~*~ NaNoWriMo ~*~

Did you notice my badge? It changed from NaNoWriMo Participant to NaNoWriMo Winner. WooHoo! What a month. What an experience.

The aspect of National Novel Writing Month that caught my attention was the fact that, if you planned to write 50,000 words in a month, there was no time for editing. Me? I get hung up on editing. Even when I post on Facebook, I compose the update in my head, type it out, change words, start over, change a few more words, and then hit the "Post" button. The thought of no editing intrigued me.

By way of preparation, along with journals and notebooks full of thoughts, I had 20 chapter titles lined up, each bringing to mind some aspect of life on the farm that has been a trial for me. Each day I would look at the list to see what struck my fancy or stirred some inspiration. As the month rolled along, I added at least another 20 chapter titles. Who knew the farm could provide so many trials? Who knew that 50,000 words were so many!

It didn't take long before I had my very own war cry: "Stop It!" This was shouted loudly when I found myself looking back over what I had just put to e-paper, desperately wanting to change a few of the words or even (gasp) delete an entire paragraph.

I wrote EVERY day during November (even while visiting for a few days at Anna's), and I participated in two live "write-in"s at the local library with WriMos from the area. My least word count for any day was 680; the most was on a "writing marathon" Saturday when I wrote 3,129 words. I became a "Winner" on November 29 with a total of 50,278 words.

An incredible 310,000 people made the bold decision to commit to their books in this past November, and more than 42,000 of them entered the 50K winner's circle. Bravo to everyone who gave it a shot!

What kept me writing? It was simply my firm decision to do it. I had made a commitment to myself (I didn't sign anything or promise anything to anyone), and I was determined to follow through. Some days it was really, really hard work. Other days, it was pure joy. The result? Success! and enough words to play around with and turn into a book.

My Notebook. An early Christmas present, so I can keep writing wherever I go.

Now the hard part lies ahead. I need to edit all these words and ideas, combine chapters that are too similar, get rid of the junk, and figure out how to put it all together in a way that flows and will be a delight to read.

Although I spent the first few days of December in "edit" mode, I decided to set the book aside so I could play "catch up" with housework and get ready for Christmas.

Come January, NaNoWriMo will help me stay on track with the "Now What? Months" to help jump-start the editing and publishing journey for my book. It will include an "official" contract to keep me accountable, editing advice from established authors, and publishing tips from literary agents and editors. Yes, I'll get excited about my book again ... in January.

But now ... CHRISTMAS! Katie is coming from New York for four fabulous days. The day after Christmas we'll meet with Anna and Marshall and have some fun together. Ahhh. Family time: it's the stuff books are made of.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014