The Least Enthusiastic 50k Entry Ever

As not the captain of Team Chicago in the past, I admit that I've been pretty harsh in my statements about people who stop at 50k. Now in my role as captain, I'm okay with people stopping at 50,000 but I wish they wouldn't. But as of this year at 11:16 p.m. when I hit 50,221 as the result of a word war, I was ready to throw in the towel.

Until I remembered that I was the captain of the word war team and therefore really should keep on pushing on through. But the energy is now completely gone. I wrote for three hours and 15 minutes tonight desperately trying to break through the barrier on 11/23 and now I can't even think.

I wrote 2,848 words between 8:00 and 11:15 p.m. after watching "300." Well, sort of watching. I fell asleep a couple of times during it but I've seen it before so that makes sense.

And the words, while contributing to the story, were some of the most mundane things that I've written in ages. It was basically my four main characters (and of course the envelope) sitting around in Andy's apartment just getting everything out into the open.

I mean I guess it's important since it's going to be where Kate finally wakes up and realizes where everybody's true loyalties lie. But as far as excitement level, it's about the same as mine is for the book in general right now - pretty low.

This is what I wrote on the Chicago board tonight:

Thanks. I have to admit that I sort of tripped and fell through the finish line pouring all of my reserve story into it. I have to figure out how to set the final climax into motion and not just have my characters psychoanalyze each other (though what better way to mark 50k than just trying to figure out your characters, right?).

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We actually had four people cross the 50k line today on Team Chicago so it was a pretty proud day for me as captain.

That, I think, is the new theme for the end of the month word war-wise. Chicago just needs to pull as many people across the finish line as possible. That might not win us the war but it will be a great victory for the point of NaNoWriMo.

There's really no point to the war besides egging people on if it's not for trying to help people reach their limits and I think for many people 50k might just be that limit.

I hope there are a lot of people willing to push through that wall like I am but I'm not even sure I am anymore. I'll have to see when I wake up in the morning.