So if you've been involved in NaNo for several years then there inevitably comes a time when you decide to rebel - much like my teenage daughter who has been rebelling since, well, she was two.

You may decide to write short stories, perhaps 30 stories in 30 days. You may decide to write a screenplay, a play or even 50K word cookbook. You may, as some have decided, to spend your 50K on editing a first draft. Hey, that's cool - 50K is 50K and you're getting the work done.

For too long now I've had too many unfinished projects - a short story here, an unfinished novel there...One year I decided that I was going to work on finishing some short stories. I kept a spreadsheet and along with the glory of making my word count, I enjoyed seeing several stories and novellas come to completion. A very good feeling.

This tread is to celebrate some of those small victories! If you complete a short story that's been left languishing, finished editing a novel, finished that book of poems, then celebrate it here. You may not have reached 50K quite yet but in the course of your month you may have finished something. Pat yourself on the back, take five, watch a little TV, then come back to the keyboard and add to the word count by working to finish something else. 50K is 50K.

I'll begin. Today I have finished a previously unfinished middle/YA novel about Halloween! Coming in at 70,141 words, I now have a completed first draft that I can work toward editing (and boy does it need it). It feels really good to have this book under the belt. I'm going to take a break, enjoy this small victory and tomorrow start working toward finishing another novel left for the wolves. On to 50K....and finishing!

Congratulation, Steve. We look forward to critiquing chapters of your middle/YA Halloween novel.

Oh my, the pressure is on now!