I will probably not post my progress today as there are some other things that are demanding my attention at the moment. But I'm now over 20,000 words. That's two-fifths done if you're being really strict about the 50,000 word thing. The problem is, I don't feel like the plot is anywhere near half-way finished. But who knows what might happen.
Lots of people show off with their best line or worst line or funniest line. There are definitely scenes that I think are funnier than others, but I can't pick just one line--I'm too close to the work right now. Besides, I hardly re-read my work while I'm writing except to refresh my memory on a detail so I don't screw up too badly on consistency.
On word padding techniques: Some people try to squeeze in as many words as they can by also adding footnotes, long chapter titles, poems, acknowledgements, background notes, avoiding contractions, repeating themselves over and over, giving their characters absurdly long names, etc. in order to reach their goal. These people can do whatever they wish, but I can't help think that if you total all of this up, it really won't make up a significant amount. You might as well just write the 50k straight through without resorting to those tactics.
Of note: When I tally my word count, I do not include the title, poems other people have written, chapter numbers or names, divider symbols, copyright, or my name. I do not include notes of any kinds, I don't make acknowledgements, I liberally use contractions and I do not repeat myself over and over (at least not intentionally). My characters also have really short names because they're easier to remember.
