Writing Wednesday || NaNoWriMo Wrap

Against all odds, here we are.

December.

Post NaNoWriMo.

And the results are in…

GUESS WHO’S A WINNER!

Kermit flailing around really truly is the best way to describe crossing that finish line. I am freaking out because I wrote 50k but also because THERE’S SO MUCH TO DO. But let’s look at all the important info, shall we?

Final Word Count

Depends on who you ask! My Scrivener file says 50,194 words. My Pacemaker plan says 50,185 words. And after verification, the NaNoWriMo site says 50,084 words.

I would have thought counting words would be pretty universal, but apparently that’s not true. Words just go missing between word counters. They just grow legs and walk away. Totally normal, yes?

Ugh.

What matters, though, even if I got three separate calculations on the same exact text, is that it’s OVER 50K. That’s what counts. That’s all.

 

Is the First Draft Done?

Ohhhh, here’s where we get into sticky confessions, and the answer is…

Hell no. Not even close.

I probably mentioned at some point how I was flying without an outline, which is very dangerous for a plotter like me. I can pants a story if I have to, but my work benefits from having a fully structured outline. Which I did not have.

This means about 5k was spent fiddling around with POVs and tenses, and the other 45k was a mishmash of whatever scenes came to mind in the process. Some of them are linear and slide one into the other smoothly. Others are located in the middle of ??? in the narrative and I’ll worry about that later.

Basically, this is not even close to a first draft. It’s super sloppy and it’s helped me figure some things out about the plot and characters, but it isn’t anywhere close to cohesive. At least that’s what I tend to use NaNo for anyway. Cohesive can come later.

 

Ultimate Favorite Character?

I wish I could say Kate, because I really do love her. Truth is, though, that Napoleon wins this one. He has all the charm of an actual cat, plus a bad attitude, plus the uncanny sense for when to play the “I meant to do that” card, plus I call him Skeletor sometimes and it’s fun to go through his reactions, none of them kind. Oh, and sometimes his ribs just fall out, which is inconvenient. He needs those, thanks.

 

Fletch and Bone in the Future

You mean I’m supposed to know what comes next? Oh dear.

To be totally honest with you, I’m going to set it aside for awhile. Rushing through NaNo usually means that the story needs to stew for a while, and writing 50k words is a good way to burn out. I’m gonna dial it back, focus on school for the next two weeks, and I’ll play it by ear from there.

Fletch and Bone is by no means sidelined or shelved. I have every intention of cleaning it up. But it needs to sit for a while. Needs to age, like fine wine or something. That is how wine works, yes? We’re going to roll with it even if that’s not how it goes because I know so little about alcohol and can’t be bothered to pull up Google lol. The post-NaNo laziness is so real.

 

What about NaNo in 2019?

Is that even a question? Yes, of course I’m going to sacrifice a reasonable sleep schedule and responsible deadlines to write something next year. I have no idea what that something will be, but I’m going for it. And chances are, I’ll take a whack at July Camp NaNo as well, since I’m just a glutton for fast-paced writing punishment.

 

So that’s that! NaNoWriMo 2018 is over, I’ve put my stamp on four years of winning in a row, and maybe somewhere in the next two weeks, I can even get a reasonable amount of sleep!

The bar is soooo low right now. So low. Just about anything can meet my expectations and be a pleasant surprise because my brain is NaNo jelly.

Worth it.