A lot of people have finished Nano. They’ve reached their allotted 50,000 words plus a few extra, just in case. A lot of them have simply stopped, smug in the knowledge that they’ve completed the task. And more power to them, legitimacy aside.
To me, they’ve only done a part of the job. Yes, the criteria is for 50,000 words in 30 days, and yes, they’ve done that. But what is the worth of their work? Is there a market out there for 50k? Probably, and for some, it’s the first step in a long career as a writer, especially for those for whom this year is their first NaNo.
When I did my first Nano in 2003, I was dripping in smug at completing the task, yea, I wallowed, for a day, at least. Then it occurred to me that the job was not yet done. If I wanted to be a writer, half a book wouldn’t cut it.
I sat myself down and damn well finished the book, within the month. It certainly wasn’t my best work, though I still think about it as having some truly exceptional parts to it; as in: who knew that could come out of my head.
NaNo is hard enough, but if you’re focused enough, determined enough, you’ll get through it. At the end, if you plan to be a writer, you’ll not just have the 50,000 words, but real, honest-to-Goddess, book.
And then, why you can edit it, re-work it, re-write parts of it and maybe, maybe you’ll be able to share it with the rest of us who toiled along side you.
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