Write Like a CHAMPION today... breaking the 50K barrier and becoming a winner!

Cue up the Rocky Music... I did it. I completed a 50,000 word novel in one month (actually 27 days). Tada.

Things I learned while writing this literary piece of work:

1- I can do it. It was tough being disciplined ebough to actually sit down and write, on average, 1,667 words per day for an entire month.

2- preparation is the key. Even though I thought I had plotted out my story with enough scenes- it wasn't so. I spent an hour in the middle of the month redefining and adding scenes and plot lines to lengthen and improve my novel.

3- My writing actually improved the more I wrote. and so did my typing. I really do need to learnvto touch type. That one skill will make this much easier the next time around.

4- You don't need to edit your work critically while you are writing it. A rough draft should be justthat... rough.

5- I will use an outliner program the next time I write anything this long again. 'Papel' is a program that a fellow author turned me on to and I only wish I had it to use before I started this project.

6- Next time I will make character cards so that I can keep first names, physical characteristics, and scenes straight in my mind and on the paper. THis is one area I was unprepared to deal with and it became tricky near the end when I was tying up the loose ends. I resisted the urge to go back and check on the exact facts. I can do that in the re-write pfase of this.

7- I fell into this trap last year and avoided it and told everyone else to avoid it ... EDITING. I was compelled to go back and editr vthe story avout 1/3 the way in (same as last year) but I refused to fall for that trick this year. Instead I forged ahead and decided I would deal with the imperfections later. BUT once I started to use the alphasmart word processor, I indulged myself (and ny internal critic) by re-reading, correcting and adding to the story after I had uploaded it to my computer and MS Word.

8- and that's it! If I can write a novel in 30 days or less... than so can you.

9- crack open the champagne... it's time to celebrate.