First Things First: ROW80 & NaNoWriMo Updates

The lessons just keep on coming. NaNo has turned into so much more than a word churning factory. I am grateful for the words, but in the months that follow NaNo, I'll be just as grateful for the biggest lesson . . . a newfound focus on actually writing novels.
Used with permission from Debbie Ridpath Ohi at Inkygirl.com. When I published Depression Cookies, I did not have a website or blog. I had so much catching up to do. It became such a focus, I forgot to write.

NaNo has reminded me that without books, what exactly is an author platform for?

I built it so they would come, but I want them to come to my books. For that to happen, there needs to be books.

I'm very proud of Depression Cookies, but it was published in October 2010. That's forever ago in the publishing world. These days, it seems like authors need to pump them out much faster.

What do you think? In this new publishing world, are authors expected to publish more frequently?
Don't get me wrong, I do believe in quality over quantity, but I wasn't even writing like I should. I succumbed to the allure of finding my place in the online writing world. I don't regret the friendships I've made or the platform I've built, but I know I need to write. Not just want... need.

Now for my newest NaNo word count (and ROW80 update, since my only goal is to keep up my NaNo progress) . . . I hit 18,728 earlier today. My goal is to hit 25,000 before 11/15 to be just a bit ahead.

And I really like this story so far. That's the best part! (And it really wouldn't be as much fun without all my lovely writing friends!)