| Another November gone. For those of you who, | | | | had so far, less than ten have sold their books to |
| like me, participated and WON in the National | | | | big traditional publishers. |
| Novel Writing Month, I bet you're all going through | | | | Of course, the main aim of this marathon is to |
| the Post NaNoWriMo Blues. | | | | push your writing mind to the extreme, to |
| Yes, the heroic deed is done... 50,000 words in 30 | | | | annihilate writer's block and silly procrastinations, |
| days. From about 60,000 participants, 9,765 won. | | | | and ultimately to proof to yourself that you can |
| When I reached the finish line, I opened a bottle | | | | do it. |
| of champagne and started bothering people on | | | | I can't say it was a smooth trip, and several |
| the phone. After all the bragging I had done for | | | | times I thought my ship would sink to the |
| months, this was a necessary act. | | | | bottom, but, as I already said, I had simply |
| The thing is, after all those overly caffeinated, | | | | bragged to shamelessly to family and friends, so |
| crazy days of extreme imaginative performance, | | | | that kept me going. |
| surrounded by mountains of laundry (Mom, I don't | | | | Writing 1,667 words a day, the first and second |
| have clean socks left!), frozen dinners (Oh, no, not | | | | weeks went well. The third week killed me. I had |
| Chinese pizza again!), and bewildered expressions | | | | created too many characters, and they wanted |
| from family and friends (Look at you--when did | | | | to take control of the story without giving much |
| you last wash your hair?), I now share the same | | | | thought to the plot or to the red herrings I had |
| energy level as a zombie. My depleted mind can't | | | | so generously put all over the first half of the |
| come up with any more words. In fact, writing | | | | book. Tragedy struck: I didn't write for three |
| this column is like excavating a Sumerian artefact | | | | days, and on the days I wrote, I didn't reach the |
| in tough terrain somewhere in the Middle East. | | | | daily quota. This threw my ship off course. The |
| Now I'm faced with the tough job of editing my | | | | waters turned wild and murderous. The fourth |
| masterpiece, but that will have to wait till after | | | | week showed up without an invitation. I panicked. |
| Christmas. I'd much rather spend money and shop | | | | If I wanted to make it, I would have to write |
| for the holidays than dive into my novel's | | | | almost 3,000 words a day. So I kept hearing |
| dangerous murky waters, which even have an | | | | these voices in my head... of my stuck-up cousin |
| army of violin-headed creatures... (yes, the soldiers | | | | Harriet, for example: "Oh, you lost? I somehow |
| have violins instead of heads--and no, I wasn't | | | | expected it. It takes will and determination to |
| exposed to too many Dali paintings during my | | | | write a whole book in one month, after all. Don't |
| childhood). Will I be able to sell my novel? Only | | | | worry, there's always next November for this |
| time will tell. It's interesting to mention that of all | | | | year's losers." Okay, so I don't have a cousin |
| the thousands of winners which NaNoWriMo has | | | | named Harriet. I just hate that name. |