Monday is Blog Day

You know it's been awhile since you blogged when you're not sure what your password is anymore. Many of us from the Last Draft have been busy churning out our novels filled with suspense, intrigue, and adventure. I finished my word count close to midnight on the eve of Thanksgiving as the heady aroma of pumpkin pie baking in the oven wafted over my laptop. That was fortunate, because I've been pretty busy since then trying to catch up on everything I haven't done for three and a half weeks. But the story isn't quite finished, even yet. It will be over 51K by the time this first draft is entirely done.

Looking back, was it worth it? Yes. I doubt that I would have written a novel of this length in a month without the support of the those of you who did it too. In fact, being a picture book writer for the most part, I'm not sure I would have finished a novel of this length at all since I haven't up to this point. In that respect, it was very good for me to have done this with a group.

I would go so far as to say that I even recommend participating in the Nanowrimo to people who don't like to write, because writing isn't really about picking up a pen or typing on a keyboard. It's about sharing a story that is in you, that no one else has ever heard before. Everyone has a story on the inside of them somewhere. And I shudder to think of the many great stories that might never have been written if the writer hadn't been pressed into the writing, in some cases by financial need, nagging relatives, or encouraging friends.

So whatever the catalyst that propelled me to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November, I'm glad that I did it.

And I hope that next year, you'll do it too. And finally, to give credit where credit is due:

• Congratulations to Christine, who finished before everyone in our group. Speed Racer Award.

• Congratulations to Laura, who is almost finished at this moment, and wrote under difficult personal issues. The Perseverance Award.

• Congratulations to Dwight, who had no interest in writing, but did it just for his wife. The True Love Award

• Congratulations to Kathryn, Susan, Nathan, and Carissa, who will be finished by Monday night and decided to do something they never did before. Awesome Young Writers Awards to you all!

• Congratulations to the rest of you, for putting up with all of us for a month.

See you next November!