I spent over an hour today creating a better outline for the novel, which makes me feel like I am totally back on track. I typed it and everything. I divided the general outline I had before into Part I and Part II, then outlined rough chapter divisions and scenes. Maybe a little too confining, according to some who would rather wing it all the way. However, I need something in between the chaos of total unrestrained creativity (which turns out to be less fun than it sounds) and controlled structure. I think I’ve got that now.
But then…
I went back and edited. I know! I’m not supposed to do that, but it’s been very hard to avoid the temptation, so I gave in. I wanted to rewrite the whole thing in past tense, third person, which is where I should have started in the first place, but I tried in vain to plow on ahead and just change it later. Now it’s all consistent –whew! Sometimes being an uptight grammar teacher stinks.
I often need to back up and do some reading to remind myself where I was going. It's almost impossible to do that without some editing.
6k is a good number. My first novel took a year (and needs a total rewrite…but I digress). NaNoWriMo is less about the wordcount goal and more about getting you writing. Still, you have half the month left to step up that production and fling some words. Good luck!
Thanks. I feel back on track now, and I've accepted that I'm not that fast. I need "think" time for ideas to gel and I do need editing. However, I'm learning not to agonize about every word.