Yesterday I hit the 25,000 mark, which means I’m half way to “winning” NaNoWriMo. What does “winning” entail? Just getting to the 50,000 mark before November 30th. I should be there by the end of week two (if not sooner), which leaves me plenty of time to give the manuscript a full edit before the end of the month.

The cool think about that is the opportunity to have the manuscript printed for free. That’s right, every “winning” writer gets a free proof copy of their manuscript printed and shipped out by CreateSpace, who is a major sponsor for NaNoWriMo. And you can imagine why. For many people, this will be the first book they complete after many aborted attempts. CreateSpace probably makes a tidy sum catering to these excited writers that want to share the fruits of their manic labors with friends and family. The number of listings on Amazon (the Kindle store, especially) will probably swell by six figures on December second.

HALF WAY HOME, the story I’m writing, won’t be in a near-publishable condition by the end of the month, but I’m definitely going to take advantage of CreateSpace’s generosity. I’ve read accounts from people that participated last year, when CS made the same offer, and they confirm that this is a no-strings-attached dealio.

If anybody wants to read a science fiction story about fifteen-year-old colonists tearing each other apart on a planet teetering between “viability” and “unviability,” with a main character that might have sexual identity issues, I’ll be happy to pass around my lone copy. :D