NaNoWri...No

Today is the very final day of the National Novel Writing Month challenge to write a work of fiction of at least 50,000 words in 30 days. I started this project with great hopes and good intentions, but no expectation that this would be an easy task, as is seemed to be for some of the many participants I've been watching throughout the month. And while I understood the idea of output being the priority over quality of content, as November barreled relentlessly forward despite my best efforts, every time I saw someone saying that they'd just thrown in some strange, nonsensical scenario that had nothing to do with any real plot point into the mix, I lost more and more of my motivation. Why? Because I can't do that. I can't just go "words, words, words", and be satisfied with that, even if that's supposed to be the point of the exercise. As I go through and draft a story, and then review, and then revise, and edit, I don't use a scalpel. I very often employ a machete. Also partly because the story I set out to write apparently didn't take fifty thousand words to tell, it lost steam at a certain point. And I don't have the opportunity or the patience to sit for hours a day to write. I do it in bursts, when the mood strikes me, sometimes based on ideas I've been carrying around inside for quite some time, letting them build up and flesh themselves out. So, I didn't make the goal. Which is okay - this is my first attempt, and I'm satisfied that I even got started. Plus, I got the framework for a decent little story out of it (which will be posted here, in installments as I pretty it up a little). This challenge also gave me a little perspective, in that it made me realize that I have certain styles and elements that I prefer, and that writing a novel-length work of fiction in a very short time frame may not be something I'm well suited to. I can stick to short stories until I get better at the process, which is where I'll focus my energies for the time being.

But just how far did I get, you might ask. Well, I managed to actually write just over 7,000 words. Unfortunately, those words make up several scenes that are a little disjointed and have no connecting elements (other than the characters and the basic storyline itself, obviously). So, that's something I plan on working on through December and January. I'll also probably be writing some flash fiction to share through F3, maybe submit a couple of stories to some online publications to test the waters, and I'm thinking of throwing my hat in on the NYCMidnight short story contest in February. So the new year will bring busy-ness and no doubt at least some disappointments, but hopefully some successes as well. And I hope to share all of that with everyone who has been so supportive and helpful as I've taken up the challenge of uncovering and nurturing my inner writer.