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!