NaNoWriMo 2014: Week Three Wrap Up

I can't believe how fast time has flown. Here we are, closer to the end of this year's NaNoWriMo. Week One was a steady slope with words flowing at ease. Week Two - a definitely struggle with writing and an on going battle resisting temptation to edit everything. Week Three is almost shameful. I've been struggling to sit down and commit myself to write this week. Throughout this process, I've noticed how writing has slowly become central to reaching the ultimate word count. I've found myself procrastinating - a lot. While I love the fact that you can pop out a novel in this month, I'm not really a fan of squeezing words out just for the word count. Maybe it's the fact that November's a busy month ... but gosh, I actually miss the slow paced process of thinking through the events, guiding characters and letting their actions guide me to write. I've noticed how many "come-back-and-visit-later" signs I've put into my work, and how I'm struggling to continue on without filling them in. Being a perfectionist - does not help my cause here. Nope.

Popping out 1000 words per day, without planning most of what I'm trying to say is difficult. Much more difficult than Week One - where I exhausted the surface ideas I had, and Week Two where I filled in the missing gaps between those plot lines. I really appreciate the ideals of this month, but I miss the writing without pressure of reaching a word count. And the feeling of disappointment if I don't. So from now on, instead of demanding 1000 words per day to reach the word count, I'm just going to try to write however much I can daily for the duration of NaNoWriMo.

Can anyone else relate? Fellow NaNoWriMo-ers, how you finding the challenge?