I just finished NaNoWriMo... wrote 50,000 words in 30 days. You'd think that would make me proud and happy. And it does, on one level. But my insecurity comes from the knowledge that I have SO much revision work to do to even make those 50,000 words legible! I'm standing at the bottom of Revision Mountain and the climb up looks pretty daunting.
I'm going to put it away for a little while and see how I feel about it after that.
Not to mention I don't know what to do with myself now. I love the NaNo community, but it's so fleeting. 30 days fly by when you have a common purpose with so many others. I already miss all my NaNo friends.
Did any of you do NaNo this year? How did you do?
I always feels at loose ends when NaNo is over. I think they keep a number of the forums going but it's not the same, I know. I hear you about Revision Mountain but maybe if we just scale one section of it at time, it won't seem so daunting? We can do it! :)
ReplyDeleteWith NaNo done, it's always great to start a new goal, or even form a revising group. I've seen those continue on for months afterward. I did that with a group a couple years back and it was great to keep the momentum going!
ReplyDeleteI NaNo'd for a little bit.
ReplyDeleteThen I got my edits, and, well, I did not NaNo. I feel like it worked out for me, though. I always get a lot done when I sign up for NaNo and then don't NaNo.
The funny thing, is that NaNo isn't that big of a difference for me. I always draft really quickly, so not NaNoing isn't a big change for me. Either I'm drafting, or I'm not. Still, when everyone disperses from NaNo, it's sad. NaNo is something very special, especially since writing is so solitary and for one month, lots of people are thinking about it.
And yes, drafting creates stuff that needs revising. I've spent this whole YEAR revising stuff that had been a first draft. On the other hand, now I have a whole bunch of stories "ready" to go.
First, congratulations on finishing NaNo. I did NaNo years ago, and I know that feeling you're talking about. It's like recovering from jetlag after an amazing journey overseas, right? And now it's time to unpack... Give yourself a few days to unwind before you return to your manuscript. Some time away from your story will help you see it later from a fresh perspective.
ReplyDeleteMy revision mountain is very daunting, too. Especially since some of the chapter I wrote during NaNo and thought were pretty good... well, they aren't so good. But they have good pieces. the pieces were worth it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't done Nano in a while and I've never completed it! So congrats on getting that far. I'm still stuck at the bottom third of revision mountain, I hope to see the peak someday! Good luck to you.
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