107,576 Words later, Draft #1 is done.

107,576 words in 30 days.  171 pages, single spaced.  Prologue, 24 chapters, and an Epilogue... 

Start to finish, an original first draft of a new book is born.

*Deep Breaths*  It has a lot of growing up to do, but there you have it.

Proud Mama moment!  :)

Carry on!

Happy Validation Day!!!

*ahem*  If you have passed your 50,000 word mark on your program (I recommend going over by at least 1-2,000 words, because the NaNo Validator is usually different from your program's word count), you can go to your "Update Novel Information" page.  Under the Update Word Count thing on THAT page, there will be a link to validate your novel.  Click that, copy/paste your work (or your work that has been garbled, if you worry about it being stolen) and validate!

It is not in the most obvious place.  Here's where it is on my screen.  :)

Today is the first day you can get your winner prizes, the first day you can validate.  You get a cool purple bar that says WINNER! instead of your word count ticker, a fun "Congratulations!" video to watch, and good stuff for doing awesome work.

You can get your links to freebies and promotions, though many of the options are available to participants, even if you don't make it.  You just get a different % off, for most of the offers.  Some are winners only, though!

The OFFERS page shows what you can get as a winner.  And the winner shirt will be up soon.  The page link was broken last I checked.  But this is the link, just in case it is working now.

And if you are not yet ready to validate, KEEP GOING!!!  You have 5 whole days left.  You can do it!!!

Good Luck!!

I write, therefore I am. Or something.

The other day I was on my way back from a write-in.  I'd been there 12 hours or so, and my husband was a little irritated at how long I'd been gone.  He said, "Well, the good news is, you'll win soon, and then you can stop."

Uh, why would I stop?  Stop what?  Stop writing this book?  It won't be DONE at 50,000 words.  It might be around the halfway mark, but will likely be longer.  Or, stop writing?  Good luck with that one, buddy, you married the wrong girl.

I did, in fact, end up hitting 50,000 last night.  I'm SHOCKED at how fast it came, how easy it was for me this time, and how well I like the story.  It just flows, writes itself, surprising even me at the turns it chooses to take.  My new love interest that I was setting up in my head?  Totally not who the MC went for.  Interesting!

I have a feeling this story will be in the 110,000 range, and that's perfect for it.  I do need to start getting down and dirty with it, make things happen, change the face of the world.  Once I finish my current scene I think I will go that direction.

But yeah, dude, if you want me to stop being so obsessive about it, I get that.  But writing is an element to me.  Like water.  Or oxygen.  Or chocolate.  It won't just go away.  I write, therefore I am.  Or something.

Anyway.  Happy graph time!!  YAY!!

Now!  No whining because you're not this far or never could manage it.  I scraped by my first try.  Second, I failed.  Third, I figured out my plan ahead of time and worked toward it, and did managed to pretty well.  But this year, the story is POURING out of me, demands to be told, and is terribly fun.  :)

My daughter said the other day, "It can't be easy for my characters, because if everything is easy for them, the book will be boring."  That is so true, as well.  I had to make things happen.  Lots of things needed to happen.  So, that's what I do.  I make them happen.  

And you can too.  You can do this.  One word in front of the other, and you will get there.

NaNoWriMo Peeps! Five day warning!!

Five days left, are you going to make it?  Or at least meet your personal goals, if they are lower than the official?  Or meet your goals if they were higher?

I cranked out an impressive amount of words yesterday and passed 51k, but I'm aiming for 60.  So my bar is purple, but I press on!  I'll be alright with my story if I hit the ending before 60k, but that's where I assume it will stop, now that I'm in the midst of it.  I was hoping for 75k initially, but that is something of a long book for the young adult audience, who I'm aiming to write for.



Anyway, I worked out some issues, and wrote a lot last night before bed, and managed to get the validator on the NaNo site to say YES, I did pass 50k.  This is the first year I've done this early.  I barely made it in 2009, and was horrified when the word counter showed I was low.  I had to speed sprint at the end to get there.  And I totally flaked out in 2010.  So I'm rather pleased.  Now I just need to finish it and get a little editing work done.

I left it thus:  The main confrontation just went down and MC is standing there, victorious...  but she has to pick up the pieces and try and stitch her life back together.  I could say more, but I don't want to ruin any surprises for those that might read it later.

So I make coffee, and keep going!  :)

Come on guys, you can do it!  Word sprints until work today!  :)