What is success?

I've been thinking a lot about the definition of success this week since my son's little league football team lost the championship game by one touch down near the end of the game. Did that mean they're losers? Does success mean being the best or winning?

I don't think so. This team beat them by three touchdowns in a previous game and in this game our team did much better and gave them a real run for their money. They were almost tied until the end (plus the reps favored the other team and didn't give us and extra point we earned). Anyway, the boys played hard and did their best and they made it to the championship. To me that is a huge success and they can be proud and feel good.

I think any improvement we make is a success. I may not have published a novel yet, but I've written and revised several and they get better each time. I also still have an editor interested in one of them. As long as I keep plugging away and not giving up, I'm succeeding. Even when I don't meet my writing goals for the year, or month or week, I'm still writing a little everyday.

I've decided next year not to have any goals for my writing other than writing five days a week for an hour or two, which I do pretty well, and sending my manuscripts out to agents.  I sometimes get discouraged if I set my goals too high or make them too rigid, and then I feel like I've failed if I don't meet them, when I've actually accomplished quite a bit.

So here's to success.

Things I'm thankful for this month

1. My son's football team won their first playoff game in the snow and they are playing for the championship next week.
2. My mom is coming for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to taste her homemade apple pie. The best in the world. Flaky crust. Apples not to hard or soft and just the right sweetness and tartness. Mmm!
3. It's my husband's birthday
4. The last Twilight movie is coming out. I didn't finish the last book 'cuz I figured out the ending before I got there, but I plan to see the movie.
5. Ally Condie's new novel Crossed came out

NanoWriNo

No I didn't misspell NanoWriMo in my title, and yes, I am going to try doing NanoWriMo this month, but not the typical 50,000 words. For me that's too much of a challenge. I only wrote 300 some words the first day. My goal for NanaWriMo this year is to finish my WIP and come up with an outline and summary for a new novel. That's more doable and helpful for me. That way I won't give up before I even start because it's too much. How about you? Are you doing NanoWriMo or NanoWriNo?