After NaNoWrimo

Yes it was. I finished the story and made it to 50,096 words with a little over ten minutes to spare and it is great knowing that I achieved it. Maria is also a much better story as a result. There was an awful lot of baggage with the original plot outline and I think it would only have served to slow everything down if I'd kept it all.

Did you enjoy the experience?

It was excellent. I got to really immerse myself in a story the way I did when I was a kid. I also got to grumble about my sore hands, time spent away from my PC and the occasional dose of eye-strain and I do like a good grumble. I'm actually at a bit of a loss as to what to do with my weekends and evenings now, although I suppose it'll have to include the housework and putting my CDs away. There's about a hundred stacked at the side of the desk.

Now November is over, when do you think you’ll revisit your NaNo novel again?

Within the next week or so. I didn't just want to hit the word-count, I wanted to finish Maria as well. Even allowing for my decision to pare the whole thing down the end is a little rushed so I'm going to pad it out a little. I'm hoping to have it kicked into shape by Christmas. There's also the synopsis to write for the free assessment, and the wait to be told every single word is awful :)

How many words do you see the final version of your manuscript being?

Probably around 60,000, maybe a little more. Almost certainly no more than 65 or 70,000.

Do you have any advice you could pass on to others who are considering entering NaNoWriMo 2014?

Just get stuck in, mostly. For anyone not sure how to go about it I'd definitely advise drawing up a timeline and bullet-pointed plot outline, but I'd give the same advice for starting a novel under any circumstance. I only ended up using bits of the prep work, maybe a third or so, but having it there helped me concentrate on the better ideas. Assuming, of course, I made the right choices. It's loads of fun, and gives you a great excuse to spend a month being anti-social and obsessive.

And finally… would you do it again?!

I've already booked next November for it. I might, however, save up my holiday at work and see how much of the month I can take off.

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