The Finish Line: Our Weekly Accountability Thread
Saturday Accountability: Week 4
→ This week’s goal: Reach the midpoint twist, escalate pressure from antagonistic forces, and celebrate 50k messy, beautiful words—the bulk of your first draft!
→ Word target: 50k words by the end of the week!
→ Looking for some daily accountability? Join the First Draft November Chat to post your daily word count and connect with your fellow writers.
We made it, writers. We’re one day away from the end of First Draft November.
Whether you hit 50k or just kept showing up, you’ve done something extraordinary. You’ve built momentum, found your rhythm, kept writing when you didn’t want to, and made your way through the messiest parts of the creative process. That’s what matters most.
It’s been a joy to hear from you daily, and I thank you for all your enthusiasm. You made this challenge such a happy place to be, and I’m so proud of all of you!
Let’s make our final check-in a good one. Here is today’s prompt:
Share one single line from your draft that you’re most proud of.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just a sentence that makes you feel something. Maybe it captures your protagonist’s heart or your story’s tone. Or maybe it’s a line that surprised you on the page. Surprises are the best!
Drop your line in the comments, then scroll through and celebrate someone else’s. Leave a heart, a “hell yes,” or a word of encouragement.
Congratulations, friends. You wrote your little hearts out this month, and this is the reward—that messy, wonderful, you-actually-did-it feeling of creating something out of nothing.
I hope you are feeling accomplished and proud. You deserve it.
But that’s the thing about missing cats and missing people: even if months pass with no leads, you can never fully give up. You’re always one ear tilted up, listening for their return.
"No matter what I hoped for, she [my mother] would make sure it wouldn't happen."