I could have gone for the finishing line last night but I decided to leave the cruise to victory to the last day, today. What could go wrong? Like Lewis Hamilton with a big lead I’d motor down the home straight and take the chequered flag, waving to the crowd.
But…what if it was going to turn in to Nigel Mansell in 1986 in Australia? Coasting to the world championship he blew a tyre. He says it still hurts to this day.
I could freeze with a measly 2000 words to go. The hard drive might crash. Fairies might steal the laptop while I slept. But in the end it was OK, I got there. 50000 words in November. And let me tell you it’s no easy task when you’re working 9 – 5.30. Three hours each and every day. You miss one day and it’s six hours the next.
NaNo has served its purpose for me. I was getting out of the habit of writing, only doing so when I fancied it. This month it’s had to be every single day even if sometimes I felt like chucking the laptop out of the window instead. And by mid-month I was writing fluently and fluidly, really enjoying the writing process once more. Today I could have written all day.
And I have a (very rough) part first draft of Barry 2 which I’ll revisit and rewrite sometime. For now its on with finishing off and publishing A West Cork Mystery.
It’s unlikely I’ll enter NaNoWriMo again but this time it worked for me.
Back On The Rock 
I admire your dedication and discipline, especially after a day’s work. I wonder if you’ll miss the strict schedule this week. Sometimes that happens to me after a long project (I’m grateful for the new free time but strangely miss the intensity of the work).
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Thank you Letizia. I know what you mean. Hopefully I’ll now be better able to pick up other projects and get stuck in even when I’m not in the best frame of mind. I’ve also just finished my latest run coaching programme so I’ll be rattling around if I don’t find something to do 🙂
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Congrats on finishing! In a few weeks you’ll look back and think, “How in the heck did I pull that off?” Now go out and treat yourself. 🙂
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Thank you Carrie. Certainly I’m looking forward to a couple of beers with the boys later 🙂
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Yay!!! You’re too awesome for doing that…congrats!
I toyed around with doing NaNo next year, because the timing wasn’t right the previous years for me. But after work one night last week, I unexpectedly started writing the opening scene to my next book. So, I guess I’m not taking a year off like I had planned because the creative urge is officially back.
But I’m also not in a hurry to bust out this first draft, so perhaps Nano time will be good for a second draft.
Can’t wait to read A West Cork Mystery!
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Hi Britt. I found it can serve a purpose though it’s all a bit too cheer-leaderish for me. Great to get your #4 off the ground, even in a small way. Indeed I must get back to AWCM tomorrow if it’s to get out there this year.
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Great job, Roy! The two times I participated, after it was over, it was all a blur. 🙂 Relax a bit, you deserve it.
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Thanks Jill. I’ve done too much relaxing really this year and NaNo has got me energised so I need to capture that.
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Well done, Roy. Great staying power and I’ve no doubt it’s quality writing too.
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Thank you Jean. Quality not so much but there are positives in just writing off the cuff without worrying about construction, imagery and all that malarkey. Happy with the outcome.
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Satisfaction counts for a huge amount, don’t you think!
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Congratulations! I’m very impressed that you managed to write 50,000 words while working. I could never do it (I added only 13,000 to my WIP this month). Anyway, I’m looking forward to hearing (well, reading) more about Barry 2 when you’re ready to share. Good luck revising it and finishing up A West Cork Mystery!
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Thank you AMB – it certainly exerts a discipline which I was in danger of losing. That can sit on the shelf now with another couple of manuscripts while I finish off AWCM. Pleased you’re working on #2!
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Oh well done you, I’m truly full of admiration and feel very encouraged to hear that once you got into the groove with it, the writing began to flow. Now I really must heave myself out of my writing wasteland and follow your exemplary example!
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Thanks Jenny. Yes it was getting back into the habit of writing regularly, which I’d lost. All the ‘experts’ say to write every day and I guess they’re correct this time.
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admiration from me!!!
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Thank you Cybele – but it was definitely quantity over quality.
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Well done, Roy! I’m pretty sure i couldn’t do it – you’re my writing superhero! 😀
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Yay, though I’m not sure real heroes waste time writing. I wished I hadn’t entered for the first few days but got into the rhythm then, including blazing 700 – 800 during my lunch breaks. Not much quality there but that’s fine – it’ll be rewritten anyway.
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Roy that is a huge achievement when you work full time. I did it last year and finished with days to spare, but I was not working at the time. Congratulations, like you, I probably won’t do it again, but for me its about the finish, I never finish anything and for once I did.
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Hi Kath, yes it’s a great motivator. You’d feel so bad getting to mid-month and packing in. Like you I’m pleased to have stayed the course.
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Congratulations, Roy. I like the point that you make about hitting your stride around mid-month and the writing began to have that fluency. I always think that what we do is write our way into the writing – there isn’t really any other way to do it.
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Thank you Francis. You’re so right – that’s the one big thing I took away with me. There just isn’t time for pondering, planning and procrastination. Just blazing away is the only way you’ll get there and I found that I can work much quicker and better than I imagined.
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Congratulations on finishing. I wish I’d been able to take part this year but knew there were too many days when I wouldn’t have the 3 hours to write that I needed. But it’s exactly as you said – I need to get back into the habit of writing and miss doing Nano because it forces you into that writing process groove. November is one of the busiest months for me at work. In 2015, I need to find a way to make a change. I want to get back to writing and want to try Nano again.
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Well good luck with the writing in 2015 Julie. It’s amazing how inventive one can get when necessary – finding pockets of time here and there.
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