S. W. Raine

There’s something about November that feels a little enchanted.

Maybe it’s the early sunsets and bottomless cups of tea.
>Maybe it’s the way a story opens like a portal the moment I commit to it.
>Maybe it’s simply the delight of joining thousands of writers who collectively whisper, “We’re doing this. We’re really doing this.”

This month, I dove into my annual 50k-word challenge with my usual combination of ambition, stubbornness, and questionable optimism. Today is November 30, and I’m here to report back on the chaos, the magic, and the victory.

A Slow Start (And Not the Cute Kind)

November usually begins with furious typing and aggressive joy. But this year, my brain was deep in editing crunch mode to hand The Gatekeeper’s Portal over to my editor.

My days looked like this:
– open laptop at 5:30 a.m.
– edit between my son’s classes + client proofreading
– blink and it’s suddenly 10 p.m.
– type ~500 words of story just to say I wrote something

It took until November 11 to properly begin drafting, and I was farther behind than I think I’ve ever been.

I’d planned to write five choose-your-own-adventure steampunk stories… but at that point, experimentation had to wait.

Thank goodness for Plan B.

Meet Project Mercenary

Plan B became Project Mercenary—book one of my four-part rogue series, starring Eliakim and his morally flexible crew.

If you’re familiar with The Techno Mage and Rise of the Sky Pirate, you’ll remember the three major factions:
– Military: the order
– Sky pirates: the chaos
– Rogues: the mercenaries who work for whoever pays more

Project Mercenary is a bait-and-switch steampunk heist with a rivals-to-reluctant-allies dynamic—the kind of story that grabs you by the collar like, “We’re doing crime now.”

And suddenly, I was writing steady 3,000-word days.

True to my attempt last year, my characters revolted against my outline—in chapter 1 this time, not chapter 5—officially confirming I will never not be a Pantser.

As of today, November 30, I’m sitting at 51,484 words. Winner badges from ProWritingAid’s Novel November and First Draft Detroit’s First Draft Frenzy are secured. And the draft remains feral, chaotic, and alive.

I’ll continue from here at a leisurely pace, with less panic and more sleep. Ha!

This challenge was an especially meaningful one, though—my 20th 50k-word challenge and my 19th win! And I love that it was this rogue-filled steampunk heist that carried me across the finish line.

Midway Madness and Mercenary Momentum

Though I missed both FDD’s Kickoff and Boot Camp this year due to vendor events (tragic, I know), I did make it to Motown Midway Madness.

And let me just say the chaos was fruitful. I wrote 3,259 words, I won an absurd number of raffles, and I left with both inspiration and a belly full of delicious potluck food.

Clearly the universe decided I deserved a morale boost.

A Little Writer Update

My son joined the challenge for his third year.

He chose a Minecraft fanfic. And since the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program no longer exists, I signed him up for 4theWords, a site where you fight monsters by writing words. He set a 1,500-word goal.

Day 1: ~800 words (amazing)
Day 2: some more (still excellent)
Days 3–30: …crickets.

He didn’t win this year, but his joy on those first two days reminded me why I write: because storytelling begins in wonder.

He says he’ll try again next year. And I’ll be right there beside him when he does.

What did you accomplish this November? I’d love to hear about your wins, your struggles, your magic. Share in the comments!

Raine