To Count or Not to Count. . .

I have evidently started something unintentional with my comments about word counts. Let me remind you, it isn't about the quantity! And I have been living with the current WIP for maybe three years now. I knew the characters, knew what they wanted and where they were going. There was one minor detail: I didn't know how to pull it all together. So, after the holidays, I set the prior drafts aside (24 in all!) and began anew. I've tried to put myself in a NaNoWriMo frame of mind and produce a certain number of words each day. And I'm working on getting out of my own way and listening to my subconscious which, I think, knew what I should've been doing all along.

The comments (posted here and privately to me) about word count have made me realize what a personal thing "a day's work" is, and brought to mind a sign at my doctor's office, posted prominently above the scales: "It's your weight. Not your IQ."

So, do your work, whether that's 12 words or 1200. And I'll do mine. To paraphrase a line from Steve Martin, we'll each have done something pretty amazing, considering we started out with a blank page.