As per my post on Halloween I, again, entered *National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo). Last year I did horribly. But this year....
That's right! I won. I. Brought. It.
So, as I've told friends and fellow NaNoWriMo(ers) my contemporary YA novel is done with many hiccups, inconsistencies, syntax issues, repetitive words & sentences, and some time frame problems. But it is done! And the main plot point throughout was maintained.
I'm going to let that piece sit and marinate for a bit before delving back into it again. With the end of the year coming at a super-fast rate I have some goals to accomplish for 2012. One of which is to complete and submit a story from said collection to literary magazines. I'm flabbergasted at how much my collection and other projects (including a fantasy YA piece and short pieces) have taken shape this year. And I have a lot of great critique partners to thank for that.
I'll be doing a post next year about character development and how much that can help as you pursue a long project. I know, I've done many baking posts this year (not that that's a bad thing) but I aim to do a healthier mix of writing and baking posts for next year.
And congrats to all those who participated in NaNoWriMo this year. It really isn't about winning or finishing or completing the next great piece of literature. It's about trying to focus on a new project and learn where your strengths and weaknesses may be and most importantly it's about writing no matter how much you actually get done.
See y'alls at next years' NaNoWriMo...maybe.
*NaNoWriMo is also in need of donations to keep it afloat! I donated once I crossed the finish line but feel free to donate as much or as little as you can.