Well, the month of November is over, and so is the NaNoWriMo challenge. As a few may have noticed, I have been rather silent the remainder of the month. I was absolutely and utterly consumed with putting words on paper (word processor) and the thought of writing something that wasn’t the challenge was not something I could do. Some days I was on a roll and wrote like a madman, other days I could barely squeak out a paragraph. Sometimes I wrote a bit in the morning before I went to work, other times I was burning the midnight oil.
So, the bad news…
I didn’t complete the challenge. After thanksgiving, my mind began to melt out of my ears and I just simply couldn’t give writing anymore of my energy. I had nothing left. Much like collapsing while running a marathon, I simply did not have the endurance to carry on writing. I will come right out and say it; I am disappointed. However, there is a lot that I got out of it, which I will address later in the post.
First, some stats:
· Total words: 35,618 (71% complete)
· Total pages: 116 (Calibri, 11 pt. font, double spaced)
· Total days of writing: 25
· Least productive day: 11/23 – 311 words (this only includes days I wrote.)
· Most productive day: 11/20 – 3055 words
And now… the GOOD NEWS!!
Regardless of not hitting the 50,000-word mark, I did finish the novel, I mean, short novel, I mean novella (technically still called a manuscript). Whatever you want to call it, the story itself is complete, and I have already begun working on the 2nd draft. Also, I have begun working with my friend (who is also going to do illustration for the graphic novel) for the cover and overall formatting of the work.
The plan is to self-publish for a couple of reasons.
· Novellas as too long for short stories, and too short for novels. Therefore, publishers really don’t bother with them much anymore.
· Self-publishing gives the author 100% creative control, and for something this short, it just doesn’t make sense to bring a bunch of people into the mix.
· I could just post it to my website, but I want to be able to provide you with a couple of reading options (paperback and e-reader).
While this is all well and exciting (it really is), I also learned a lot about my writing endurance, my ability to cobble thoughts into a cohesive story, and how much time it is going to take to write anything substantial (i.e. novel size book).
While I mentioned before that I am disappointed that I didn’t hit the mark, I also realize I have to start somewhere, and moving from short-story to novella is a pretty good jump. Overall, I am happy I got to participate in the challenge, and may just give it another go next year. Until then, keep your eyes open for more news on my upcoming novella:
A special thank you to all the people that supported and encouraged me to keep at it. I couldn't have gotten as far as I did without you!