DONE IT!

Still adding to my word count - but I've validated my 50,000 words and am now officially a NANOWRIMO WINNER! YAY!

This was my first NaNo experience and how exciting it's been! I started with nothing but two characters and some ideas for the first chapters. After that I played it very much by ear with only the very vaguest of outlines. There were times when I couldn't write at all, and had no idea where the story was going, and others when I couldn 't get the words down fast enough. Amazingly the story started to come together somewhere in the middle and it's pretty much a complete story now - but it's going to need a tremendous amount of revision before it's anywhere near fit to submit. But - I did it, as I said I want to flesh out some scenes before the deadline, but I reached the winner's line and crossed it! It was a very exciting moment when my 'counterbar' on the site changed from green to purple and I knew I'd done it.

I was truly amazed that writing at speed, even with no proper plot or outline, somehow my characters still managed to talk to me. It's been an exciting and very enlightening expreience.

Sincere apologies to all my on-line friends who I've neglected horribly over the last 30 days. After tonight, I'll try and make it up to you, I promise!