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NaNoWriMo: The Aftermath

 I made it! That's really the overall feeling that comes out of this year's effort--I made it. How did I manage this with a full-time job? I know I've done it, repeatedly. But this year it was harder than it's been in a while. I lost a couple of evenings doing things that were not writing, and that days that I did write were under 1,000 words for a long stretch. One day, I only wrote 93 words. But I persisted, had a couple of high-volume days, and hit 50,000 a few days before the 30th.  The story is nowhere near complete--my outline is 26 chapters, plus epilogue, and I left off at the start of chapter 19. My master plan is to return to Christophina's Garden , create a new outline for what's been written and what has yet to be written, and then finish the thing!  After that, I'll finish up Christophina's Moon  and then work on revising all three books simultaneously to sift out the continuity errors. If I'm clever enough, I may be able to come up with

NaNoWriMo Day 30: The End

 Wordcount (final): 52,176 First line of the day:  She’s asking so she can cash in on the hype while it’s still hyping. Last line of the day:  I look at the texture I’m working on, put Lenny in my pocket and go to the guest house. Bad summary: Young woman has phone conversation with art dealer. Makes sense in context:  I feel stupid the moment I ask that question.

NaNoWriMo Day 28: Victory and Beyond

 Word count: 51,307 (reached 50,000 on Monday) This year, I did a chapter-by-chapter outline to guide me. There are twenty-six chapters, plus an epilogue, in the outline. I am currently on chapter eighteen. No, I don't expect to finish the narrative by Thursday. There is much said in the realms of novel-writing advice about the "mushy middle", the part when you are convinced that you suck as a writer and see no way forward. The trick is to persist, persist, persist until you get closer to the end and reach firmer ground. I seem to have reached the finish line in NaNoWriMo right in the midst of the mushy middle. Everything is awful and boring and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fix it. But, I do know the cure. Which is to keep writing and worry about the mess later. I plan to keep at it all the way to the 30th for a victory lap. Maybe I'll make it to chapter nineteen. First line of the day: Lost, because I didn't post here yesterday. Last line of the d

NaNoWriMo Day 26: Hunkering Down

Word count: 48,389 I devoted the entire day, even skipping Sunday dinner with the family. Wrote all day, with ten-minute breaks each hour, and pauses for lunch and dinner. Hit 4,382 words at 10:00 PM and called it a night. I didn't get to the finish line, but I can probably cross it by tomorrow evening. My stats will be a little abbreviated accordingly. First line of the day: I have no idea. I didn't post my stats last night, so I don't know where I left off. Last line of the day:  I arranged for a meeting with Nina Saison, the producer for Hollywood and Beyond , the show that they’ll be showing the wedding footage on. Bad summary: Dude, I wrote over 4,000 words and I don't know where I started. Makes sense in context:  They’re old-fashioned-looking name tags with the words “HELLO! MY NAME WAS” on them.

NaNoWriMo Day 24: Black Friday

 Word count: 42,585 I've worked on Black Friday for nearly a decade; why should I stop because I'm working at home? This meant my wordcount was a little limited, but I'm ahead of par and I'm hitting a fun bit where our young lovers go back to the place they met. First line of the day:  “I’ve only been in here to put up merchandise in the shops.” Last line of the day:  They harmonize quite well. Bad summary: Young woman wanders virtual world a few hours before it closes. Young man comes to join her but is thwarted by software updates. Makes sense in context:  “Wow. I didn’t really like it, but it’s cool that you made it.”

NaNoWriMo Day 23: Thanksgiving Day

 Word count: 41,054 Didn't pull as far ahead as I hoped, even taking the day off from AI work for Thanksgiving. There were certain distractions that nipped at my heels all day. Plus, I do have to spend time with my family eating turkey and things. Almost his 2,000 words for the day, though, so not bad. First line of the day:  “Think you can do it on the flatpage. That’s how I bought the land to begin with. Think you can do in in 3-D space as well. I’ll have a look after dinner.” Last line of the day:  “Craaaaazy busy,” I reply. Bad summary: Young man gives parcel of soon-to-be-worthless virtual land to young woman. Young woman's niece asks for help shutting up people who don't think young woman is really her aunt. Young woman crafts evidence and places it in virtual installation. Young woman visits virtual world on the last day of its existence. Makes sense in context:  “That’s so many double-negatives, I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.”

NaNoWriMo Day 22: Just the Stats

 Word court: 39,064 First line of the day:  It probably doesn’t help that we got under the covers, because we were cold on account of being nude. Last line of the day:  “Speaking of landmarks, would you be willing to incarnate as Xenix long enough to sell the Green Man Gallery plot to me? I want to set up a link to Turris Solis there.” Bad summary: Newlywed couple hosts reception for wedding party. Everybody gets along quite well. Young lady contacts charity, plays in virtual worlds, and makes dinner from the leftover reception food. Makes sense in context:  The Johnson-Reeds arrive just in time to hear Uncle Robbie laughing hysterically and emerging from the dining room waving a chicken nugget around.