Accomplishment

It is with a whole lot of pride, and not inconsiderable relief… that I announce I did it! I have completed the NaNoWriMo challenge.

I wrote over 50,000 words (official count 50, 210) between Nov 1 and Nov 30. I finished today (Nov 28). I did NOT write anything at all on six days, so I really wrote all of that in only 22 days. No wonder I feel tired!

Finishing early seems impressive, but I readily admit that this particular story of mine is not likely to ever be read by another human being. Why?

Because I was really focused on writing volume, not making sure it all hangs together. There are many errors — factual as well as places where things just don’t quite gel — where the ideas are weak, the characters just won’t behave or the story is completely unbelievable.

I think I managed to come up with some good expressions, some nice sentences and constructions. There were some interesting plot twists, some ideas that are useful… so perhaps I will recycle this one at a later date, using the good bits and dumping the not-yet-ready-for-B-movie bits…

I liked these quotes particularly, written early on, before I was desperate to just get words down on the paper:

I moved to sit near him and handed him his piece of chocolate, holding mine out too. He looked at his, then took it quietly and nibbled. I looked at the piece left in my hand; in the other days I would have rejected chocolate like this: stale and ghosted from its time on the shelf. Not today. Today I worshiped the chocolate, studying it like a piece of art, resisting the moment I put it in my mouth. I turned it over, looking at the HER- embossed on it, the last remnant of civilization, the last sweet confection I would have.
…

Mom came racing into the room drunkenly and grabbed me as she lunged for the doorway. We held on together, while the books on the shelves inched closer to the edge and the plants in the house waved their branches like some sort of cheerleaders. Mom’s face was white, and her eyes were very big, and she sheltered me in her arms.

Tomorrow, I return to the BabbleStory that is both fun to write and fun to read. See you there!