I won. I hit 50,011 on Friday evening, and up until now, I’m yet to add any words to that total. The story is still wrapping up, and will take a few more chapters to resolve the plot arc. Overall, I certainly enjoyed the experience; the best part of it all is that I have a workable project to edit and rewrite come December. And even though NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month) doesn’t come until March, I will try to take it upon myself to personally put in those 50 hours of editing, minimum. Besides, having written a novel in only 2 weeks, there are sure to be some aspects of the novel that will require rewriting or complete exclusion from the Novel.
On top of crossing the finish line, I have settled on a title for my novel. The way the plot wraps up, it can certainly stand alone as its own novel, but it leaves the ending somewhat open, allowing for serialization via a trilogy or something else. Considering the focus of the novel primarily on the three characters, I feel that having a novel’s title focus on each of the main characters is a good way to thematically tie them together through the trilogy.
Plans For The Future
I want to take it a bit easier this week, since I have to worry about JET applications. Having finished this project well ahead of the due date, I certainly have the time available to finely tune this application so that I can maximize my chances of acceptance. As for the novel itself, I will finish the rest of the book by the end of the week, and begin preparations for editing and second drafts.
The nice guy that I am, I will probably post the raw draft online on this blog. There are a number of sections in it, so I’m not sure how I will split up the posts without spamming the entire blog with nothing but the novel. I really want to talk about other things pertaining to Japanese Steampunk, and I don’t want those posts to get lost in a sea of nothing but Steampanku novel posts. Perhaps I will put it up on fictionpress or something. Not sure.
As for the editing process itself, I have downloaded ywriter and plan to use it for the editing process. This software will allow me to flesh out all the details of the novel in an organizable format, and will allow me to make my content-based decisions from there. For sure, there are continuity errors that I will remove, and entire chapters will be deleted. It will be my first go at editing a novel, and it will be something I look forward to doing.
As I’ve said before, I don’t want to spoil the plot for everyone, but it would appear that while all the characters are involved in their own storylines, I would like to think that Hanako has been given the spotlight in terms of action and screen time. In fact, she is the common thread between the other two characters, even though they themselves have interactions with each other that lead to important plot points. This is the reason why I settled on naming the title based on Hanako’s specialty with guardians.
Closing Thoughts for Week 2
Considering that I’ve already won, I am quite convinced that this is the last time I will refer to NaNoWriMo. From this point on, I will let the novel exist in its own right as an individual work in progress. Either way, I’m glad to have experienced the rigors of novel writing. I have an appreciation for the novel-writing profession and all the rewards and pitfalls that come with the lifestyle.
As an unemployed science graduate, I can see myself doing pursuing this profession in the meantime until the job market opens up for work opportunities. Or at least until after I find out my fate regarding the JET programme. Until next time, see you later!
