NaNoWriMo Is Over

My first ever NaNoWriMo is completed. Did I get to 50,000 words? Yes! I actually got to just over 54,000. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with myself. However, is my novel done? No. I'd say it's about two-thirds to three-quarters done. I was wondering if I should take a break or just power through. Hubby thinks I should just power through, basically NaNoWriMo-Lite. 

Today being December 1st, I felt like I needed a little break. So, I haven't written anything today...yet. In the car coming home, I had a thought, something that I realized would help not only the battle scene in which it takes place, but also a thread running through the overall novel. I only have to add in a few sentences too, which makes it even better.

The most important thing for me about last month, besides the word count, is what I learned. I need to schedule my writing time and stick to that time. I have a supportive Hubby and if I say I'm going to write between 7pm to 9pm, he'll take care of all the house and child responsibilities. I also learned when my most productive time is during the day. I learned how to turn off, or at least turn down my inner editor, and that getting it on the page is more important than having a "perfect" first draft. All these things, I think will help me with my writing moving forward. That's part of what I was hoping for, I wanted the words, but I also wanted to learn.

NaNoWriMo Update - Halfway

But not really.

The story I want to tell isn't going to fit into 50,000 words. I feel like I'm going to 90k. Can I do that in a month? Maybe if I had realized this on November 1st. Now? Nope.

Enter the mom-guilt.

I tried to type out a non-mean, non-sucky description about what the last couple weeks have been like in my house, but it's not working. Let's just say that November has been different. I've appreciated it, but also felt bad, and so many emotions.

So, NaNoWriMo...That's where I'm at. I'm halfway done, but not exactly. At least I'm confident that I can write 50,000 words in one month.

It's Been A Long Time Since I Finished Something New

Not counting blogging, of course, but even that has been affected lately. It took me a month just to finish this post.

Fiction-wise, I haven't finished a new short story since my most recent job began, and I had decided that all my spare creative energy was going into my novel-in-progress. That's not finished either. I feel like it could be, if I just had the brain-power to fit all the pieces together.

So, I haven't finished any new fiction in a long while, and what do I decide to do? NaNoWriMo. 

I thought to help myself along, I would create an outline. I already had the idea for this story for a while. Characters and scenes have played out in my head. This is a story that has been asking to be told. I hope that it's the perfect story for my first NaNoWriMo. I hope that I finish it too. Not just with NaNoWriMo, I want to finish more stories, more posts, more. I want to stick a fork in it and say, I'm done.

Thoughts Before NaNoWriMo

Mostly one big thought, "Should I do it?"

After deciding that I will do it, "Am I crazy?"

I have never participated before. I've had small children, a full time job, and other responsibilities (and excuses). This past year however, I've gotten more involved in my writing community. The children are older. Do I have more free time? It doesn't feel like it, but I've been writing more in the last year, so maybe that's where my "free time" has gone. I have a supportive family as well... and my Hubby thinks this is a good year to give it a try. His support has really helped me move forward with different projects and endeavours. Also, he's going to picking up a bunch of parenting tasks once November starts. 

I went on to the NaNoWriMo website and was reading, with a renewed interest, the information they provide. Honestly, I wanted to see what would be considered cheating. Now, I feel like I'm behind in terms of planning. I looked at the badges and that sort of made me feel better. There are "Planner", "Pantser" and "Plantser" badges. I think I'm the third... The more I think about participating in NaNoWriMo, the more excited I am.

The 2018 Worldwide Counts map kind of blows me away. There are people participating EVERYWHERE! Writing is such a solitary exercise, but really, the writing community is global. Even though I know I might not "win", I'm glad to do this, to make this concentrated focus on finishing a novel, along with the writers I know in my community, as well as the writers in the global community.

If you want to be my "buddy", my user name is LoniC. That's all you need, right? Also, I'm going to need to decide on a widget for my blog before November 1. I like watching my progress with reading, so watching my writing progress will totally be exactly the same.

So, ya. Excited. Crazy. Ready to go.