With Miles to Go




Today is August 1st, the official end of my self-imposed Nano.

(Sidebar: Didn’t know there was a Camp Nano in July in which I could have participated. I’ll keep that in mind for next year.)

I started this Nano on June 12th at 17k with a goal to finish my novel.

I am at 40k and still in Act One.

Believe it or not, this is good.
Because I am giving each idea full rein as it comes, rejecting little outright just in case. I am taking full advantage of the Review Pane in MS Word to make notes to myself about changes I’ll need to make when the draft is done so as not to lose momentum doing so now.

I am learning how much this novel differs from its predecessor. In fact, other than the names and setting, I might go as far to say it is a brand new book. And that’s both exciting and scary—my characters trust me, which is encouraging, but I am learning to continue to trust myself.

And I am enjoying the journey, though my destination is miles away. Thinking I could finish the first draft in a few weeks is laughable in hindsight, but my naïve little heart was in the right place. And 23,000 workable words is nothing at which to scoff.

(And that’s why sometimes ending with a preposition just makes sense. Because that sentence was cringe-worthy.)

But as I have said before, this blog is the story of my novel being published, a story which necessitates the novel’s completion.

And I am not yet there.

So I’ll see you September 1st with another long stretch of road under my belt... and hopefully a completed first draft.

Here's to a loquacious August!

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