So, I meant to update this blog at least twice as much as I actually managed to do over Nano. Which is to say, it would've been updated two times, since I managed one update over the course of a month. *facepalms* I am sorry, you guys. All I can say is that Nano, school, and thesis braining completely took away what little time I might have had. Not to mention trying to have a social life during the biggest writing marathon of the year. It was pretty crazy.
That being said, I had a blast doing Nano this year. I worked on my honors thesis–a creative piece, don't worry–and I actually managed to finish the whole draft, which was what I'd been aiming for in the first place. That was super exciting, as now I have a manuscript sitting on my table waiting to be edited down. (I'm super torn about this, because the thesis itself can only be about eighty pages, and mine is at least 70-80 pages over that. I know there's some cutting that needs to be done, but at the same time, I would have to expand if I plan to try the publishing route at some point. It's a weird double standard.)
Anyway, I at least have a draft of sorts to play with, final word count right about 46,500 words. Because I was shy by a few thousand words, I also had to write on another novel and a few pieces of short fiction belonging to a larger collection in order to win this year. That was fine with me. Even if I ended up abandoning the second novel about a week in to focus solely on the thesis, I have a second idea I still like, even if I did approach it all wrong.
That being said, it was a thrill to finish a novel and still like it at the end of the month. "Between Two Lives" as the thesis is tentatively titled, turned out pretty well for a first draft, and I'm definitely going to be doing that whole 'plan the entire novel beforehand' approach again, just because it worked out so well.
Thanks to everyone who listened to me bitch and moan over the course of the month about how I was never going to finish, and handled my regular word count updates without complaint. You guys rock.
I'll be posting again in the next few days–please, God, I hope–to catch you guys up on how the querying process is going. Thanks for sticking with me.