Blogging Again--my National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) results

I can't believe so much time has passed since my last post. I guess that's what happens when you decide to participate in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month where the goal is to write 50,000 words in the thirty days of November.

I've been writing and writing with some incredible results. On the last Monday my word count sat at just over 28,000 words and I wondered how I was ever going to make 50,000 by Friday when I thought that the most I could write in a day was 5,000 because that's the most I had ever written. And I'm not one for writing unneeded words just to accumulate them. I began NaNoWriMo to write a specific book, so the last thing I wanted was a bunk of junk I needed to wade through when I returned to edit.

On Thurday, November 29, I did the amazing: write 9,256 words bringing me within range by 7,500 words win. And win I did.

Many people say the last few thousand words just about sail in themselves, but I fought with every last one to get them down. Not because I was out of story, though. Because I was exhausted. Never have so many words passed through my mind in such short time--16,000 words on paper in the last two day.

Above all, though, is the lessons I learned this November. I learned:

1. I can't and shouldn't forget my responsibilities (I didn't which is why I got behind)
   
2. I can't and shouldn't shift my priorities (I didn't)
   
3. I can write a lot more when I keep my e-mail program off (I did)
   
4. I write better with celtic or classical music playing through earphones to filter surrounding distractions meaning I can actually write when the TV is on behind my back. (I did)
   
5. I have more support to write than I thought (Wow!)
   
6. I had to let go of my contestant attitude toward writing and embrace writing as a daily endeavor. (I did)
7. I have to persevere to finish the novel which remained incomplete at 50,000 words. (I am)
   

If you're an aspiring or practicing writer and have never tried National Novel Writing Month before, I encourage you to give it a shot next November. It will challenge you like never before and give you an incredible accomplishment at the end--even if you don't quite make 50,000 words.

If you participated in NaNo this year, I'd love to hear how you did. Drop me an e-mail (see my sidebar) or leave a comment.

Oh yeah. My final word count? 50,070 validated words.

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