Winning or Is That What It’s About…

I reached the 50,000 word minimum to so-to-speak win NaNoWriMo. But I did not finish my novel.

Let me repeat, I did not complete my novel. In my opinion, and estimation according to the blueprint I laid out for my story, I came nowhere close to completing the first draft of my novel, Lotus Blooming.

One part of me holds a little shame in having boasted so much about the great experience I had as a participant of NaNoWriMo. And yet this other part of me wonders if I have not actually gained the greatest gift NaNoWriMo can provide anyone who participates regardless of whether they reached the 50,000-word mark.

While the rules of NaNoWriMo may consider me a winner of sorts, I do not feel that I won anything, or deserved to. Then again, I did not seek to reach the 50,000-word minimum to win.

My goal from the outset was to have as wonderful an experience as possible writing the first draft of my novel, Lotus Blooming.

This desire for a joyful experience comes out of having written novels during the fall of the last three years since earning my MFA, and hating every minute of writing those first drafts. I can say that now having written in the four weeks of NaNoWriMo, and with joy, what I struggled to type/write during the 15 weeks of the last three autumns.

Did you participate in NaNoWriMo?

If so, what was your goal?

Did you reach it?

How might you reach it next year?

Are you interested in participating in NaNoWriMo next year?