I met the challenge. I am a NaNoWriMo Winner!
It was an interesting experience. Can I write 50,000 words in a month if I ignore misspellings, bad punctuation, and places I am yearning to edit? The answer is yes. I accepted the challenge toward the end of October and I met it today, November 28, 2009.
What’s interesting is the feeling now that I can do that. I can do it. If I can do that, then I can edit it to perfection and hopefully send it out for the next test: does anyone want to publish it. From my writer acquaintances I know that selling your novel can be difficult, but not impossible.
In my case, I know I can edit and polish the book. I’ve done that for years as a technical writer. I know there will be some surprises, but there were surprises when I wrote the draft. For instance, I didn’t know Charlie would nearly drown because he couldn’t swim. I didn’t know about the secret tunnel, or that I would gain new friends by meeting adversity. Once I got going, I just went whoosh! If I did it once, I can do it again.
If you think you’d like to try it next year, go to the NaNoWriMo web site and check out the rules. Then next November, let the fingers fly. I expect to do it again next year. See you there.
Marilynne
I’ve realized that, for me, I can’t hide from the world and write. I could hide, but I wouldn’t write a lot. I need the stimulation of things happening and people around me. I tend to think about my writing while I go about my day (and sometimes while I sleep). I just haven’t learned to sit at a keyboard and think about these things. I don’t do stagnant thinking.
There is a stage in writing where anything can distract you. When I’m trying to write, my house is never cleaner, my clothing in better shape, the dog more thoroughly walked. The question becomes: Should you fight it or go with the flow?
Jason is Maxie’s boyfriend. At least he thinks he’s Maxie’s boyfriend. To tell the truth, their relationship is going through a crisis. Jason was working late at his office when the earthquake hit hard. Really hard. When Jason finds himself trapped with a pretty lady, well, life is real, isn’t it? Jason doesn’t think of Maxie at all. Maxie, when she thinks of him at all, thinks he must be excited and taking measurements of the earthquake. He’s an earthquake expert. He’s even written a book about earthquakes and provided earthquake kits for his office. I hope everyone likes chocolate. That’s the only food Jason has in the kit.
