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Elizabeth Rose & Lynette
Congratulations, gals! Each of you will receive a copy of The Soldier's Cross and a copy of The Shadow Things. You will be receiving emails or Facebook messages shortly to confirm your win (and to get mailing addresses for you both). Thank you all for participating!
Secondly, let me just repeat: NaNo is over. I know a lot of fellow participants are practically in tears as that thought begins to sink in, but I, for one, couldn't rejoice enough when I scraped and scrambled my way over the 50,000 word mark and into December. It wasn't that I didn't manage to keep up or maintain a steady pace. On the contrary, early on I got a day ahead of my goal and kept that lead all but one day out of the month. It was tiring, at times overwhelming, but by no means undoable. And yet I had a hard time.
The first reason is simply that it has become harder for me to write a great number of words in a day. That might be because I've been plodding along at White Sail's and Running Tide for so long that 1,000 words a day now looks like a glorious achievement. I wouldn't chalk it up to any increase in the weight of other responsibilities; relatively speaking, I have few. But my writing and my approach to writing has evolved.
Some people believe that every novel a writer pens is a little easier than the one before. I laugh at this foolish notion; every novel I have written since The Soldier's Cross has gotten a little harder in a slightly different respect. Somebody - Neil Gaiman, I think; he's apparently a quotable chap - remarked that you never learn how to write a novel: you only learn how to write the novel you're currently writing. I do not know, necessarily, that this is true for everyone, but I've found it to be the case with Wordcrafter, The White Sail's Shaking and The Running Tide, and now with Tempus Regina. Each has taken a little more out of me. But I found Wordcrafter more rewarding in the end than The Soldier's Cross, the Sea Fever books than Wordcrafter, and I'm (sometimes) optimistic that Tempus Regina will be still more rewarding than either of its two predecessors.
At the moment, however, Tempus Regina is being quite difficult indeed. It might be in the terrible two's period of story-telling; I couldn't say. It goes right now in fits and starts and bursts of inspiration and clouds of brainstorming, and I warn you all that I might be a bit oysterish about it for a little while. Don't say I didn't tell you ahead of time.
None of this to say that I didn't enjoy NaNo! I did. Mostly. But every time I finish a round of madcap writing, I fall back into my mental chair and vow never to put myself through it again. I'll never be so foolish - I'll never be so insane. I shall be wise! I shall tell myself no! I shall be PRUDENT!
But I don't doubt that come next NaNo, or perhaps the one after that, I'll be itching to join in once more. Because I just don't know what is good for me.
I didn't do nano and mourned he whole month. I shall certainly be more sensible next year. Er...mad
ReplyDeleteI am in a semi happy semi startled semi nostalgic state after my first NaNo participation, Abigail; I wrote more than I ever did before in the space of a month, yet I also came to a bombshell decision which hurtled my carefully conceived plans into thousands of glass shards and left me a bit reeling. Oh, but you can have a look at the result of November writing here :) When the Battle Is Lost and Won
ReplyDeleteBut I am glad you did so well at NaNo and I can't wait to here more about Tempus Regina and snippets and everything! Oh, and I love your new book-cover and synopsis for it on your sidebar. It sounds intriguing!
God bless :)
I watched you make it all month! You did great at keeping up, and I am glad the story is going the way you want it! :) Or is it taking a route of it's own? Mine surely did.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see Tempus Regina take it's place up on your sidebar! Sounds really good!
Becca
Congratulations, Abigail, on your book and NaNo! :-)
ReplyDelete-Patience
prc(at)calicoacres(dot)com
I was way behind in Nano but in the last few days I caught up and victoriously won, but my story isn't complete yet. This was the very first year I had ever done Nano and I won it!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations winners!
Anne-girl - I didn't participate last year, and it was difficult to console myself! But hopefully you'll get a chance next time it rolls around.
ReplyDeleteJoy - Decisions like those are the hardest to make, as far as writing is concerned, and I know it can't have been easy for you. I am glad to see your excitement for "A Love That Never Fails," though! And at least you have the knowledge that "The Crown of Life" isn't running off anywhere, and will still be there when you feel yourself better equipped to return to it.
I'm glad you find the summary of "Tempus Regina" intriguing. On the one hand I long to write more about it; but on the other hand, I prefer to be mum on the subject at this "early" stage...
Becca - Actually, the story has been most contrary - or I've been most contrary - or both. It can be frustrating, but I tell myself that the case was much the same for the beginning of "White Sail's." Ho hum! And congratulations on the progress of your own novel, by the bye!
Patience - Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy seeing more of "Tempus Regina" around here in the near-ish future.
Writer - Pssht, my story's nowhere near complete either. But congratulations on crossing the finish line, especially on your first attempt! (I failed on my first attempt. We won't speak of that.) Keep up the good work!