Our Masterpieces...Err, Our Novels

Monday, November 29, 2010

The Finish Line, Baby!!

Chill-axing Song of the Day: "The End" by Kings of Leon

So, Quita and I have done the unthinkable. As you may recall, a few weeks ago we announced we were going to participate in NaNoWriMo. You see, we attempted and failed miserably last year. But after some coaxing from our writing sis, Racquel Henry, we decided to take a stab at it again.

And we didn't just stab that sucker--we filleted it!

Okay, that was a rather lame analogy, but not only did we meet the 50,000 requirement LAST Monday, but we also surpassed it! We both finished our first drafts last Wednesday and felt like doing this:


And this weekend, as promised, we will indulging ourselves with this:



Yeah boy!

So, I know that NaNo has been getting some flack by a few people. You know, if you were a real writer, you wouldn't need NaNo to get your butt in the chair and yadda yadda yadda.

Well, I'm sorry, as much as I heart writing, sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes I put everything and everyone first so much that my writing ends up taking backseat. It felt good making writing a priority--no matter how much I wanted to cry and pull out my hair this past month. Plus, after spending the past year writing and revising Wants, I had a great time just writing something for fun. Maybe I'll polish it up and let a few other eyes read it, but just finishing it is also reward enough.

Oh, and did I mention that both Quita and I know that writing everyday isn't necessarily impossible? As much as we whined about it, we always ended up writing more than our daily quotas. This is a habit that I know I can continue EVERY month (though maybe not as strenuously).

So, our lovely followers, how do you celebrate when you finish a first draft? How long do you wait until you start revising it?

Psst--by the way, we FINALLY came up with titles. My Lost Boys meets changelings manuscript is called The Switching Kind, and Quita's coming-of-age genie project is called The Yearning. For now at least. :)

9 comments:

Holly Hill said...

Woohoo on finishing and woohoo on titles! I'm a dive right in revision type. If I don't, I forget all those ideas I've had percolating during the whole writing process and the things I want to add/take out. After one round of revisions -- then I let it sit before I go at it again. :) Congrats on finishing!!

Stina said...

Congrats on finishing NaNo so early. That must be some runner's high you've got going right now. ;)

I'm plannning (planning being the key word here) to take a two week break to catch up on my reading.

Not sure if that will happen or if I'll be eager to jump right in. Usually I don't give my mss distance until I've gone through a few drafts. Then I need a break. :)

Kate Hart said...

Nice work ladies! And very cool titles!

KatOwens: Insect Collector said...

love the titles you landed on... and congrats. This is a massive achievement!!!

Marquita Hockaday said...

Thanks ladies :)

We worked sooo hard and pushed ourselves to get NaNo done this year...and now all we can think about is eating Five Guys this weekend!

Thanks for the compliments on the titles. They're sticking for now but we may change our minds.

Holly and Stina, thanks for the revising info. If we have to the time we might just give our manuscripts a run over and then let it sit.

Again thanks...stay tuned for the pics of Five Guys goodness!

Alicia Gregoire said...

Congrats ladies!

Racquel Henry said...

Awww shucks! *blushes* I love those titles! Guess that answers my question a few posts back (sorry, I'm just catching up) I'm so proud of you both for finishing! And I know it may be lame to some, but I'm rewarding myself with reading a book. I really missed it! lol :)

Ricki Schultz said...

Congrats, guys! Doesn't it feel good???

Happy editing! :)

8 said...

FIVE GUYS! Seriously. Five Guys.

Yum.

I agree with your view of NaNo. I finished, too, (yay!) but there is something to the deadline, even if it is self imposed, to make you do it. It's easy to say "I'll do it later." (CF I haven't edited one word since finishing- not so much out of not wanting to, more out of having other things- bills, life- get in the way.)

Plus there was a snotty article on Salon arguing that there are too many books already, and what we need is more readers, not more writers.

To which I say, "Screw you."

Seriously- I set a goal and I reached it. It may never see print, but I did it and you can't take it away from me.