Looking Back, Looking Ahead

So, that's over. It was an interesting experience. I will probably do it again. I am still glad that it's over. Rilla did her own retrospective on the weekend, and I guess I'll do mine.

My plan for success did not exactly happen.

1) I did not even write on my laptop, and, in fact, access to the internet was an awesome tool for quick fact check. While I did do so aimless surfing, I was able to keep taht firmly under control. I underestimated myself here.

2) I wrote in the main room, and found the company of the dogs stimulating and not distracting.

3) and 4) I wrote from morning until night and slept just fine. There was no need for late night crams.

5) I ate mostly crap, but not as much as you might think. I had planned for needing a LOT of caffeine, but drank less than I would under normal daily circumstances. This is because I was so focused on the screen that I would sometimes jsut realize, "Oh, I'm thirsty".

6) I used my outline, for a while, but I did end up off outline. This caused me some troubles, which I'll discuss later. On the whole, though, I think it was a good thing.

7) I did, in fact save my work religiously. This makes 1 of the 7 so far on which my plan and reality coincided, and also a simple fact that cannot be denied. Save constantly.

8) This was the one where I said I should control my ambition. I was totally correct. Nearly everything wrong with my 3 Day Novel this year is due to having reached too far. I'm not sorry, exactly, but the drive to finish has left parts of the story a bit opaque.

9) Taking breaks was absolutely essential. it would help me shift gears to prep for the next scene, and it kept me sane and physically good. It can make you feel really crap to sit still and stare for 12 hours. So that's 2 in ten on which I was both correct and wise in conduct. 3 in which I was right.

10) I did not precisely shut out all other concerns and give life totally to my book. I had a reasonable amount of human contact.

So that goes to show a plan is only a plan.

I have mixed feelings about my book. It may be a while before I can approach it with the right eyes. I have no mixed feelings about the experience. It was a pure rush for me, even with my fears, and my anxieties about finishing. I proved to myself that I COULD write that much in such a short period and that felt good. I also pushed myself to tell a kind of story I don't tend to tell.

Aaaaaand I slandered the Mormons. Which wasn't exactly my intent, but, um, boy.

I am intensely grateful to all of the friends who were so supportive, and in particular those souls who, with such good spirits, talked me down via GMail chat throughout the weekend. I am also grateful to Rilla, without whom I would have felt a good deal more alone. Our check-ins via the blog and the phone were really reassuring. The word count, as Rilla said, acted as both gentle prod, and as a visible sign of both of our progress. I'm really glad we used the internet this way, and for this blog.

And, barring questions, that's all I really have to say. I'm looking for some readers to take a look at the book, and give me their feedback. Ms. Leiter, I'm looking at you. A fresh perspective would be great.

So that's back. Now forward.

I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year. I believe Rilla is too. Check me there if I'm wrong. You should as well. It's a low pressure, high support kind of competition, and everyone who finishes is a winner. Like the Special Olympics.

They have a community sense there, and I'm hoping that textFIGHT will be able to interface with that and bring new folks here as well. I'm famously bad at networking, so your suggestions are welcome.

November is a way off though. So, I think we'll probably have a few little bouts of our own between now and then. I'm not sure exactly what. If any of you have a proposal, go hard. I really want this to be a community based thing. I'll handle admin stuff, because, hey, somebody has to, but as far as I'm concerned, anyone can make a contest. Just keep them simple, make the needed writing fairly short, and make the rules straightforward.

Experience has taught us those things ensure success.

I'll think on it, but I'm gonna be a few days at least before I am feeling charged enough to get creative.

Cenobyte, have you got anything? I'd ask Ril, but I know for a fact she's feeeling all wrung out and ragged. But, so far, her book is pretty good. So that's something.