"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." - Walt Disney

Monday, December 2, 2013

Evaluation Mode

Congratulations to everyone who competed in NaNoWriMo! If you didn’t meet the 50,000 mark, or maybe you did, but you don’t like how it turned out – you are still successful. You attempted something tremendous, and you still deserve the kudos.

In my own case, I have a basic first draft, but I’m not certain about the word count. I wrote the whole thing out in a notebook. I’m not entirely happy with the climax or ending, but the bones of the story are there. And isn’t that the whole point of this challenge?
Now comes the fleshing out, and polishing. Try these 10 Ways to Add Depth to You Scenes.

I hope no one is rushing to submit. Apparently many agents and editors have quit taking pitches in December for this very reason. See: Four Things Writers Should Remember in December.

This is also the time of year I start evaluating what I have accomplished since January. I begin setting my goals for the new year. Some of those ambitions may include daily word counts, markets to tackle, or even research to complete. No matter what level you consider yourself (beginner or professional) here are four matters to attend to this next year.
How was your NaNoWriMo experience? What goals are you working toward now?

6 comments:

Lisa Ricard Claro said...

I didn't participate in NaNo this year because I was finishing up final tweaks on my ms. Mission accomplished, so the agent querying has begun in earnest. Goal #1 for 2014 is to get an agent. Hard work ahead, and fingers crossed. :)

Sylvia Ney said...

Best of luck on your agent search Lisa!

Unknown said...

I'm not a NaNo participant but certainly cheer on and marvel those who made the attempt, finish or not. What an undertaking! Congratulations to you.

Kimberly said...

Awesome on getting the first draft down! I didn't do NaNoWriMo - someday. :)

Remembering Grace said...

That is great that you have a first draft, congratulations!

Rebecca Gomez said...

Congratulations on your full draft! I wrote mine out by hand too, and counted little by little as I went. I was determined to be an "official" winner this year, and it really spurred me on! I wrote much of my draft with complete abandon, and it was great! In a week or so I will finish typing it up and see how well it holds together. :-)