November is not quite over, but neither is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). However, a couple friends of mine, Krizzlybear and Iris Harper, have hit 50,000 words composed in November, emblematic of "winning" NaNo. I’ve "known" Krizz for some time now, through our blogging relationship born out of World of Warcraft (you may recognize Kriz as the blogger from "Frost is the New Black"). I met Iris after NaNo kicked off, through the Saucy Wenches chatroom, and we quickly became friends.
Although I was not writing a novel, I will be helping my friends as they go through rewrites, editing, revising, and the like. Throughout the month, I’ve been there to urge them on, and the past week I’ve even taken part in a couple "sprints" with Iris–periods during which we wrote steadfastly, without distraction. I wrote a couple blog articles (including this one), and while I was drafting this post, Iris hit her 50K goal.1
While I am under no illusions that my encouragement made the difference between finishing or not finishing for either Krizz or Iris, I’d like to believe I helped make the journey a bit smoother for them. I know I feel a sense of accomplishment too, much as a midwife does when she helps to deliver a child (in fact, I may have been seen to exhort my friends to "Push! Push!"). I am proud of them; in fact, I’m proud of every one of my friends and acquaintances who took part in NaNo 2009, regardless of whether you hit 50K or not. The fact you tried, that you committed to making an effort, is significant. And there is always next year! Who knows? I may make the effort myself, next year, to find my larger muse.
And remember: Writing is forever, not just for November.
Notes:
- She says there is still more to be written, but for now at least, the pressure is off. Congratulations, Iris! ↩
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{ 4 comments }
*hugs Kestrel* Of course it made the journey smoother! Having you and Krizz there made it so much more fun and so much easier to go through the ups and downs of NaNo! Frankly, with all the support I have been getting, it has been ups all the way!
I am proud and giddy right now, and if it was not so absurdly late here, I would turn on loud music and dance. As it is, I will have to limit myself dancing on your blog. *dances*.
Thanks again for being there, and again, you sound like a proud father. Which is just as well, because you get to soon be the copy-editing dad of my newborn novel. You are not free yet *grins*
Iris´s latest blog post is Changes
Well, I do have a lot of practice at being a proud father.
Somehow, Kestrel, you managed to evoke a picture of literally giving birth to a liquidy, messy, 200+ page manuscript, umbilical cord and afterbirth included. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but you did it, and somehow I can’t help but feel relieved. If anything, my sense of relief actually reinforces that imagery. o.O
Irregardless*, thanks for the support! I look forward to working with you sometime in the future, either through the editing process, or as continued support for next year’s NaNoWriMo.
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*My word choice here is intentional. I just wrote fifty thousand, I should be entitled to use this ONE.
Luckily for you, my comment editing options don’t allow me the use of blue (pencil) or red (pen) to correct egregious errors by my commenters.
And I must say, the analogies and metaphors in your book must be pretty tame, if you had such a graphic reaction to mine.
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