We Have a Winner: I Finished My First NaNoWriMo

Winner badge 180x180

Boom. Booya. Kachow. Kazaam. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

50,000 words in 30 days (or just under 30 days). Right now the novel stands at roughly 180 pages. The story is not quite done, but I passed the 50K mark late last night.

It. Was. Fabulous.

I’ve tried to explain to people about what I’ve been working on this month, and I admit that before this year, I would not have understood the appeal. When you inflict an arbitrary deadline on yourself, it is hard to help people understand how compelling this deadline pressure feels. I tried to explain that if you make it to 50K words you “win” but when they ask what you win and I say, somewhat sheepishly that you don’t actually win anything, their expression of confusion is understandable. Until a person feels that irrespresible urge to write, how could they empathize?

I’d love to hear from any fellow Nano-ers out there. You get what I mean about it. How did it end up for you? Are you going to finish? Scratch that — of course you’re going to finish! You can do it! Don’t give up, crank it out, let your fingers fly with no pause for correct spelling or fixing ANY mistakes. Let me know how you feel when you finish. (It is still sinking in for me, and because I have a couple more chapters I want to write, the novel doesn’t feel done yet, but it is close.) I commend anyone who sets a goal for themselves and achieves it. It is no small feat. Go go Na-No!