters of the book but I wrote over 50 chapters, AND I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN A NOVEL IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!! I'm actually a medical editor, so my perfectionism definitely got in the way-- but I learned that I CAN do this. It was amazing. Sort of like giving 'birth' to a pen-and-ink 'baby.' After the travails of 'birth' and the 'birth pangs' were over it was frustrating to see 'love's labor lost', buI I know that I could finish the novel now, and I CAN do this. My writing 'buddy', my own 'pride and joy' encouraged me all through it, and told me not to give up. So, next year at NaNoWriMo! Now that I know how to do this, next time I'm going for the gold!
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50,967 / 50,000
Dec 1, 2008 - 05 49
Hey, good for you. You may not have reached 50K, but 50 chapters is a pretty great accomplishment. The point of NaNoWriMo to me isn't just to write 50,000 words, it's to prove to yourself that you can write about anything you want and not have to worry about what people will think about it. I'm glad you don't see your efforts as wasted just because you didn't reach 50K--I mean, you've got more than half of a rough draft done. That's pretty awesome!
209,198 / 50,000
Dec 1, 2008 - 09 44
You've got more than you had at the beginning of the month, and you've learned a bit of confidence, win or no win. Good for you and keep up the good work!
39,872 / 50,000
Dec 2, 2008 - 07 55
I'm in a similar boat. I was doing really well for most of the month, then at the end of the month real life just sort of crushed any hopes of finishing. But I don't intend to stop writing any time soon being that I'm probably only half way through my novel, so I'd consider it a success. I also almost reached my personal goal of 40,000, so I'm happy.
20,000 / 50,000
Dec 6, 2008 - 21 44
I didn't start until the 14th, so I figure what I did was pretty good. And, I'm still working on it. I am not going to give up this novel, no matter how silly it has become.