Sunday, November 27, 2016

Winner Winner NaNoWriMo Dinner!



Okay, I don't know what that headline means either, but I do know I won the 2016 National Novel Writing Month challenge today. Woo hoo! Clocking in at a little over 50k words (see stats diagram below) at around 11:00p on 11/26.


Did I finish Elvenking, the third book in the "Leonard the Great" series? Nope. Not by a long shot. A quick outline check tells me that I've got eight or more chapters left and previous experience tells me that I've got around 30k+ words to go before I'm completely finished with the first draft.

During the editing portion of my noveleering, I tend to cut out a good 20k and usually end up with a complete MG fantasy novel that's around 60k words, give or take a few grand.

That's cool. As I mentioned in my announcement post, I wasn't expecting to complete the first draft of this novel, just write the first 50k words of it.

In case you haven't guessed it already, I use the NaNo challenge to jumpstart me into action and move me past my paralysis at the thought of starting a huge writing project like a novel. So far I'm 5 for 5 in beating the challenge (knock on virtual wood), so I guess it works for me.

If you've ever had that itch that says you should at least try to write a novel before you croak, I recommend giving National Novel Writing Month a shot. Like it did for me, it could be just the thing you need to help you stop itching and start writing!

Eater of the Dead: A Dragon Friend Excerpt

Just in time for Halloween! Check out a featured Dragon Friend excerpt on the BestSelling Reads blog: "The spooky season is upon us! H...