Hello again, dreamers.  I’m making this post late, but for good reason: as of last night, I’ve hit 40,000 words.  I feel unstoppable.

It’s hard to believe.  I’ve come a long way in less than a month, and now I stand poised to complete a major milestone.  It’s been one hell of a ride already, and at this rate, I could complete NaNoWriMo in a matter of days.  I may well return to Sharon for Thanksgiving with my 50,000 words in hand, and change.

I have however, come to the conclusion that I am no more than two chapters from the conclusion of phase 3.  So, once again I find myself contemplating the way forward.  A part of me wants to press on after hitting 50,000 words: to see if I can’t knock out this first draft before the end of the year.  Of course, I’d also love to revise what I already have; I’ve compiled an extensive list of notes on various things I want to reexamine.  But, first things first: I must complete this first draft.

It’s become my reason for being over these past few months.  I’ve grown single-minded in my pursuit of what once seemed a distant goal, and now that I’ve come this close I cannot and will not stop now.  This is a story that needs to be told; I believe that more strongly than I’ve ever believed anything before.  And I have to finish this, if only for myself.  The first draft of Wide Horizon took me over two years to complete.  I started The Pioneer in June.

I have a lot of work ahead of me.  I cannot rest, even if I finish NaNoWriMo well ahead of schedule.  A critical moment approaches. – MK