I have been proud of several accomplishments in my life, but this one is major for me! One of my dreams since childhood has been to write a novel, but challenges of life have somehow always taken center stage over writing.
As in any dream however, once a plan is put into action, things begin to happen. This year, I dusted off a novel outline begun while living in New Orleans. With some emotional distance from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I thought I could start writing again more seriously. Then I found NaNoWriMo. Voila, a kick in the seat of the pants! Simply get the words on paper and then edit later. Write 50,000 words in 30 days. Others have done it for years; why not me?
I signed up and on November 1, 2009, I was ready to start. All kinds of situations tried to get in the way, but at approximately 11:15 PM Central time on November 29, 2009 (a bit over 24 hours before deadline) I scrambled my novel-in-progress and downloaded it into the official word count validator.
Within moments, my badge of honor appeared on the official site. I had validated 51,848 words!
The novel is only about 1/3 finished and the storyline has grown to the point of needing a trilogy, but that is fine. Now I have begun a new facet of my life and am loving every minute of this journey. Thank you to everyone who has cheered me on each step of the way (you all know who you are) and thank you for letting me neglect you in favor of my writing.
Congrats again! It's almost like waiting for a baby to be born. We Know It Will Get Published (born)!
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