NaNoWriMo 2014

[The 2014 Winner Web Banner. For use on Twitter or Facebook]

I know most people are likely tired of my “NaNo” stuff. I’m slightly “hungover” as well. Seems this year just flew right by me. I sort of expected it to after everything that has happened since last year.

Write now (see what I did there) … I feel like there is something I should be doing. I should be writing on that story, but I also know I need to let my brain recover and my home (I do need to get some holiday work in).

This “story” got started back in 2000/2001, and I had shredded the last remnants of it last year – there was only a glob of middle, no beginning and no ending. Yet, when my planning for NaNoWriMo 2013 started, I knew what I had to do … I had to give it the beginning it never had, and bring it to life. And, I remembered a lot of what I had written, in addition – it had a beginning and an end (that’s where I am working to).

I ended 2013 with 152,521 words. And, while I was pleased (actually surprised), I knew I’d NEVER again do something like that. After all, stories like this only come along once in a lifetime. I’m hoping to someday have that success with my other WIP (works-in-progress).

[2013 National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) stats]

With any story … you have to be able to take time to nurture it, to grow it, to embrace it. Not easy when you have quite a bit of “added” stuff you HAVE to get done.

The novel carried over into an April session of Camp NaNoWriMo, as well as a July session. This was the first year I’d done two sessions of Camp.

So, when November 1^st began … I knew I wanted to make the goal of 50,000 words. There were slow days, and some I was disappointed in. To be honest, I knew I was capable of more.

While I didn’t hit the stellar number I did last year, by November 18^th I did hit 50,000 words. Knowing I had less than two weeks to go, I hit 75K. Then I did something else … I talked my way into doing 100K.

I hit that number ten days after “winning”. By the last day, I had written over 103,000 words.

[2014 NaNoWriMo stats]

Now that I’m into my third recovery day … I am sort of foggy. Though that could be the weather outside my door.

[Fog in a suburb of Las Vegas, NV -- this is something that is quite rare]

I’m hoping to take some time over Christmas to sit, recover, and reflect on things. After two years of “barely” making it, I have two consecutive 100K years. That’s quite a feat.

You’re all probably wondering – “what’s next”. I’ll tell you – “I don’t know”. As with anything time sets its own rules.

All I know is my feet are cold, and I’m craving some hot chocolate. And, the story is calling to me. Of course, I do need to get my tree up, home decorated and everything in place.

I’m grateful for all the support and well wishes from my friends.

Now … on to Christmas!