NaNoWriMo ’19 Week 4

Well, you win some, you lose some.

I have good news and bad news. The good news is, a lot of people are finishing the last of their 50k words for the month, finishing their NaNoWriMo journeys with triumph and victory. The bad news? Yours truly is not one of those people.

I had a rocky start and a bumpy middle, and this last week has been especially hit or miss in terms of my NaNoWriMo project. I tried being a pantser this time around, but everyone’s process is different and I think I’m just one of those people who needs an outline of some sort.

Or, at least, a direction in which to take the story so I don’t waste time and fizzle out half-way through.

I still love my story and its concept, though now I’m beginning to realize that it just might be a novella, not a novel. Who knew?

I don’t regret spending so much time on this project, though I am sad I didn’t hit that 50k goal. This year just wasn’t my year.

But that’s not a very helpful way to think, is it? I didn’t fail the entire year. It’s just this month that’s got me down. November isn’t the only time of the year I can work on this project; I still have plenty of time to finish!

In the months following NaNoWriMo, a lot of writers will be editing and revising the material they wrote in November, but I’ll be finishing my first draft. I don’t see this as a failure at all. No, I didn’t meet my goal. But I know so much more about my story and my writing process that will help me to make better use of my time! And that’s some valuable feedback, no matter how many words I ended up writing.

So, if you came up short of 50k this year, know that you aren’t alone. And you most definitely didn’t fail. You got words on the page, and that’s more than some people accomplish.

As for me, I’ll be writing a proper outline for my story and changing a whole lot of things. Hopefully, I’ll finish it in December and set it aside for revision soon after.