If you don’t know about NaNOWriMO and/or don’t understand why I would be doing it, especially after the recent controversy, please see my previous post: https://arrowmakerbooks.com/2024/10/31/nanowrimo-2024-why-im-taking-the-challenge-despite-the-ai-controversy/.
As an author, I’m aware a good story needs a sense of jeopardy or conflict. With under 8000 words left to write in 7 days, having written an average of 1833 for the previous 23 days, there’s little jeopardy left in this challenge. I’d say the fat lady is warming up, but I feel sorry for this woman – she’s always singing at the finale so must have a great voice, but the only thing anyone ever mentions is her weight.
I’ve reached chapter 56 of (I think) 77, so may not finish the book within the 30 days, but will continue at a slightly less stressed pace and should complete it soon after.
It’s been a pretty steady but fun week, with some interesting chapters down on the page. Here are my latest figures:
| Day | Daily Words | Running Total | Running Target | Running +/- |
| 17 | 1970 | 31510 | 28333 | 3177 |
| 18 | 1765 | 33275 | 30000 | 3275 |
| 19 | 1721 | 34996 | 31667 | 3329 |
| 20 | 1676 | 36672 | 33333 | 3339 |
| 21 | 1698 | 38370 | 35000 | 3370 |
| 22 | 1943 | 40313 | 36667 | 3646 |
| 23 | 1840 | 42153 | 38333 | 3820 |
Social media changes
I will be leaving Twitter at the end of this challenge. It’s become a less-diverse Mos Eisley Cantina – a “wretched hive of scum and villainy” to quote the great Sir Alec Guinness/Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Instead, I have new accounts on Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads, linked below. These aren’t fully active yet, but will be from the beginning of December.
https://bsky.app/profile/arrowmakerbooks.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/arrowmakerbooks/
https://www.threads.net/@arrowmakerbooks
All opinions and recommendations are my own. I will not be paid for any advert seen on or near my content, and I will not have any affiliation to any product or content I mention, recommend, or link to. In essence, nothing I post anywhere will have been paid for by anyone else. If I say something is good, it’s because I think it’s good, not because someone has paid me to think it’s good.
I do have a day job, but I will not mention or link to anything that company does, nor recommend them or their products explicitly or obliquely.
I view the secret affiliates and influencer culture as deeply dishonest. Another terrible part of a rotten capitalist system.
What’s next after this challenge?
In next week’s blog, I’ll take a quick celebratory lap, then lay out my plans for the future. I may even take a wild stab at when volume 2 of The Spike will be published (clue: not in 2024).
Arrowmaker Books 