This is just a tiny post to let everyone know who might have been following my progress that I just won NaNo and it's two days early.:)
I am putting the Winner banner up here so I can celebrate. I also have the certificate and they have a very nice page for you when they declare you a winner. I didn't think I would finish, but then I got to 48,000 words and realized I had to finish tonight!!! I'm so happy, because all I have been thinking about this month is NaNo. Now I can concentrate on my real writing. LOL
Actually, I'm not really unhappy with this novel. It is YA after all and maybe I'll give it to my critique group to see. Of course, it isn't in any form yet. I have to go over it and cut some words. I won't touch it though for the whole month.
I really didn't write for that long, but I tried to write every day. Each year it gets easier and easier to get to 50,000. I'm not sure the story is done, but it did come to a very nice ending. I still feel it needs more and will look at it and decide.
Thank you to any new readers and of course thank you to the people who usually follow my meanderings. Please don't forget to try to listen to my November show of Red River Writers Tales from the Pages. It turned out very well after all.:)
Congrats Barbara. I finished as well, and I was pleased with the first draft results. This my first NaNoWriMo, and a very good way to get me to consolidate all of the notes that I had been taking throughout the year here in South Korea. It was just nice to be able to enjoy my Sunday.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find the seeds of a great book in your efforts.
Marilyn
Yay! Congratulations! :)
ReplyDeleteI finished two days early too! Fells GREAT!
Marilyn,
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear that! Did you write a novel about your experiences in Korea? I would love to read that.:)
My husband asked me what I got for finishing and I told him the joy of finishing and the banner. I put my banner up as my screen saver for awhile. When you work on something with such concentrated effort as we all did with NaNo you deserve to enjoy your winning. He always wants money to be attached and as a writer it's hard to explain that it's important, but the joy of writing is what keeps me going.:) Money would be good too!LOL;
Thank you moonduster! Yay! Congratulations to you too! Being a winner for NaNo means having given up a lot for the month.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and I hope that you will return to read more of my meanderings.:)
Barbara, I do think about what this journey has meant to me. From the first day I walked into a room full of children that didn't know a word of English...and now having conversations with these children at the end of my year. To hearing them tell me, "Marilyn-teacher (my new last name), don't go...don't go." I leave on Christmas day...and already my heart is torn. I could not have imagined what this experience would have meant to me. The work focused on so many things, both here in Korea and domestic issues, political waters, religion, and my relationship with my family...
ReplyDeleteThe appearances that so many judge...and that is why I called the work, "An Appearance of Glass". At times it made me squirm writing it, but off the censors in my head.
It was a promise to my mother...I finally kept.I used NaNoWriMo to keep that promise...there was no quitting, a book that I had waited 23 years to write.
It will never be about money...I agree, the joy of completion is what it is about.
And I ended the work by saying, "I closed the book and smiled."
I submitted the draft for review with a publishing house already...on my Mother's birthday...it just happened. So perhaps it may get published...perhaps.
You never stop believing.
It is all in the journey, that is what makes life so sweet.
Congrats Barbara...and for your husband, just tell him...there is nothing like doing something you love. That should be the primary motive to all we do in life. Isn't that what living is really about and what we teach our children?
That is real freedom. You can't buy that.
Marilyn!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your words and for telling me something so personal to you.:) I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you and when I get mine edited I will send out mine too.:)
I can't wait to see what you have written. It takes guts to send it out right away. Good luck! I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you.:)
I am thankful for what I have learned along the way. You just keep going Barbara and you find that perfection isn't what you shoot for...you will never get there. You shoot for the story...
ReplyDeleteGood Job! I was determined to finish my first challenge and I did. I managed to do a fairly substantial blog everyday and comment on other blogs as well. I think I'm starting to achieve writing discipline thanks to NaNo and blogging.
ReplyDeleteLee
http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
Marilyn,
ReplyDeleteI wish you a lot of luck with your new novel. I would love to read it.:)
Lee (arlee bird),
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and commenting. I do feel that NaNo gives you writing discipline. I did write almost every day and found that I have this ability to write as much as I have time to write.:) It was only toward the end that I started to step up my word count. But it was much better than last year.
I told my blog family that I wouldn't be doing many posts during November and I was right. Most of them were on NaNo or my radio program, or films.
I'm glad it's over, but you're right. Both blogging and NaNo help with writing discipline.:) Good luck with your new novel.:)
Congratulations, Barbara! Wow, a number of writers I know did NanoWriMo this year. I feel as if I went to a bunch of Holiday parties early, hearing of everyone's success.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shelley!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and leaving a comment.
I'm sure you could have done it if you tried.:) But it is rewarding to have a whole novel at the end. Whether it makes any sense at all I will figure out at the end of the month.LOL
Last year I put Cafe LaLa into my novel.:)
Hope to see you soon.