Somehow (aka by working my ass off and producing words like a f-cking robot), I wrote a 1st draft of 50,209 words in 29 days (and nights, yay! ¬_¬).

AND IT FEELS SO FINE!? I’m actually proud of myself! THIS IS GOOD, GUYS! A new book drafted before the end of 2018! WIN! CHEERS!

For the most part, I managed to type the “required” 1,666 words per day. And on the many (way too many) days I fell behind, I panicked—thinking that my one chance (I know I’m dramatic) to produce another 1st draft in 2018 was slipping through my fingers (literally).

It wasn’t always easy, but it wasn’t as difficult as it sounds (even for me, my lack of an outline, the winter blues, and my full-time job).

My thoughts right now:

1. NaNo is a WONDERFUL training experience, and I recommend it without reservations: I learned loads, struggled even more, and came out a faster writer (whether I also became “better” is a question I’ll answer to myself whenever I start editing the monster I created).
2. NaNo taught me one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned during my time writing so far: “don’t edit as you go.” (No. Hands off. Stop. Really, it’s not worth it. It slows you down and activates your inner overthinker. Quit it.) Will most of my sentences kinda suck? ABSOLUTELY! But they will be there for me to fix them when I sit down and slave away editing anyway.
3. I LOVE the story and its characters, but my NaNo draft is a radioactive zombie megalodon engulfed in flames. And that’s OK: AT LEAST I WROTE ANOTHER DRAFT! The first draft of my completed manuscript took me almost a year, man. If I compare my productivity rates, there are no cons to this experience! NONE AT ALL!
4. Writing nonsequential chapters is the only way I can (and thus should) do both NaNo and any drafting. I grow tired of the in-betweens and need to first get my main scenes written so that I can connect the pieces later on.
5. NaNo also taught me self-discipline (my fave thing): the word count becomes a daily goal, and that mentality allowed me to shut down the distractions and FOCUS. Bonus lesson: I “learned” to write at cafes, without connecting my iPad to WiFi (Nobody ever told me it is easier to write without being online! *facepalm*).
6. NaNo is just great. I’ll be challenging myself to a minimum daily word count of 1k during 2019, to keep up with the standards this experience has imposed on me.

Many people roast NaNo as a ”worthless” endeavor. I can only say: NAH, IT IS BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE FOR MY WRITING.