It's over.
And if you reached your goals this month, congrats!
And if you didn't, whether because of illness, unplanned misfortune, struggling to find time, just plain procrastination, etc., you got practice in for the next challenge.
As to my thoughts on Nano, overall I had a blast. I felt so productive all month long, and got a lot more written than I would have if I hadn't had this deadline. But there definitely were some pros and cons for me.
Pros:
1. Like I said, having the set deadline really helped in my productivity. It helped me learn new time management skills to fit in the writing, and by blogging and telling you all how I did, it kept me accountable to get it done.
2. The short time period of thirty days helped me. Since I knew it was only a month, it kept me motivated to get the work done and to just keep writing even when I didn't particularly feel inspired.
3. Even though the people at Nanowrimo recommend you start with a brand new idea to keep the creative juices flowing, using the time instead to finish my manuscript helped me break past the feelings of stuck-ness and not wanting to work on it I had been experiencing prior to the challenge. And the time crunch really helped in coming up with important elements in the story.
Cons:
1. Since there was so much to write in such a short period of time, I really didn't have a lot of time to get other projects done (like the manuscript I want to put on Kindle).
2. It's also really hard to catch up on the challenge if you get sick and are too ill to write (fortunately, I only got a cold and had minor stomach trouble, I can't imagine what it must have been like for those who had the flu during Nano).
3. It can be really tempting when you're pressed for time to just write random words to fill up the quota, since the emphasis here is word count and not actual story (I didn't do this, but I did overhear a girl mentioning this to someone else).
Overall, though, I would do this challenge again. It really helped with my manuscript, and the challenge does help in developing other important skills such as organization and time management. If nothing else, it's writing practice, which is always a plus.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read all these updates, and for keeping me accountable. Part of the reason I was able to complete Nanowrimo was because I knew I had people watching out for me, who I would have to tell each day how I did. Thank you, and while I won't be posting as frequently as I have been during this challenge, I do hope to post something once a week, whether it's about writing, reading, books, or something else I'm interested in and think you might be as well.
Until then, keep on reading, writing, and dreaming.
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