For those that do want to find your structure before NaNo starts this year, I think you’ll find the lessons at zero2novel.com very helpful!

@Kate, I can only imagine how many writers already know exactly what they’ll say to Oprah when the day comes I always imagine promoting NaNoWriMo and talking about how I wrote the first draft in 30 days, hehehee. My story sprang out of nowhere too and there have been some points in the plot where I got a little stuck but I found you just have to make something happen so you can move forward, keeping in mind that it’s a first draft and you’ll have a chance to go back and change it later. Good luck to you!

Turns to Oprah, an intent look in my eyes. “Oprah, I was just looking out of the window and the characters just jumped out of me fully formed. It’s as if they always existed in my mind. Was it hard writing a novel? No, it wasn’t. It wasn’t hard at all.”

Wishful thinking.

I’m currently working on a short story that just sprung out of nowhere. No outline, nothing. I just started writing it. Problem now is that I don’t know where to go from there anymore.

Do tell us more about your novel soon. I love YAs.

I did NaNoWriMo last year, I got to 39,000 words. All my writing was disjointed short stories all over the place, more like a 6 month supply of blog posts.

But it taught me a few valuable things:

- I am NOT a novelist (nor do I really want to be one). And that’s okay.

- My preferred writing style is short stories.

- I’m good at writing humor.

- I want to write kids books.

So, even though I didn’t complete the NaNu-Nanu challenge, the net result was still a positive one (but for different reasons). It’s helped me focus my writing on what I really want to do.

@Michele! Thanks! Nothing wrong with a few exclamation marks! I’m glad you enjoyed this little frolic through my novel writing experience, hehehee.

@Cath, Now I have three days left and 15 k words to write. I’m pretty sure I can handle that. There have been several days this month I’ve done 5 k. The closer I get, the more exciting it becomes. And more than once I’ve thought about abandoning it either because I come up with some other story idea or I’m simply too overwhelmed with work and other tasks but I am sticking to it dammit! Hehe.

I’ve done that so many times and I’m really trying not to this time round. It’s so bloody difficult though – those folk who manage to see a novel through to completion deserve a medal.

*smiles*
Michele