You know, even though some NaNo participants like to have sprints and contests, and even though some people enjoy healthy competition . . . ultimately we are not here to tear each other down. If your goal in commenting on my progress is to make me feel like it’s not enough, I don’t want you on my team or near my work.
I used to avoid participating in NaNoWriMo because writing 50,000 words in a month was such a low-ball goal in my experience. I once wrote a 155,000-word novel in two weeks, for crying out loud. But as a working adult with a busy life and a palette of interests that has diversified as I got older, I find myself not really making time for writing like I used to. That’s why I decided to try NaNo last year and this year. It got me writing. And it allowed me to set limits so I could also stop at a reasonable place and not feel obligated to let my novels totally eat my soul.
(I mean, they still do that eventually. But the actual drafting process while working on a NaNo novel is much more of a controlled experience. I don’t know if that’s better or worse.)
Things change sometimes. We have to change with them or we get stuck and don’t do anything. I don’t ever want to be in that position.
And I sure as hell won’t feel any realistic pressure from any writer who gloats about their progress at the expense of mine. I want others to feel good about their accomplishments and I’ll cheer you on even if you’re doing things I haven’t been able to reach yet. That’s just what being a good writer pal is about, and jealousy or dissatisfaction with any aspect of my own work does not figure into how I support yours. I ask for the same courtesy.