Winning NaNo

*Warning: this post is a wanderer*

I won NaNo! It was a week ago today that I officially validated the word count and won, but technically, I haven't attained the title of Novelist yet and don't have those glorious bragging rights, because my novel is certainly not completed. The last place I stopped writing was when Secondary Character is thanking Primary Character for doing something valiant (kinda). Bad place to leave readers hanging.

NaNoWriMo is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I highly encourage anyone, writer or not, to try it out. :) It's amazing what it can do to your level of jubilation. Before November, I had never written more than eight consecutive pages of anything resembling fiction. But as of November 27, I had over seventy pages of pure imagination. It felt incredible.

After finishing a writing session, I wouldn't be able to help jumping up and down the stairs, almost crowing with satisfaction. My family was a little creeped out, but they are very understanding, thankfully. ;)

Yes, the going was sometimes tough, like the night I briefly took my fists to my computer out of frustration (true story), but altogether, the ecstasy outweighed the misery and it all was amazing. The only thing I am keeping myself in blissful denial over is the fact that my novel is so meaningless it hurts. There are not a lot of solid reasons why any of my characters are doing what they are doing. Yes, I know that this is the first draft, but seriously, I am almost worried about how big the injections of purpose it needs will have to be.

Anyway, I am going to finish the first draft, not let anyone read it, and alter it until it isn't quite so laughable. Then I will pass it on to willing editors (grandparents, a friend or two) and cross my fingers. I am very glad I used a story idea I am not too fond of, because if I had put my characters from The Pace [pet story of mine, but you already knew that] through the humiliation I put Cadish [MC for the NaNo novel] through, I would would never have been able to forgive myself.

Aside from having a good, satisfying time in November, I learned some stuff, too. Like when to indent. :) I also learned that writing to reach a strict word count goal with a plot in mind is detrimental to your sanity. I was constantly worried, especially in the early days, if I was writing too much introductory stuff to get the main plot going before it was too late, or if I would reach the climax by 30,000 words by not writing enough intro (aka blather). But by November 15 or so, I realized that I had committed the former and would certainly reach 50,000 before the climax was within sight. That was a comfort, but also a bit of a let down. Winning NaNo with a gawky, semi-big, unfinished novel is not overly exciting and induces feelings of guilt, for some reason. But don't get me wrong! I am very grateful that I made it with room to spare. Next year, though, I am going to head into NaNo with absolutely no plot or characters in mind. The story will probably need to have a contemporary setting, but I am OK with that. But it will be hard keep my imagination off of that unknown plot for the next eleven months.

I also learned just how much I love my characters from The Pace through NaNo. One night, quite early in November, I was experiencing frustration with Cadish and Company, and, out of desperation for people I knew, I scratched out a few paragraphs for my other idea. Writing with a pencil felt wonderful, but writing the names of Pace's characters felt even more wonderful. (Footnote: writing this post is also feeling very nice, because I don't feel guilty for using don't and isn't instead of do not and is not. It's very refreshing to not need to worry about the meaning of an extra word. :))

Perhaps you remember when Cadish and I weren't on the best of terms. That changed, because she changed. She was supposed to be this regal, perfect, person, but she has turned out quite a bit more insecure than I had envisioned her being. But that's okay. I can either fix it later or learn to live with.

Anyway, this has been a very rambling post and I should stop here. I could write about NaNo for quite a lot of time, but I will spare you. If you got this far, I thank and admire you for your patience! It's beautiful day where I am, and I spent the morning shoveling seven inches of snow off of the driveway with my family, which was very fun, and now I am foreseeing a trip to the library. I hope that your day is a blessed one!

~Margaret R.

PS- Check out the daily quote in my sidebar: A goal is a dream with a deadline. ~Napoleon Hill
I have no idea who that is, but what he said is ideal for NaNoWriMo. :)