The first draft of what is currently entitled THE BRIGHT FOREVER is almost 67,000 words long. Phew. I thought it was never going to end.
I think, for me, NaNoWriMo works best as "first draft in a month" rather than "50k in a month." Sure, 50k is what I aim for, but every single time I've competed, I've written solely for the purpose of getting to 50k. And then by the time I get there, the end of the story is nowhere in sight because I ignored the traditional beginning-middle-end structure. So when I hit 50k, the climax isn't even in sight. And then, upon hitting 50k, I immediately lose steam. The 16k between 50k and The End was some of the hardest stuff I've ever had to push myself to write.
But it's finished. Sort of. Actually, I had a Revision Revelation on my final day of writing, so when I start revising, most of what I wrote this month has to be scrapped.
*shoots self*
Oh well. I had fun. And it's a lot easier to start over with a finished draft than it is to start with fragments.
I'm going to take a month off from writing -- yes, a whole month. I don't think I've taken this long a break from writing since I was 10 years old. No, I don't think I can actually do it. But I really need to devote some time to reading, and to get some distance from all the projects I'm currently working on. THEN I can plunge into heavy revisions and heavy, heavy research for this stupid novel.
*dies of exhaustion*
Well done for reaching the 50k mark! Even more of a well done for finishing the story! I'm thinking about doing NaNo in November. I love the deadline - I find I get a story finished when I have one.
ReplyDeleteHope you manage to find time for a break and a bit of reading before your revisions start.
Thank you! The deadline is a miracle for me -- I highly recommend NaNoWriMo!
ReplyDeleteYay to hitting "The End!" Woo hoo! I am a Camp NaNo fail...I signed up and never went back to the site. Ugh! But....I think this may be the November that I NaNo! I really want to do it!
ReplyDeleteCongrats!! The first draft is such a huge milestone. You definitely deserve a break, and the work will benefit from some time/distance.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! That’s a fantastic achievement, Becca. I think a month off from writing sounds like exactly what you need right now. Bury your head in a number of awesome books and the time might pass more quickly than you expect! Oh, and I love the phrase ‘Revision Revelation’ too. Nice one. :-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats! That's sooo awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteMAJOR congrats! And a break does nothing but good (usually). Have fun reading!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing! Nothing wrong with taking a break and refilling the creative well. Have fun!
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