Reflections on NaNo

I know what you're thinking. "It's still November! How can you be writing reflections on NaNo when it isn't even over yet?" (for those of you wondering what in the world I am talking about, click here). The fact is that I finished my novel. Sure, it only came up to 39,868 words. But you know what? That's 39,868 words more than I would have had otherwise.

Besides, 50,000 words isn't really the point of NaNo. Gasp! You mean the whole goal they have you set up is actually just a motivation tool to spur you on through the journey and that the journey is where the real reward is? You know, I couldn't have said it better myself =P. Some arbitrary number of words isn't the point. Writing is. Pursuing your dream of writing a story is. Becoming a better writer and growing as a person is. And having fun. There's that too.

One of the things I did this year is I invited several friends and family to read along as I write. That was an amazing experience. I would always get so excited every time I opened up my email to find "New Comment on your Google Document" or when I would get a Skype message from someone saying they loved such and such part. And then there was poking fun at my own writing in front of everybody. "Hair like a squirrel's tail"?!? Yes, that line actually made it in there. Have no idea where it came from, but it's there.

It's exciting to see how far I've come in my writing since last year. My novel last year came to a screeching halt at 10,000 words. That was the first time. I then rewrote the whole thing in first person, giving me closer to 22,000 words. The rest was filler. Bonus scenes, alternate timeline, character interviews...18,000 words of filler. This year? After going back and deleting all the impromptu discussions with characters and complaining to myself, I still have 36,000 words of solid content. First time. Detail is still very much my weak point, but I would call that an accomplishment.

I experimented with a slightly different kind of story this year--more of an adventure story. At least the first half. The second half was more like my first novel with everything taking place in the same location. The first half had slightly better planning than the second half, but went much better. Dividing the story into distinct and well-defined chapters proved very effective. With the second half, I fell back onto my old habit of trying to stretch what is more of a single scene idea into a full chapter--not so effective.

A few other areas I noticed that still need improvement: Character descriptions. I am absolutely terrible with these. Getting my characters into trouble. I cringe every time one of my characters is about to do something they know is wrong (with the exception of villains--I love my villains). I've noticed that I tend to put a lot more attention on action, on what the characters are doing, than on description and making use of the five senses. This could use a bit more balance. That being said, there are a few descriptions I am particularly proud of. And I very much enjoy weaving symbolism and spiritual lessons into my stories.

The question is now, Where to go from here?

I now have two stories drafted. Both are still in need of some revision. But as I go about writing and rewriting these stories, I need to remember to stay true to myself as an author. I'm not writing to please anybody else--I'm writing because I have a story that needs to be told. And if that story happens to touch another life, all the better. But the most important thing right now is to tell the story faithfully.