Linwood Barclay, Canadian suspense writer, former humour writer for the Toronto Star, posted on his Facebook page recently that he reached the 50,000 word mark in writing his latest novel. He said that most novels run more than 100,000 words but that 50K always seems like halfway to him.

What struck me is how normal his post seemed. I mean, normal to a writer. I do the same thing -- keep track of the words, feel good when I reach a big round number. His post makes it seem like I'm a writer just like Linwood Barclay -- who happens to be my gold standard for the kind of novel I'm trying to write. He counts his words and seeks benchmarks just like I do. 

Now if only I can master the plot twists like he has...but right now, I'm happy to be normal.