NaNoWriMo 2017: Week 4

Written by Anita Olsen Stoebakk

NaNoWriMo is over and to be honest, I say goodbye to it with a sense of utter relief and a little bit of sadness. I have decided not to make a video this week because I have just spent an entire weekend livestreaming the 12-hour season finale of Fateful Fumble—the Dragon Age RPG podcast I produce and play in, and I am quite frankly exhausted. Instead, I have chosen to focus on resting up a bit and taking care of myself.

If you are one of those lucky people who managed to “win” NaNoWriMo, I salute you! You have accomplished something that most published writers have never even dreamed of doing. You have finished the first draft of an entire novel in just 30 days! That is a major accomplishment and you should be very proud of yourselves! Now get ready to edit that beast!

In my case, there has not been as much time for writing as I would have liked this time around. As I predicted, I did not reach the 50,000 word mark, but you know what? It’s okay, because I managed to have a lot of fun over the course of this project. I’ve gotten to talk about books and writing on a weekly basis through the livestreams I have been hosting, and it has made me happy and excited about writing in a new way. I feel like I have improved upon my skills as a writer, and like I have pushed my creativity just a little bit further. And most importantly, I’ve gotten to know some of my friends who also enjoy writing a little better.

Because I got some nice feedback to the last excerpt I posted in the previous summary article, I thought that I would share another one of my favorite passages from my NaNo-novel. In this passage the main character, Valeth, and her companions are fighting some brigands in the middle of the forest.

“Valeth chose that moment to unleash her gathered will and fired off an arcane lance once more. It hit the poor idiot that had been attacking her companion square in the face. The force of her gathered will was so concentrated that the arcane lance shot straight through his head, exiting at the back of his skull. Brain matter, skull fragments and blood went flying, and the now basically headless man slumped to the ground, thoroughly dead. The remains of his shattered head still engulfed in dancing blue flames. The third, and last man standing quickly realized that he was outmatched, and instead of forcing an attack he turned to bolt. Ness however, was not about to let him go and swung after him with his maul. Hitting his target rather easily in the back. The man went down in a heap on the ground and did not get back up again. He tried, but as soon as he realized it was useless he instead attempted to crawl away from the battle, a look of sheer terror on his face. These were not hardened soldiers. Judging by their ragged and mismatched clothes. Valeth wagered that they were most likely highwaymen of some sort. Desperate men without any prospects for the future, formal training or discipline. Maybe she should have been feeling some degree of pity for them, but all she could muster was disdain. No matter how low a person could fall, there was never an excuse to hurt others for your own gain.

– Excerpt from NaNoWriMo project “Caged”, Written by Anita Olsen Stoebakk

I am quite pleased with the quality of my writing so far, and even if it still requires some editing, I can’t help but feel proud that I’ve actually managed to sit down and write something I genuinely like. It has given me a sense of accomplishment that I did not expect seeing as I failed to finish my novel. However, I will continue to write Valeth’s story for my own sake, because I quite frankly enjoy it a lot. I hope that you have had a great time writing your own stories as well, and that you are left with a sense of having done something worthwhile.

Now, because this is the last weekly summary of my NaNoWriMo 2017 project I would like to end this literary journey with a little quote from one of my favorite authors.

Someone else always has to carry on the story. – J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings

Maybe that someone is you?

If you want to share something that you have written, your thoughts on NaNoWriMo, or rightfully want to brag about completing NaNoWriMo, leave a comment below!