NaNoWriMo 2010 - The Finish Line!

[ladyseishou]

11 months until NaNoWriMo 2011

As for my next book, I am going to hold myself from writing it till
I have it impending in me: grown heavy in my mind like a ripe pear;
pendant, gravid, asking to be cut or it will fall.

- Virginia Woolf



The clock's striking midnight in my part of the world and so this year's NaNoWriMo challenge comes to a close for me. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the writers that participated this November - both official winners and all those Nano Writers that began the journey with us and for one or many of reasons were unable to complete the challenge. 50,000 words is indeed a whole lot of writing...

...especially when we all have so many other obligations in our lives like school and work and family. Writing 50,000 words (and more) often meant getting up early or staying up late, eating meals one handed while writing with the other, and finishing up a chapter or scene often meant saying "no" to friends and family while keeping up with the daily word count was often an impossible thing to do when a paper or report needed to be written first.

And for some, illness held us back but did not extinguish the need, the will to keep writing.

So here we are on the other side of the finish line, Nano Writer. What's next? Well be sure to collect all the cool winner's goodies (the link can be found on your NaNoWriMo home page) if you won the challenge but for me, I'm looking forward to sleeping in and spending more quality time with my family. I plan to let my story rest and wait until it has "grown heavy in my mind" - a month or two I think - and then I will get out my collection of red pens (I have about five different kinds) and see what I can make right with my first draft.

But for now I celebrate! I have a box of chocolate truffles with my name on it! What plans do you have? Because celebrate you should! Celebrate whatever achievements you have met this month whether it was writing 50K words or even better, your story finished and complete! Celebrate even if you wrote only a 1,000 words... just making a start is a heroic thing of which you should be proud!

And before we part to meet again next year...

First, a reminder that the community is now open to member posting! Please feel free to post and tell us about your NaNoWriMo experiences, recommend a helpful/funny/cool web site, or just share your favorite bits of writing... any and all things about the written word! I only ask that you keep it polite and add appropriate warnings if needed.

Next, I would like to sincerely thank all the wonderful writers who took the time to comment this November and share with all of us their stories, notes of progress, words of inspiration, unfailing encouragement and good wishes. My thanks and gratitude! You are a great part of what makes this such a fabulous and wonderful community! Thank you!

And last, I would like to share a parting bit of advice from one of my favorite writers of speculative fiction, Ray Bradbury:

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.

Or in other words Nano Writers, keep writing!

Comments

echoing the congratulations to all! and ...

[kallistixf]

Come then, I pray, grant me surcease from sorrow,
Drive away care, I beseech thee, O goddess
Fulfil for me what I yearn to accomplish,
Be thou my ally.

(from Hymn to Aphrodite)

ladysheishou, thanks so much for everything you did this last month for me and for the community you've created here.

and everybody here, thanks so much for the support and companionship. it really made a big difference!

not sure how long I'll let things rest before revising. right now the plan is to take a basic editing pass fairly soon -- D and I have tentatively decided not to show each other our novels until after that. we're probably going to take the train rather than flying so that'll give us some time to clean things up. then i might send it to a few of the goddesses for feedback ...

for now, though, my writing partner and I are celebrating -- successful completion of NaNo and much more! thanks once again to everybody for sharing the month with me!

Re: echoing the congratulations to all! and ...

[ladyseishou]

It was a pleasure and honor to travel this journey with you as well! I really enjoyed reading your excerpts. I'm sure that the edit will give you very little trouble! I look forward to hearing of your progress!

[dark_kana]

November has been wonderful! Filled with writing and other people who are writing. And friends that are supportive! :-)

But first of all I would like to thank you ladyseishou, for this comm and your daily posts filled with pep-talk and quotes and ♥ They really cheered me on and urged me to write write write. XD

I still can't believe I managed to write these 50.000 words in the past 30 days.. And the story is not even finished... :-o But here I am, together with so many other awesome writers, at the other side of the finish line! :-)
Time to celebrate !!! XD

I think I am going to let my story rest for a while, (a month or so), before I start editing it. Though I guess I'll first have to write down my ending. *sweatdrop*

Thanks again for everyone out there, for the support and company. :-)
And congrats to all of us !!! ^^

[ladyseishou]

It was my pleasure! Congratulations again and I look forward to hearing about your rewrite!

[tig_b]

November was an incredible month. My longest fiction piece before was a short story (I was a published technical author, but that is so different).

And here I am with the first draft of a novel.

I couldn't have done it without the support from here, and a bit of nagging from #1 son.

Thank you everyone, and especially ladyseishou.

[ladyseishou]

Yeah for family! Sounds like you and your son should do some serious celebrating! Congratulations again! Well done!

[silverflight8]

Just wanted to drop in and say thank you for all these prompt posts! :D You practically did a Nanowrimo yourself (the blog version XD). I didn't always reply, but it was definitely a good reminder for me to keep going when I saw your posts everyday.

[ladyseishou]

Thanks very much! I'm very happy to hear that the posts were helpful! ^___^

[twistingthetale]

As I haven't been online very much since I crossed the finishing line I'd like to say a big Well Done to everyone who took part, and Thank You to ladyseishou for making the community a great place to be in November :)