Fiction
NaNo 2010 – Empire of the Lost
Final word count: 50,531
As you may deduce from the working title, this year’s NaNo baby is set in a lost property office in Helsinki and is all about losing things – and finding them. Or not, as the case may be.
Although I vowed to plan better I totally pantsed it. Which was actually a great experience! But left me with an even worse mess of a text than last year….
2011?
NaNo 2009 – Helsinki Syndrome
Final word count: 50,793
After being behind from the outset, I managed to pull 12,000 words in 22 hours – only taking time out for a full night’s sleep, three meals and four doughnuts – and after that it seemed I’d done too much not to ‘win’.
Yet when editing time came, I was less than happy with the result. Sure, I expected the text itself to be a mess, but I had issues with the plot, the structure, the characters, the… well, almost everything.
It needs a huge rethink. And I hope to attempt it one day. But for now, time has marched on and it’s already time for NaNo 2010. This year, I intend to plan a little bit more tightly.