50,000 Words Challenge
I did it! Now What?
Guess what?
I finished that "50,000 words writing challenge" thing a couple days ago!
First though - I'm not calling it NaNoWriMo anymore for a reason. Some serious allegations against that organization have been circulating in the past week or so and I'd rather not be promoting them anymore. At least not until after they actually tell us what happened, address their problems, and fix their issues. Maybe then. We'll see.
Moving on from that... I hit 50,000 words on the 20th and am very proud of myself! That works out to 2,500 words a day for the 20 days that it ended up taking and almost all of that was accomplished through "writing sprints" that some friends of mine were running throughout the month. (Hi, friends!!!)
I am thrilled to have hit that 50k mark... but I'm also feeling kind of smooshed under the new pressure of what to do with my story. I still have a couple of chapters left to tie together the ending, so I'll do that next. I should probably let it sit for a few days after that and then jump into a complete reread and start tagging all the plot holes and inconsistencies.
This first draft is also the first thing I've written without heavily editing as I go, and I am a little terrified to inspect it too closely. Currently, I really like it! That makes me extra nervous to take a magnifying glass to it (or just to look at it as a whole unit at all), but I know that I'll have to do that eventually. I also suspect that I wrote a little too much of myself and my life into the story and I should probably fix that. Oh, and I kind of hate one of the side characters so they might be getting the axe. And then there is the whole "what age group did I aim this at, and does it still work for that?" thing...
What else? Oooof. Right. I let my Vocal+ membership lapse in order to keep from tempting myself with writing for the challenges instead of towards my project during November. Let me tell you, I MISS QUICK EDIT so much. That feature alone might be enough to make me renew my annual PLUS membership! Please excuse any typos as it is now a whole ordeal in order to fix them.
Thanks for reading!
Donna Renee
About the Creator
Donna Renee
Hi! Thanks for reading! My hobbies include making coffee, drinking coffee, and starting to write a story and then rage-deleting it when I get the slightest bit frustrated.
Work in Progress: WOWH, cozy mystery (paranormal elements)
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NaNoWriMo 2023 Update
Hey friends! Just hopping on here to leave a little update. I am still in my self-imposed Vocal time-out for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). If you aren't familiar with that, basically you commit to trying to write 50,000 words of a first draft of a novel in the month of November. Whew! This is my first time trying it and I'm having so much fun!
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Comments (39)
It's hard just to get going when writing but once you have done it, then it's easy to do it again. Congrats on writing 50,000 words and on top story.
50000 words. Wow. Amazing
Loved this story. I feel a little dumb asking, but there's a quick edit feature?
Congratulations on sticking with your challenge. I know how daunting it can be to get your story onto the page. Keep it up - it’s a great muscle to flex on a daily basis.
No typos that I can see, but, ohhh, congratulations, wow! I am so impressed by your fortitude in this! I fear I could not have done this with the job I have, but damn, you make me want to try it anyway, and I might, just not for an official month-a-wrino thingy. I'm dying to know what you wrote your book about, and your hated side character is making me super curious, lol. If you want a helper for any part of it, I volunteer! 🤓 (Seriously, though, I'll beta read or help you edit or proofread or whatever.)
First of all, congratulations! That’s a challenge many never finish, and you finished early. Secondly, you must have a great novel in the works. I’ve found that if a story wants to be told, it flows out. If the story isn’t right for me, or the timing isn’t right because I need more perspective, nothing will get it out—writing sprints and encroaching deadlines be damned. Let this be a sign to you that you’re the right author to write this novel, and this is exactly the right time.
Woo hoo ! Wow! Congratulations Donna! You can do it! 🥰
Well done!
Congratulations on such an achievement!!! Not an easy feat! And a TS!💙 Anneliese
Well done Donna. Congrats on the accomplishment and your Top Story.
Hats off to your work! Keep it going—congrats!😉
Congrats on the 50,000 words AND top story! I didn't know there was controversy... I might be oblivious. What is the controversy about?
Congratulations, Donna, on hitting 50,000 and securing the Top Story! I'm in awe of anyone tackling the unnamed challenge. I refrained due to my current distracted state. Haven't heard about the controversy, but knowing you're navigating it with tenacity is commendable. You rock!
Wooohooooo congratulations again for hitting 50k words and congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊 I'm a nosy B so may I know what's going on with NaNoWriMo? 😋😋 I wish you all the best for writing the ending and your reread. I hate rereading what I've written because I'd always find a plothole or something I hate on every single reread. For 50k words worth of reading, you're gonna need all the patience and luck in the world. You got this! Lol, I love the fact that you wanna kill off a character just because you don't like them!
Congrats on the 50,000 word mark! I realized after starting up The Artist's Way and doing my Morning Pages digitally (and thus, doing around 1,500 words a day), that 50k words definitely stacks up quickly over time. I'm happy for you. Can't wait to see the work you put out!
You’re a rock star! Congratulations!
When I write a regular story of 600 + words, I have to exit a few times and then revisit later. 50000 words would send me to the loony bin. I really admire your dedication to your cause. Congrats on a milestone of major proportions. Keep those spirits up.
Just thinking about 50k words is giving me a headache 😅 well done Donna for actually doing that 🥳
Donna I love this!! I love that you pushed yourself and you are on this new adventure and that you are sharing it with us!! That is a shit ton of writing and I love that you left it "raw" so to speak, in the sense that you didn't edit it at all! I hope the process continues to motivate and give you the push to keep going! So excited to see where this will take you! Congrats on Top Story and the 50000 words!
Congratulations, Donna, on making 50,000 and the Top Story! Heck, I'm in awe of anyone who would even committ to the unnamed challenge. I didn't because I knew I was too distracted and scatterbrained at this particular juncture to manage it. I hadn't heard of the controversy, but I'm not entirely surprised. Regardless of where it goes from here (and I expect it WILL go somewhere) I applaud your tenacity! YOU ROCK!
Congratulations, Donna! (I say with bated breath as I know yours surely must be as you approach this next stage in the process.)
Congratulations on writing 50,000 words in 20 days!!! Allowing your 1st draft to settle and going back later, is an excellent idea. Sending positive vibes and virtual hugs!!!❤️❤️💕
Well done. That is fabulous. 🥰
I know we’ve been messaging about it but congrats!! Knew you’d crush it
Yay knew this would happen, congrats on Top Story!