I’ve just spent the last two days reading through the 80,000 word novel I wrote in six-and-half weeks last year. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, I started with a blank screen and just made it up as I wrote. I hit NaNoWriMo’s 50,000 word target on 30 November and continued on to get it finished.
After leaving for a bit longer that I expected, I settled down to read through it yesterday with a little trepidation. The beginning’s not great and needs work, but as I continued on I found myself hooked into the story – always a good sign. In fact it’s got such a ripping ending that I found myself postponing lunch today to finish it off!
It’s still a little rough in places and needs a little work, but not a great deal. That’s been a particularly pleasant surprise.
Being as objective as I can be about it, I have to say that what I wrote is entertaining, has great pace, great characters, is interesting, (and a little disturbing in places), has a great climax, and above all is fun to read. There’s even room for a sequel.
Does NaNoWriMo work? That has to be a resounding YES! It certainly worked for me.
Now it’s time to starting sanding down those rough edges …