This post is long overdue. It’s the update on my NanoWriMo experiment. To be honest, this is actually the third iteration of my report on that experience. The first two seemed to be a tad too giddy and boastful, considering it was just an extremely wordy first draft. You know my favorite term here – SFD. Very SFD.

Editorial critique aside, I met my initial goal of passing the 50,000 word minimum for NaNoWriMo on the 24th of November, and yes, I did a little happy dance before returning to my keyboard to take a peek at the Winner Screen – that special area of Nanotopia that can only be viewed through 50K or higher lenses. It was a great moment… until I remembered my story wasn’t finished. I downloaded my official certificate and a few of the brag banners, and then I got back to writing. By the time it was all over, I had added a few thousand more words, but I didn’t bother posting my final total. That was strange for me. I had been almost fanatical about posting my totals at the end of my writing day, but suddenly, the number didn’t matter anymore. I felt a little like I had gone from the adrenaline high of Write! Now! to the sedate confusion of Now what? That’s where I stayed for several weeks.

I started this journey with two goals in mind: to write a 50,000 word first draft for a novel in thirty days or less; and to gather the fibers of that particular story from the recesses of my mind and weave them into a beautiful tapestry.

Goal number one was conquered with resounding success. Goal number two – well, let’s just say my story looks a lot more like a rag rug than a beautiful tapestry at the moment. For a while, I didn’t quite know what to do with that. But now, the more I look at it and contemplate its future, I’m beginning to think this particular piece may be better suited for a framed collection – as in a collection of short stories with a common thread. This particular realization has given me a new focus and I think I can finally move forward with my masterpiece.

So, as 2013 comes to a close, I am looking forward to new adventures and a new direction. I am looking forward to finishing what I have started, and who knows, maybe I’ll end up with a tapestry after all.

Wishing you all a Blessed New Year!