So, NaNoWriMo, that thing I signed up for? Yeah, that was a lot. Sorry I haven’t been blogging the whole experience, I was hospitalized for author related symptoms like stress and caffeine addiction (Joke. Kidding. I’m fine).
It did drain me though! There were moments where I was positive that I wasn’t going to make it. “Oh well, I thought, I’ll finish this book eventually, even if it takes my five or ten years…”
So, here’s my news. I finished my first draft! I finished the story! I typed “THE END” at the bottom of my manuscript, and it felt AMAZING.
BUT, don’t congratulate me yet. I came up 7,000 words (roughly) short of “winning” NaNoWriMo. My total word count right now is somewhere around 72,000 words (and climbing, as I do edits and rewrite some parts that were, admittedly, lacking a certain “finesse”). However, only about 40,000 of those words were from NaNoWriMo, so I’m under the 50,000 required for it to be an *official* win. I’m also shy of my original goal for my completed manuscript to be 80,000 words, but I know I’m an underwriter, and I can fix it as I edit!!!
So did I win officially? No. But I definitely won personally, and you can bet I’m buying myself a winner T-Shirt regardless! I deserve that reward, and so do you, even if you only wrote five words, five thousand words, or five hundred thousand words.
BTW: If you can write five hundred thousand words in a month, please call me. Teach me your wizard ways.
Everyone is a winner, every time they open their manuscript, write a couple (or more) words, add to their Pinterest aesthetic boards, redo their outline, get lost on Spotify finding songs that just make you FEEL like your characters are sitting right beside you. You. Are. A. Winner.
So don’t get caught up in the numbers game, celebrate your success!
I sure am!!!
Until next time,
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