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NaNoWriMo 2016 Kicked My Ass


Okay. So I didn't win NaNoWriMo 2016. In other words, I didn't reach the 50K word count goal (it was closer to 15K). But you know what? That's okay because this was my first attempt at a pretty tough challenge. Now I have no doubt that there are those total rock stars out there that succeeded their first time out and do it every year because they have their shit together and because they're awesome. While I, on the other hand am your classic underachiever. Looking back maybe I should have focused on completing that other manuscript. You know the one! The one that needs about 15K more words to be complete (funny how that word count is about the same as my NaNoWriMo wordcount)? Yeah, that one. But what fun would that be? Why take the easy route? That's just not me! I like a challenge. Start a book from a rough outline I did three years ago and finish the first draft in thirty days? Of course that makes sense. So a little more than 30 days later and zero Adderall here I am. And here is what I'm proud of.

1. 15K words into Zephyr and Nikolai's story has been written. I have brought my sensitive rock star Zephyr and her sexy Russian restaurateur Nikolai to life a lot sooner than I thought I would. I can't wait for their first kiss. It's just a few hundred words away.

2. Asher and Haley, my beloved couple from Her Protector have been waiting patiently for me to finish their story and write their HEA. They haven't gone anywhere. Haley still hasn't told me if she's pregnant or not...But I have a feeling I'm going to find out very, very soon!

3. I've been writing. Wasn't that the point of the whole exercise?

So while I didn't win NaNoWriMo this year, I did write. I also learned some things about my process as a writer. Like how undisciplined I am (I'm working on it. Like writing this blog post instead of finding out what Asher and Haley are up to). And why outlining just a tiny bit helps me tremendously. I also learned how important it is to be in community with other writers. One of my best takeaways is that I can do NaNoWriMo every single month of the year. I can use the goal setting tools, like the word sprints and make them a habit so that by next November I can be a rock star too!

PS: Congrats to all those who participated in NaNoWriMo this year. See you next November!

PSS: I'd love to hear about your NaNoWriMo 2016 journey!

Did I say too much? I hope to hear from you soon!

Nia

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