This week, I passed the fifty-thousand-word mark in the Novel. It's quite a feeling to get this far with something that came to mind over thirty years ago.
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which finished for 2023 on Thursday, aims to write the first draft of a fifty thousand-word novel in a month. That works out to 1,666 words daily, with an extra one on the last day. It takes resolve to take this challenge on, and many support groups and Discord channels offer support for those taking part. I thought about giving it a go one year, but that's about as far as I got.
But, back to Beasting Dartmoor. 50k words is a significant milestone and enough for a novel in itself. There is probably another 10 to 15k more words before completing the first draft. My initial aim at the beginning of the year was 90k words when I started the Novel in a Year workshop with Jenny Kane. When I get down to the first edit in the new year, that number will grow closer to that amount.
I have the ending already mapped out. I know where the story is going. It's going to be easy from here on in? No, there are a few conundrums to sort out yet, one being, do I want any characters for another book?
It has been a labour of love, and it has taken quite some time to get to this position. Would I write another book? Hell, yes. I already have ideas for the next book. One thing, though, is that I will be quicker with it next time.
I will be attending the next workshop in our Novel in a Year this afternoon. I will come away with more changes and ideas for the rest of the book. I'm still on track to have the first draft finished very shortly,
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