I finally passed the 50,000 word mark at around 11:25 pm, November 30th. Talk about last minute. I'm still trying to download the winner certificate but here's the official announcement.
                                 
      

When all was said and done, I finished with 52,687 words but the stories are far from over.

This last week has been the worst. I had given up hope on reaching the goal but a friend was there to cheer me on. I started this week with nearly 14k words to go. In the last two days I tackled 12k of them, writing almost all day today. I couldn't have done it without the support.

Now the month of December will be devoted to holiday stuff and my screenplay. The New Year will allow me the distance to review my NaNo project to see if anything is salvageable for publication. Then I start the editing process and allow myself the luxury of finishing one or all five stories.

I'm excited about getting back to Mattie and the gang. There were points during NaNo that I was utterly board with all five story lines. Some distance will do me good and maybe some distance from my screenplay will turn out to be a good thing too. I'll keep you updated.

Other good news on the writing front; I've been contacted by a writer/producer in Britain and he has read the first act of the screenplay. Now that I have the time, I will be reviewing his notes and going from there.

So, either it's time to take a breather or jump right back into an old project. I think I'll use the momentum and keep plugging away at it, one word at a time, no matter what I decide to write.

Congratulations to all the NaNoWriMo 2006 winners and participants. I'll update everyone later as to how many crossed the finish line.

T.G.I.O.