Sunday, November 28, 2010

That's All She Wrote

Badge #1
Yesterday at 4:13PM, I finished my novel.  I wrapped up my story 880 words beyond the original goal of 50,000 words established by Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo.  Wearing a smile of relief and glee, I submitted it to NaNoWriMo for word count verification and was declared a winner. 

I was urged to step forward and receive my share of winner's goodies.  My first recognition came in the form of a video created by the NaNoWriMo organization.  I started it up and sat back in my chair.  Said chair is a mere skeleton of its former self, worn and frayed beyond description.  I never sat back when I wrote during the last 30 days.  I was always poised on the edge of my seat, alert and ready to capture my story as it evolved, a story devoid of preplanning.  Needless to say, the leather seat now wears the residue of countless applications of butt glue.  
Badge #2
     

The winner's video included a motley crew, some wearing hats with horns (depicting fearless warriors?).  The entire congregation of eight stood all aglow in two rows with a leader who congratulated me, followed by nine seconds of nonstop applause.  I got enthused, psyched up for the celebration, primed for all sorts of praise and glory on a grand scale.  Wrong.  'Twas only a nine second video.
    
Badge #3

I looked around and hoped for a bit more for my investment of 50,000+ words.  Sure enough, I was bombarded with a grand assortment of badges for unabashed self-promotion on my blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Now we're getting there, I thought.  This is more like it!  (See 'em along the left side of this page).  I couldn't decide which one was most flattering, so I took one of each.
     
Badge #4

Throughout the year, I'll use them all to keep my glorious (and not so glorious) memories of November 2010 alive.   

      
Don't run off quite yet.  My goody bag has one more item deep inside.  Hold on and slide down to the bottom of this post with me.  Watch out for rope burns!

Badge #5

Badge #6
Badge #7
Certificate (suitable for enlarging)
Lastly, The Office of Letters and Lights created a winner's certificate appropriate for framing or presenting in any flambuoyant way I choose.  I scrambled on my fingertips and grabbed one of those too.  I'm considering having four wall-sized enlargements made so I can wallpaper my entire writing room. 

For now, that's all she wrote.


16 comments:

Natasha said...

Love it!! It's been quite a ride, my friend...

Congratulations!

I'm gonna keep hammering at mine for the next couple of days before putting it to rest until January.

Gabriela Pereira said...

Shaddy,

Congrats! What a wonderful accomplishment. It's a fantastic feeling isn't it?

Linda McMann said...

WaHoo! Congratulations Shaddy! I made the 50,000 word count goal yesterday also and am taking today to clean up some obvious problems, then it goes in the drawer until January!
I was really worried at week two that I had bitten off more than I could chew, but with you and my blog buddies encouragement I kept at it. It does feel good to be at the end!

Cheryl Peters said...

NATASHA: It feels strange. I'm eating leftovers from the last few days and I'm totally relaxed. It's l:30PM and I've got hours and hours to spend doing anything I want.

Sounds like you're on a roll and going with the momentum. You'll know when to stop, that's for sure.

Bask in your accomplishment. You set a goal and achieved it. A lofty goal at that!

Congrats again and again and again,
Shaddy

Cheryl Peters said...

GABI: Thank you. It's fantastic alright. I'm especially happy today that I don't have to work on my novel. It's really and truly complete for now. I'll go back to it for editing someday but not soon.

PARROT: I understand how you were feeling during week two. I experienced highs and lows and everything in between during the month.

It's terrific that a bunch of us crossed the finish line nearly hand in hand. That's pretty amazing. We reaped the obvious benefits of traveling in a pack. I know it kept me going when I checked my buddies stats and felt the comraderie we generated.

Savor your success,
Shaddy

Rob said...

What a wonderful accomplishment m'lady! Congratulations and adoration being sent your way! I vote you should definitely take that certificate and frame it :)

Gullible said...

Way to go, Shaddy. Congrats. Having laptop withdrawals yet?

Gullible said...

You can always contribute at Ann's...

Cheryl Peters said...

ROB: Aw, you're sweet. I surely will get the certificate framed.

GULLY: Thank you. I'm ready to have some fun with my blog again. Nothing too serious for a while.

Stephanie said...

Congratulations!! I bet your hands are relieved after that writing marathon! If I had to do that I would just start writing random words that don't make sense, or start copying encyclopedias :) Way to go Cheryl!!!

Cheryl Peters said...

STEPHANIE: Thank you. You were so supportive during last year's writing frenzy, graciously listening to my progress reports on a daily basis. I missed your physical presence this year. Your comments here are appreciated.

Angela was my sounding board between patients this year. She took an interest and that of course helped me alot.

This year's story was harder than last year's, even requiring some research. That's good though. The entire process was a good learning experience.

Thanks again. So Jake sprouted his first tooth! How cool is that!

Anonymous said...

HOORAY!!!! I am giving you a standing ovation my friend!! Way to go! I love it!!

Oh yes, wallpaper the entire room, heck the whole house with your prizes! You deserve it! What an amazing accomplishment, and to do it two years in a row is nothing short of incredible.

I can only imagine how you must feel right now. BRAVO SHADDY!!! BRAVO!!!!!

Much love,
Sarie

Anonymous said...

Lovely badges! I can't wait to get mine!
Thanks for sharing the journey with me and congrats on another winning year!

Cheryl Peters said...

SARIE: As soon as it's fit to be printed, I'll send you a copy. Knowing you'd want to read it was a huge motivating factor.

Thanks for believing in me when I most need it.

DAYNER: I hope I didn't ruin things for you by posting the winner's goodies here.

Congratulations to you for going WAY beyond 50,000 words.

Anonymous said...

YAY!!! Thank you dear!!! I'm on my second reading of book number one right now. I know, it sounds wierd to read it twice, but the first time I had a cold and Nyquil head :)

OMG I can't wait to get the new one! Best Christmas present ever!!!! Thank you so much Shaddy.
Love you,
Sarie

Cheryl Peters said...

SARIE: It will probably be sometime next year when I send you my NaNoWriMo 2010 novel.

Editing is going to be quite a chore but I promise I'll get to it ASAP. Knowing you'll read it when I'm done is all the motivation I need.

You're reading my 2009 novel again!!?? I'm humbled.