Writing Goals: Bait, Fish, and Reel Report for November 2015

And so ends November of 2015. Where in the world did this entire year go!?

I’m not sure, either. 😛

In any event, I did indeed “win” NaNoWriMo, having successfully edited for slightly over 50 hours during the month! (1 hour of focused editing = 1000 words standard NaNo conversion)

This was my first year using NaNo to exclusively edit, and while it did seem “easier” to meet the daily quota, it really wasn’t as “fun”, and it made the accomplishment really not feel like so much of an accomplishment. Probably because there was no massive pile of new words to stare at afterward as proof that I did the thing. Instead there was just a pile of old words that had been there all along (albeit now modified).

But! Nevertheless … I did win NaNoWriMo, and I accomplished my goal of editing for at least 50 hours in the month. WHEW. (My eyeballs did feel like they might melt sometimes, yes.)

This achievement seems ever so much more impressive when I actually add up the number of words that were edited during those 50 hours. So let’s take a look at my November writing goals and see how I managed!

• Complete edits of first 11 chapters for Blood Secret (editing job) >> COMPLETE. Total words edited for Blood Secret in November: 92,312
• Complete edits of novella Being Xuman (beta reading job) >> COMPLETE. Total words edited for Being Xuman in November: 16,086
• Continue working diligently on edits to Primus >> CHECK. I completed a third round of edits on Chapters 11 and 12, which included swapping their order per beta reader feedback to enhance story flow. I also created a brand spanking new Chapter 13, and then completed second round edits on Chapters 14, 15, and 16, bringing the total words edited for Primus in November to: 23,142.
• Purchase cover for my short story The Transference >> INCOMPLETE. I did not end up purchasing this cover in November as I had a hard time deciding on which cover art best suited the story! My attempts to gather outside opinions were also less helpful than hoped. However, I have now finally made up my mind, and this cover will be purchased this week! (If you’d like to be included in the Advanced Reader group for this short story – ~7500 words – be sure to sign up to my mailing list and check the Reader option! :D)
• Upload super secret fiction piece to Patreon for my patrons >> COMPLETE. This month my fantabulous, amazingly supportive patrons were treated to a sneak peek at the second chapter of my paranormal steampunk adventure novella, The Hound of God! Because without support from my fantabulous, AMAZING patrons, I couldn’t afford such beautiful book covers, or webinars on improving my writing, etc. I put all of my Patreon funds back into the business side of my writing, so all of you who have offered your support, know that I truly appreciate it and couldn’t do this without you! <3

GRAND TOTAL OF ALL WORDS EDITED IN NOVEMBER 2015: 131,540  …. WHOA!

 

Additionally, in October I submitted my first children’s book “Breakfast Time on the Farm” to a contest run by the Institute of Children’s Literature. I should know results on that by the end of December, but for now, I’m still waiting on news!

And that’s it for me … how did *you*do? Did you participate in NaNoWriMo as well? Did you win? Let me know in the comments!