Life's Funny That Way

NaNo 2012 In the Books, so to speak!

I just finished my 5th NaNoWriMo a few days ago.  I have to say this one was a bit more difficult.  I really lacked enthusiasm for the project about halfway through.  It was about then that I did something I haven't in a while... I sat down and wrote part of my novel on paper.  I just wrote and wrote and didn't stop.  It took a lot longer to write everything longhand, it seemed, but it changed the way I thought about my novel.

Then, in a few days, my novel took a surprising new twist.  I thought all that would happen is the "bad guy" would get his just desserts, and everything would work out for everyone.  Ah, peaceful.  Then, as my protagonist was being saved... she should have been safe in a squad car going to see her husband in the local hospital where, by then, he would have his wounds bandaged and be recovering nicely....

It was there that the novel took a turn I did not see coming.  The cop driving the squad car, the people at the hospital - none of them wanted the world to know what my main character and her husband had uncovered.  They thought they had successfully buried these secrets long ago.  Now it was all fresh and dug up again, and it filled the air with a stench they could not stomach.

So, the novel went on, long after I originally planned for it to be over, with corruption and some action that I hadn't expected, and... yeah, an ending I was really happy with once it was all said and done.

There is definitely more to write of this novel Whispering Waters, but I have the basics down (some parts are definitely told rather than shown), and I made it to 50K for the fifth time.  I hope others reached their goals, too - whether that be 50K, 10K, or just to write each and every day for a month.  It truly doesn't matter if your goals align exactly with anyone else's goals as far as writing as concerned.  For me, it's mostly the journey of getting there, and learning things along the way.