Revisiting NaNoWriMo 2011

So I just finished a very rushed reread through of my NaNo - really a read through for spelling and grammer and all those little things you overlook when you're writing in a rush.

The last bit, where I did it very quickly became very sloppy, and there are parts where I didn't know what to call a character and it just says WHOEVER and when I didn't know what food they would be eating and I told myself to add in something yummy later. That's all to be expected.

But on the whole it's not as horrid as I expected it to be. Which makes me very happy. So now I think I am going to do some work on it and not abandon it. I have too many first drafts sitting around, and nothing ever happening to them. This is now going to change. It does help that I like what I write now. So many years of going wrong I suppose, it's what practice is for. The thing about editing as well, is that in the past I've been like 'Oh, I wrote that, that's done.' But of course, now I've learnt, quite wonderfully, that it is only a first draft. It needs work. It needs editing and rewriting. The other thing that I've always thought as well I think is that editing doesn't feel like writing. I've always wanted to be 'actively' writing something, writing something new and fresh, because I've got too bored. Liking what I'm writing now means that I stick with it and try to make it better, improve it. I used to feel bad that I wasn't really doing any writing, that I was just messing around and that this wasn't good enough! I've read tonnes of interviews and articles with writers who say that they prefer the editing because they have something then. Oddly that's something I've always said about writing essays, but not about writing. But now I'm beginning to see, that it is writing. I am doing something productive. It's all part of the process. And to be able to remain attached to one idea for a longer time can only be a good thing.

Well, those are some very confused thoughts on writing and editing...