Hearty congrats to daughter +Kay Hill for not only finishing her #NaNoWriMo Novel effort, The Past, at 30K words, but doing so from a huge deficit and at a target three times her previous efforts. She just wrapped at 30,107 a few minutes ago.
Well done, Kitten! Champagne (or Martinelli's) for both of us tonight!
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Woot! And, whew!
My final count was 50,703 words. The official #NaNoWriMo has a bit over 53K, but that's because of the chunk I forwarded for validation, it being Year 2 of working on this particular novel. I kept track of the previous number before I started in this year, so I know the true count.
I finished the actual novel last night at the Tattered Cover Write-In. Since then, I wrote one scene that I'd elided over earlier, and two flashback scenes which either will make the final edit or at least provide some interesting backstory for future use.
I'd like to think I'll immediately dive into editing, but I'm honest enough to realize that it's more likely (based on copious previous experience) I'll mothball what I have until, well, November 2015, at which time I'll do a NaNoEdMo (at a rate of about 1 hour of editing = 1,000 words, and, yes, I use a stopwatch) to give it a full first pass cleaning (which it desperately, desperately needs). I'm overall pretty happy with the story itself, though it's got some local flavor that needs kicking up, some overly indulgent dialogs that need to be trimmed down, and a lot of "fill in name of city / creature / person / movie here" spots that need filling in.
At least that will let me look at it with fresh (horrified) eyes.
(One of these days I'll take advantage of one of those "We'll print your novel for free for the first 30 days after NaNoWriMo" to actually print a novel I consider finished enough to print.)
It's been a hell of a year, and the last week-plus of solidly green word-count were the only thing that pulled me through to the finish line. Next year I hope for a bit more discipline (and a bit less scheduling stuff for November, either).
As mentioned yesterday, many thanks to many people, including my cohorts at the local Write-Ins (esp.. Michelle/Niassa, one of our local NaNo MLs), +Margie Kleerup for her sainted patience and support, and my daughter, +Kay Hill, who has just under 1,000 words left to go today herself. Go, Kitten, go!
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I managed to wrap up the actual novel I'm writing this year for #NaNoWriMo (actually, writing for the past two NaNos). I'm about 2K short of the 50K, but I figure I can add in a short scene or two in there somewhere.
Tomorrow.
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So a big #NaNoWriMo thank you to my lovely wife, +Margie Kleerup, for her never-failing support in my November habit (and the rest of the time besides). And a thank you to +Kay Hill for serving as fellow-writer in the household, helping keep me honest.
And since I spent two hours knuckling down this morning rather than helping get Thanksgiving set up, many thanks to +Jim-Ginger Kleerup for their help in being here and getting the house and all in shape and letting me be marginally less lunatic of a party-prepper.
And thanks to the folk in the my writing group, the Woodchipper of Love & Support for all their support, brutal and kind.
I have a lot to be thankful for this year. the writing and NaNo are only part of it, but a big part in my mind right now. (And about all I have time to articulate.)
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The best advice for #NaNoWriMo , as +John Kovalic puts it (at www.dorktower.com/2014/02/05/the-only-thing-you-ever-need-know-about-writing-dork-tower-05-02-14/):
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Okay, that's trending pretty well at the moment. I have a modicum of optimism I may hit the 50K mark in #NaNoWriMo .
Which … is my cue to completely slack off for the next three days and hit Saturday in an absolute frantic panic, interspersed with sloughs of despond.
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I mean, if I wrote down a paragraph or two outlining this afternoon, does that apply to my word count for today?
Just asking.
#NaNoWriMo
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So managed to peg 35,000 words last night exactly, which is both portentious and, still, significantly behind.
Still pounding the hell out of the keyboard (and another Write-In tonight to claw a few words back). Not sure how this is going to end up by COB Sunday … but at this point I'm trying to figure out what's actually happening at the big climax of the story (and the denouement).
I don't worry that I can't get another 15K out of what's left — only that it's likely to be complicated enough to not be a quick 15K to write.
(Note: this scene does not appear in my novel. But it sure feels like it has that many moving parts in places.)
#NaNoWriMo
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It seems that I can't just pull a steady-state 1,667 words for my #NaNoWriMo efforts. I either plonk out a few hundred words (or nothing) because I'm too busy / tired / drained / self-indulgent, or else I sit down for 3+ hours at a Write-In and kick out 4,300 words.
Of course, if I did a bit less of the former, and a bit more of the latter I wouldn't be 5-6K behind at this point, and having to write 2,100 words a day for the rest of the oh-so-busy month.
Still, happy with what I did. Just wish I had another week of time.
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Or you can take the Accelerated One-Month Course known as #NaNoWriMo , which lets you practice all these topics on a daily basis!
(h/t +Doyce Testerman)
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