Well, we made it. November is over, and with it, National Novel Writing Month. Mid-Manhattan’s aspiring novelists were dropping like flies in the third week of the month, but by the fourth week we had a strong showing of determined and focused writers. The experience of writing a novel for NaNoWriMo is just like that—just when you think you’ve been defeated by the scope of the project, momentum builds in the last week to get as much written as possible. The reward? Knowing you did it! (Not to mention the relief that it’s over, and you can rejoin society just in time for holiday parties and general merrymaking.)

So, what Mid-Manhattan novelists are left standing at the end of the month? Did our valiant writers meet the 50,000 word goal? Read below to find out!

Novelist: Alexis C.

Book Title: Woman In White

What's your book about?

A vengeful ghost wanders Brooklyn leaving strange disturbances in her trail as she  searches out the boyfriend that pushed her to suicide.

Did you meet the 50,000 word goal?

Nope, but I got close: 46,158

How do you feel about your project for the month, now that it's concluded? Would you do anything differently?

I really enjoyed it, when the story first came to me I knew it would be a bigger project than most of the short stories I wrote, so I think this was a great way to really flesh it out. I think if I really wanted to meet the word count at the end I should have had a better idea of the back story and maybe should have had a real outline. But no, I wouldn’t do anything different. The pressure of writing 1,667 words a day pushed me to play with the story and actually see it to the end. Without NaNoWriMo I wouldn’t have done that.

Are you going to try to get it published?

Maybe in a few years after I’ve edited a few dozen times.

Any plans for future writing projects?

I have at least ten ideas running around in my head at the moment. Some I’ve already started and others that have just been knocking around for a while. I actually have been working on bits and pieces that could work as a NaNo project for next year.

 

Novelist: Carol Z.

Working Book Title: Infiltrations

What’s your novel about?

Fresh out of college in 1978, Jane Pardy and her friend, Renee Frank, embark on a cross-Canada trip. Mistaken for lovers, they’re welcomed by women’s organizations in cities across the continent during a time when being lesbian is still quite taboo. Once on the west coast, Jane finds herself in the midst of a cult and again pretends to be something she’s not, using what she’s learned to get people out.

Did you meet the 50,000 word goal? Yes!

How do you feel about your project for the month, now that it's concluded? Would you do anything differently?

I followed my outline, and am amazed that it matched the 50,000 word count pretty closely. There are sections I loathe, however, that will need serious infusions of magic and musicality before I let anyone read them. When pressed for time, I resorted to “blocking” scenes, using very simple language.  This wasn’t useless, but needs serious revisiting.

Are you going to try to get it published?  

At the moment, no. However, mine’s a fictionalized memoir—during the course of writing, I used the internet to search out some of the real folks who inspired characters in the book. I found one of my major inspirations alive and working in England, and will reach out to him. I’d love to have him read it!

Any plans for future writing projects?  

Ideas fly around like bats in my belfry all the time.

Novelist: Nancy A.

Working Book Title: Blue Magic

What’s your novel about?

A curse that plagues a remote island in the South Pacific, and the ways it manifests itself in different time periods.

Did you meet the 50,000 word goal?

Unfortunately, no. I thought I would push through and catch up at the end but I wound up losing steam instead. My final word count is 39,225.

How do you feel about your project for the month, now that it's concluded?

I am disappointed that I wasn’t able to finish, but I still believe in my project! Now that NaNoWriMo is over, I can see that I did a good job of outlining the plot before the month. My weakness was that I needed to flesh out my characters a whole lot more. I found myself continually getting stuck on questions like, “how would this character say x?” “what would that character think of y?” and “how does z change this character’s trajectory?”

Are you going to try to get it published?

I’m going to keep working to finish and edit this project in the next few months, then we’ll see. I hope to publish something someday!

Any plans for future writing projects?

I have a few plans. I have a few ideas for historical fiction. Next year I may want to work on this idea I have about Johannes Kepler and his wife.

 

Novelist: Genee B.

Working Book Title: The Amethyst

What’s your novel about?

A sci-fi fantasy novel about a distant planet that is ruled by a tyrannical king who has cemented his rule by eliminating the entirety of the royal bloodline. There have long been whispers of a prophecy... of an off-worlder who would end the mad king's rule.

Did you meet the 50,000 word goal?

No, I did not—I ended with 1,723 words.

How do you feel about your project for the month, now that it's concluded?

I feel that I have a new respect for writers and novelists. There is a lot more work and dedication that goes into writing then I originally believed.

Are you going to try to get it published?

No.

Any plans for future writing projects?

Only to one day complete this novel! There’s always next year...