I documented last year my displeasure at the stance the folks at NaNoWriMo took on A.I. Their refusal to clearly and publicly speak out against the growing use of generative artificial intelligence in art of all forms caused me (ad many others) to cease supporting and using that platform. As a result, I had to shift my intense writing month. I chose January because I wanted to begin the year with a strong start on completing some of my goals for 2025.
We are around the mid-point of the month now, so I wanted to check on my progress. The goal for this month is 50,000 words. Keep in mind this is only about getting as much of the story out as I can, not worrying about making it pretty or perfect. And after reviewing what I have written over the past two weeks, I can tell you that some of it is neither of those things.
As I write this short post, I stand at around 18,000 words written in January. Not quite as far I would have liked, but still it is solid progress. I finished a single 2-chapter block and I am halfway through a stand-alone chapter that will lead into a big multi-chapter block. That stand-alone chapter is bugging me; I am already getting the feeling it might be excised completely or take on a much different form in the final story, but again this is about getting out all of the things I outlined and planned, not worrying about the finished product.
With a 3-day weekend approaching, I am hoping to close the gap towards my goal. I may post a second update as the deadline approaches.