NaNoWriMo - I Did It!

This is my cool and collected pose!

I was hoping that someone was going to approach me and ask me this simple question...

"So, what have you been up this month?"

There is a selfish reason for that. Because I already have the answer, but I need someone to ask me that question so I can shout it out:

"Oh, what have I been up to this month. Nothing much. I just wrote a book!"

Of course, you need to imagine me all cool and collected. You know - leaning against a wall, hands in my pockets, nonchalantly staring off into space like I am completely bored. I wrote a book. I got to be all professional now or something like that. Like it was no big deal. Like people do this all the time.

But that is not the case. I am going to be like my child hyped up on Mountain Dew and candy bars. By the time I get to the end I will probably be - correction - will be jumping up and down. And for dramatic effect, I could use a trampoline so I could get some real height and exaggerate my excitement.

Why? Because I wrote a book. How can I not be excited?

As of November 26, 2012, at 8:20 p.m., I had completed 353 pages in Microsoft Works in Courier New 12 Point Font.  That is 81,808 words worth. And just in case you didn't have enough numbers already to look at, in an average printed off paperback book (about 300 words per page), I would have written a book that is about 273 pages. That is a whole lot to absorb. I did it. I am a NaNoWriMo Winner!

I need to take a minute to calm myself down....

So today I woke up and for the first time in a long time, I didn't know what to do with myself. I have wrote and wrote and wrote. And now I am done. It is a weird feeling. I don't even know how to describe it really.

I feel like I should feel different today. But I don't. I feel like I just rode this great roller coaster ride and suddenly it ended. It just stopped. And I feel empty. I feel like I should be writing. I feel like I should still be working on this book. But it is done. It is a washed over feeling of complete satisfaction but complete sadness at the same time.

Now I know the book isn't done yet. It is still in a very rough first copy. I need to read it again and do a first round of edits. These are the edits to catch any grammatical mistakes I might have made, but also to add more color to the story. After all, when you write to get the story down, you might have missed a spot where you could have been more descriptive. This is my job and is a necessary one to make the book complete.

A second pair of eyes is always
a good idea!

And then I need to pass the book on to a few select people for further editing. These people will hopefully find the grammatical errors I missed and they might be able to point out the storylines that might not have actually made it out of my head. So it might make sense to me, but not to them. It is always good to have a different set of eyes to look at it.

Then finally, I need to decide on the publishing venue. Do I go the traditional route and hope and plead that some publisher will pick up my book so I can see a copy at Barnes and Noble? Or do I just do it "ebook" style and have the satisfaction that it is published? These are important decisions. And today, as I glanced at how to publish, I realize there is so much more I need to learn and a whole lot of work ahead of me.

But for now, it is time to let my brain rest. It has been an incredible journey. I am sad that this step has ended. I have had this book sitting in my head for the last 5 years, give or take, and now it is finally complete. I feel kind of empty. I am hoping other writer's can relate.

Don't get me wrong. I am super excited about finishing my book. But now that I am done, I no longer have an excuse as to why the house hasn't been cleaned, laundry isn't done, and my husband's work clothes haven't been ironed. I have been absorbed into a book but now it is time to head back to reality!

Congratulations to all those who completed NaNoWriMo. You achieved something great. And for those still pushing, you still have time. Get to writing!