The other challenge

Okay, the weekend is done. The kitchen looks fabulous with the new tiles, two of my sisters managed to get together for a gab fest and then the brother turned up. Much nattering away and catching up with assorted children.

And today, I finally caught up with my e-mails. I'm like others in prioritising which to read first, so I thought the Nanowrimo e-mail was a pep talk coming up to the actual day.

Well, roll me in the mud and call me a pig! How wrong could I be? An excerpt:

CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Inc. owned company, is generously offering every NaNoWriMo 2007 winner a "free proof copy" of their 2007 manuscript. What this means: A free proof copy of your manuscript in paperback book form–just by following the instructions below. They'll even cover the costs of basic shipping to you.

...

Once I got over the shock, surprise, greed, dreaming and all around squee moment, I got to thinking what this meant for the book I'm planning (okay, not really; I have the main character, a couple of villains, a hero or two, a situation, conflicts, some surprises, some history, language adjustments, scenery and an ending... um, is that a plan?).

Anyway, when I write for Nano, I look for areas where I can boost my word count. It's lazy and unproductive in the long run because the editing has to be more intensive to get rid of so many passive sentences and adverbs. It's straight writing without considering the after work. If I'm to use this freebie though, more care in the writing will happen.

The offer is good for six months - I still have to read the small print - and that's a time frame I can work with, but the more care I take in the writing, the less editing and reconstruction has to be done.

I'll have to take responsibility for the work, make it the best it can be; a shrug of the shoulders and a 'meh, it'll do' won't do this time around.

And so, I've found this year's extra challenge: write the book and sequel (if necessary) to the best of my ability using everything I've learned during this long apprenticeship. Because the other part of the e-mail says:

After you receive your proof copy, you can then choose if you want to make it available to the public at large—everything from showing up for sale on Amazon.com to complete invisibility.

It's a step up to be available via Amazon, and I don't want to stumble.