NaNoWriMo Winner!

I did it!

It was really hard going, especially when I got behind.

I worked hard to catch up over the last week. At one point I was almost 8,000 words behind and I honestly thought about giving up. I didn’t fall out of love with my story this time (that’s what happened in 2011, I had an initial idea but no clue what would happen with it and that didn’t work) but I did have trouble maintaining any momentum. Writing is hard. But, instead of just giving up this time, I sat down in this chair every day after work for the last week and wrote and wrote and wrote – see the steeper curve starting on day 23.

It’s a pretty bad drawer novel, but it’s done, and I can actually finish a story.

Lessons learned:

• PLOT. I really need to learn how to sort out what’s going to happen and when. I knew the beginning, middle, and end roughly, but how I got there? Challenging. I think I might next time operate within a more detailed framework that I develop before I write anything. I got lost around the mid-way point and didn’t really know what I should write next. I also didn’t really have a central conflict, which I only realized once I got going. I introduced one, but I didn’t put enough thought behind it.
• Characters need flaws. Mine were way too perfect. And the bad guys were way too evil. It’s only practice, but it’s important practice.
• Descriptions are good and I should include them.

I’m going to take some time off writing now, possibly a couple of weeks, but I feel energized. Maybe I can do this writing thing, after all. Also, I’m proud of myself for not giving up. I’m not that good at keeping myself to goals when I get stressed out or busy through methods I can’t control (namely, the day job) and the fact that I did it means that hopefully I can keep on doing it.

Back to book blogging soon, I promise!