It is thirteen days after the NaNoWriMo deadline to write 50,000 words in thirty days. That is a mere 1,667 words a day. That is realistic right? A challenge, but not too crazy when it is broken down like that. That is, if you actually write every day, and force yourself to at least reach that threshold. I started out strong, but here is the thing. I decided it would be a good idea to embark on this challenge while planning a destination wedding that I would leave for the morning after NaNoWriMo finished. Needless to say, November was flipping insane. I also had other obstacles come up that I was not expecting, and there were days that I did not write a single word, and other days that I wrote, but the word count was low. I had been thinking about my NaNoWriMo project, Breaking Pointe, for months before I was able to start on November first. The odds were against me, and I was very behind, but I kept writing.
I honestly did not think I would be able to reach the goal, but I was determined to write as much as possible anyways. It was a challenge and I like challenges. I completed my first draft of my first novel a few months back, Rain, which was a major accomplishment for me, so I figured the next logical step and challenge was to write a novel in a month.
The last week I made a decent comeback, but I was still behind by a lot. I looked at my word count and though, I can’t be this close and not finish. So that is what I did. I finished. I reached 50,025 words around 11:00PM November 30, 2013. Obstacles and the world be damned, I persevered, and I did it. I can only imagine how many mistakes there are and I’m not sure how good it is since I was trying to write fast, but I kept going until I reached 50,000. Unfortunately, I didn’t technically finish the first draft of the entire novel. I had to stop when I reached the goal and pack to leave the next morning since I hadn’t done that yet. I will be going back to wrap up the novel soon, before going back to editing Rain.
To sum it up, NaNoWriMo was an insane challenge, but I’m glad I did it. I have most of another novel under my belt, which once given some TLC will hopefully turn into something decent. Luckily by the time I finished, my fiancé still loved me and married me. Everything worked out, making 2013 a kick ass year! I plan to make 2014 even better, starting with publishing Rain.
To other writers out there, keep writing and never give up. If you haven’t written a full piece yet, pick something and just keep adding words every day. It doesn’t matter how much, just keep at it. Set small doable goals, eventually those small word counts will turn into large word counts and if you persevere, eventually you will have a book. If I can do it, so can you.
Did any of you do NaNoWriMo? What was your experience?
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!
I was about to sit down when Kyle’s hand wrapped around my left wrist lightly and pulled up my arm. The suddenness of his touch was startling. I looked at him, confused, and saw fire in his eyes—raw anger I didn’t understand. His eyes looked up at me and penetrated mine.
Christie Cote 