Boom Shakalaka! I did it! On November 1st I wrote the first word and by November 30th I had a finished story and 50,050 words. I am a winner. Is it the greatest story ever written? No. Will it get published? No, probably not. Will I share it with anyone? Maybe.
So why in the world would I spend a month and countless hours writing this story? Just to see if I could. And I did! I set a goal and I went for it. The last few days were rough! I started day 27 20,000 words behind the ending goal. I wrote until my fingers cramped, my eyes crossed, and my back ached, but I managed to write 20,000 words in 3 days. That is a lot of freaking words!
I learned a lot while writing and I have decided when I grow up I would like to be an author...
Here are some of the things I learned:
1. Writing is scary; At least it is for me. I am putting down the thoughts in my head for all to see. No, I don't have psychopathic thoughts or thoughts that I should hide, but sharing what I am thinking is a nightmare for an introvert!
2. I have really bad writing posture; I have bad posture in general, but it is exceptionally bad when I write, especially when I am really into what I am writing. I noticed I would have to stop after writing a long stream of thought and consciously make myself remove my shoulders from my ears. No wonder my back ached!
3. I need to take notes; I started the process with an outline. It was great, but after that the note taking stopped. I spent a lot of time having to go back through pages and pages of my work to remember little details; like jobs of characters, last names, and the name of the town... yes, I forgot the name of the town.
4. I need to have background music; I can't write in silence, which is good since my house isn't equipped with silent mode. I would turn on the Adult Alternative Music channel on TV or listen to Pandora as I typed. I have many new favorite songs and artists, like Joshua Radin, Boyce Avenue, Iron & Wine, and many others. I was inspired by artists that I have snubbed in the past. Don't hate, I am now a fan of One Direction.
5. Writing Hangover: Writing hangover is real, just like a book hangover, and I am suffering! I miss my characters. I wonder what they are doing. I want to talk about them. I want to talk to them. They were my friends. Now they are gone. Now I want to sit and cry and eat chocolate.
6. I enjoy writing: It is like a giant game of make believe and I don't have to argue with anyone over the plot. It is my game, all mine. I have fun figuring out the best words to use and which way I should use them to make my point clear. #Iamanerd
7. I am not terrible at writing: I know this isn't my best work, but it isn't terrible. The design of this contest isn't to produce the best book, it is to get you to produce a book. You need to write fast without second guessing yourself and you don't make major revisions. This is a first draft in the truest sense of the word. I really don't like to brag about myself, in fact, I find it very uncomfortable, but I really do have some great things in this story and I probably will share with people, at least the ones who have asked.
8. Writing in my thing: I have often said that I don't have a "thing", like a talent or an outlet, but the more I write the more I think writing is my thing.
9. The girls got behind me: They saw how important this was to me and they wanted to share in the adventure. A1 would sneak and read my story when I wasn't home. A2 would sit at the kitchen table and write her own stories as I was writing. A3 would lay on my bed and quietly watch her new favorite show, Yule Log, without talking for hours while I was working. They would ask my daily word stats. I think they are actually proud of me for this and that makes me even more proud of myself for doing this.
10. I have some of the most supportive friends and family: I had encouragement throughout the process. Friends who told me to go for it in the beginning, when I said I was thinking about it. Friends who understood when I said I had to miss something because I was writing. Friends who would check on my process, ask me questions about the book, and were genuinely excited when I finished. My mom would text me to keep me motivated. Mac made many Starbucks runs and spent hours entertaining the girls so I could hide out and type alone.
I know this probably won't be my last NaNoWriMo challenge and it won't be my last story. I have learned so much during this process and I can't wait to see what comes next!
