And After NaNoWriMo...

I mentioned I prepped 44 short story ideas during the month of October.

Well, I attempted 17 short stories. Attempted is an interested word to use here, because it didn't help that November 1st came by and then I got a prompt from a friend that I simply could not refuse. I would have written it down for later, but it kept circling in my head until I wrote it.

And I'm promising to share that lovely gamer story with a bunch of my friends as soon as I reread it and make sure the sex didn't get out of hand in that 4000 word story.

Five of the attempted stories were not stories I had prepped in October. One was a rewrite from a story I have had out trying to publish, and I finally figured out my angle for a rewrite request I got three years ago. (Yes, even I am rolling my eyes at that one. It should never take three years!) Two were little snippets while I had a weekend that was troublesome to even get computer access. And the other two popped out of my head practically fully formed and I couldn't say no. Three of these are not yet finished, but they're coming along.

The other twelve were stories I'd prepared. Some of them took left turns while I was writing them. They aren't all finished, but I've been continuing writing into this month because I want to finish them. Most of them are ready to re-read and edit.

So I suppose I ought to be starting to bug some readers, but it's also the holidays and I'm not sure how much time they have. I'd better ask if I want to get them publication-ready soon. Then there's the question: How many of them read my blog?

Reviewing the Year

I guess it's just something we all do at this time of year. Look at the previous year and look ahead to the next one. We make goals and decide how to change our lives for the better.

Looking back, I've published three short stories. I've racked up a few rejections as well, which is good for any writer and her ego. Two rewrite requests also figured into that, and we'll see where they lead me. One resubmitted, the other is still brewing to figure out what's needed.

I made progress on the novel; I made it mostly through a rewrite and nearly finished. That seems an odd way to put it, but after finishing NaNoWriMo in 2007, I left the book at its 50,000 words for six months without touching it. I put all the little snippets in order, then began to rewrite as I went along and smoothed the pieces to make a whole. I finished 16 chapters, with another 3 at the end and a gap in between where I know what I need to say, just haven't done it yet.

I even found somewhere to publish it, but I need to finish it first. A possibility, anyway, which is better than I had before. Perhaps it was a productive year.

The Next Great Novel

Some of my friends talk about writing a novel. I attempted NaNoWriMo last year, but I still haven't finished the story. I did finish the 50,000 words required, but after that just stopped.

For months - about six.

I still haven't finished the book. I looked up the average time to finish a novel, and it's about three years. I am pretty sure I'll finish it by the end of 2010, but I'd really like to be finished sooner. I'm most of the way through the first rewrite, which included linking the random scenes I first wrote together. I have about 67,000 words, and I'm betting about 10,000 to go. It's a lot better than the first time I wrote it, but I still haven't finished.

I know there are writers out there who finish full-length novels in 30 days or less because you can see their word counts soar during the NaNoWriMo stretch. Perhaps one day I'll join them.

But I have to finish this novel-in-process first!