Post NaNoWriMo life...

So yet again it has come to that time of year where life has settled back down to post NaNoWriMo, or supposedly has... Novemeber still hasn't come to an end yet and since finishing my draft (one important thing I've learnt over the years and in particular this year is that it is a DRAFT not a complete story or a novel. it still needs a hell of a lot of work) I have had to focus on getting my essay handed in and other bits and pieces like that.

I have also, very excitedly, been planning this other story, although it needs lots of detailed planning or it won't work so I'm trying to take it slowly and not rush into it. It's hard though. But I need a break (sort of.. I should really..) and I want to think about it for a bit.

I also have my previous story to edit and rework, and it will have been good to have a break from that.

Finished!

So I have completed NaNoWriMo for the year. YAY! I had 5,000 left this morning and decided to just go for it and finish it, which left me with an aching hand and also a feeling of guilt at the work I should have been doing, but I did feel good to finish it. I have to say I think I've finished earlier than usual, which is impressive, and although I did rush the last 5,000 and am definitely not as happy with them as I am with the rest of what I wrote I suppose that's a part of NaNo and it was going to happen. It definitely needs a lot of work, but I did it. I thought also that I would have enough story to take me way beyond the 50,000 mark, it turned out I didn't and struggled to get there in the last few hundred words - maybe that was psychological, I don't know, but it was rather annoying. It was probably becuase I was rushing to finish and although I kenw what I wanted to happen, didn't think about it enough. But why am I complaining? I have managed to write 50,000 words in 21 days, which is pretty impressive and I enjoy being able ot do that.
I have definitely improved so much since my first NaNo which was a pile of nonsense, and I actually (sort of) had enough story to get me to the end without throwing in a ridiculous plot.
Oddly, I didn't feel quite as happy and relieved as I should have done to finish. Maybe becuase I rushed it to get to the end, that feeling didn't come.
Oh well.
I still like my idea. I'm not sick of it. Good? Bad?
But at the same time I'm looking forward to getting back to editing my other project, and starting to plan my next one whilst giving this one a rest before I look at it again.
Also, the story changed completely from what I expected it to be, but that was quite exciitng, and the way I like it to be - where I vaguely know what I want to happen, but there's so much space for other stuff to happen that its exciting and not a stressful thing when you realise that will work better.
I have been enjoying Maureen Johnson's NaNo advice each day on her tumblr, it is very useful and I want to copy it and keep it all as inspiration. Really, go read it. So helpful.
In other news, I handed in a story today for CW that I really wasn't that happy with, but it had to do. My essay is nearly finished too. Yay!
My wrist is killing now, need to get off the computer, and go have supper.

Ideas and Dreams

I have a dream the other night which was so bizarre, but I kept remembering it and yesterday I suddenly thought of an AWESOME idea for a story which will be really interesting and exciting to write, and I'm already really excited about it.

Unfortuantely, it doesn't fit into my 500 word proposal I have to write, nor the story on the royal family I have to write (this is surprisingly hard - I always used to write about real people (fanfic) but writing it for something that has to be handed in is difficult). It doesn't fit into my NaNo story, nor my essay on Shakespeare (what a surprise there). Nor do I want to write it as a short story for my course.

So I'm just going to make lots of notes and keep thinking about it, and have something to look forward to writing when November is over....

Eleven days into November and I have already hit 30,000 words. I don't know where this burst of energy has come from, but I'm not complaining. I'm really not. It obviously means I like the story and I'm into it and it works. I suppose I have had more practice at writing this many words and it doesn't seem so much of a challenge anymore.
But it's still great to have a deadline and something to work towards doing.
All in all, it seems to be going well. So happy to be writing something huge again. Although lack of short story ideas for short fiction module is a little bit worrying...