After a few days of rest (and way too much TV), I think I’m ready to get back into my usual routine. The semester will end in 3 weeks, which means I have papers to grade. I’m also giving a final exam, for the first time in several years. It’s take-home (I really detest the panicked atmosphere of an exam room during a timed test), and the students have had the questions for a month. They’re even allowed to talk with each other, as long as they cite their discussion partners in a bibliography. They’d better do well!
The good news: I won NaNoWriMo! (Remember, winning only means writing at least 50K words during the month of November; every NaNoWriMo-er can be a winner.)
As you can see in my NaNo widget, I made it past 51,000 words before Thanksgiving, which meant I could take it easy for the holiday, but I didn’t. Instead, I moved to the next steps: editing and getting feedback. I deleted the rubbish (I realize that’s a subjective assessment — there’s probably plenty more rubbish that I can’t see), and sent it out to my writing group members. They’re reading now, and I feel a bit like a college applicant waiting for the letters that will decide my future. With their feedback, I’ll start another round of revisions/edits, and then move into the query process. This new book is another fantasy, with dragons but no magicians. You can find out a bit more about it under the “My books” page above.
The better news: I have the energy to start my historical epic. “Start” may, perhaps, be misleading. For last year’s NaNo I wrote a first draft and found myself mired in historical minutiae. The going was slow and painful, and I was happy to set it aside. After this past summer’s travels, however, I’m ready to leap back into it. I’ll read more YA historical fiction, taking notes on how other authors mix plot and history.
And now I really must grade those papers!
Lizzie Ross 
Better late than never but congratulations / felicitations llongyfarchiadau on being a winner / completer / novelist for 2014! It must be like the satisfaction we will feel as we decorate each room / each floor / this house—exhausting but job well done. And something to show for it!
Your lovely card arrived today, thank you! Sadly, things have been so hectic I / we’ve not got around to buying let alone sending any cards this year, and hope friends and family will be understanding…
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Thanks, mille mercis, tusen tak / for your good wishes. / Your unpacking provides / perhaps / more immediate gratification / than does writing. / A picture hung, a box / emptied — / so much more satisfying because / there will be no future editor to say / This isn’t good enough / change it.
And yet / I continue to write. / The satisfactions of finding / the right word / image / twist / character / are unlike anything else.
As for no holiday / greetings / you have the perfect excuse. / In lieu, blog photos. / Your friends will be / and are / happy for you.
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I know this is an old post, but damn–how do you hit 50K before thanksgiving?!? That is AMAZING. Hope this year is going just as well for you!
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I’ve no idea, Jean. I suspect it’s a lot of thinking out loud on paper — not exactly noodling around, but definitely testing ideas to see what happens. But that’s what first drafts are for. This year is going well, and I’m just a bit ahead of schedule. Let’s see what this weekend brings. Are you a NaNo-er as well?
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I am! Well, I like to be. This year’s a bust, plain and simple. But I believe in the power of NaNo, and am keen to give it a go next year. 🙂
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It’s not too late to buddy-me at NaNo. I’m under “CityCyclist”. I’ll look for you. And you can use the NaNo site before next year comes along — word sprints and goal-setting year-round, not to mention Camp NaNo in July.
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Thanks! I’ll try to get on that before the month is out. I want to start doing the goal-setting and word sprints to help me stay on track. Do you do the camp at all?
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I did Camp NaNo once, but it just didn’t work out for me. Timing, etc.
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Yes, that is the sucky part–right in the midst of holiday season. Oh NaNo, why couldn’t you be in September or March? Gah!
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Gah! indeed.
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