NaNoWriMo Winner 2014

I conquered NaNoWriMo!

I almost didn't make it. I had 8,000 words to go and only 2.5 days to do it, BUT I locked myself away in my office and got it done with only a few hours to spare. If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, you can check out my article "NaNoWriMo Makes New York Times Best Sellers" on Delicious Reads. Authors like Marissa Meyer (Cinder) and Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus) have participated in NaNoWriMo too!

It all comes down to this: you have to write 50,000 words of a new novel in the month of November. To give you an idea of how much that is, my recently released novel, Remembrandt, ended up having 65,700 words. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle has 49,965, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has 77,508. So in essence, 50K is the bulk of a young adult novel.

What did I write this year? I debated for a long time what I wanted to work on for 2014 because I have a contemporary fantasy series that I love and can't wait to write the 3rd book. I also have an idea for a stand alone realistic fiction novel that I want to write too. In the end, I decided to work on the 2nd book in the Remembrandt series because 1.) I already have a publisher for it 2.) I'd already written a summary for it and 3.) Alexandra is so fun to write!

This is my 3rd year in a row doing NaNoWriMo and being a "winner." You'd think it would get easier, but it was so hard this year! With my book launch, book marketing, a trip to Washington State to fulfill my duties as Capsule Keeper, and, oh, taking care of five kiddos, including an 18 month old who won't let me sit at a computer, let's just say I spent many days typing late into the night.

Whew! Now I'm going to hibernate through the rest of the winter . . . except now that I have 50,138 words done of Remembrandt #2, I'm itching to complete the novel. Hold on Alex and Golkov and William and Daly - your story will continue soon enough. I just need a little sleep . . .

NaNoWriMo Winner! Now I get to have a break, right?

NaNoWriMo: 30 days, 50,000 words, 0 Excuses!

Boo yah! It is November 30. After 30 days and nights of writing, writing, writing, I am officially the winner of National Novel Writing Month. Bring on the victory dance.

 

Ok, so winner may be a slight exaggeration in the true sense of the word. But that's what they told me when I copied and pasted my new novel on their website. So I'm going to go with that. How often in life do we get to be winners?

"Ahhhhhhh..." That is one seriously long breath of relief. I've shirked responsibility. I've let dust bunnies form. I've ignored my husband. My kids think my laptop is just another appendage to my body. My Christmas decorations are still in their boxes. I'm four weeks behind on ironing (sorry, honey, you're just going to have to wear a polo shirt again). My "to be filed" pile is more like a mountain. BUT, heck with it all, I just cranked out 50,000 words in 30 days.

It was super hard and super fun at the same time. Now I could go on and on about how difficult it was, how I had to miss out on some November fun because "I have to get my words in for the day." Honestly, though, I think I've got carpal tunnel syndrome, I need to catch up on about 100 hours of sleep, and my favorite TV shows have been piling up in Hulu.

Don't worry, I'm not taking a long break from writing. On Monday, I'm starting a month long venture of agent/publisher querying for my first book, Remembrandt. Then in January I'll be back to the grindstone for my second book--finishing it off and beginning the process of editing.

Until then, I'm setting my laptop aside, putting my feet up, and flashing a smile because I'm a WINNER.