NaNoWriMo 2010 Winner

Posted on November 26, 2010 (Subscribe to Blog)

Yay, I won something! But don't get too excited -- anyone participating in NaNoWriMo who manages to write 50,000 words before the deadline is a winner. Still, it's a good feeling to get there. Bubbleworld is not quite finished, but I plan to keep writing until it is. I expect it will be around 65,000 words in the end, and I'd like to wrap it up by around mid-December.

It's all turned out pretty well. I didn't encounter any major setbacks, or take any wrong turns. I'm into the final scenes (the showdown, if you like) and have a few details to work out before plunging in, but overall it's come along very nicely. When I get down to editing, there are a lot of details I want to fill in, not to mention generally tidying up my writing. All that stuff will likely take another few months.

After that? I asked my agent if he'd be interested in this one, but he said he already had his hands full with Island of Fog and all the other stuff he's representing. This leaves me clear to seek out another agent before going the self-publishing route.

I'm wondering, now, how quickly I'll be able to finish Island of Fog Book 4. There's something to be said for psyching myself up for a month or two, getting the plot straightened up (in my head and on paper), and then diving in and banging it out. At this rate, I could write Book 4 in two months, and then spend a further two or three months editing.

Some writers swear that you shouldn't write "fast," that each page must be thoroughly checked, edited, and polished before moving on to the next. They look down their noses at writers who speed through the text and then come back later to tidy up. I'm the complete opposite. How can your writing stay fresh and spontaneous if you're fretting over the perfect word to use in every other paragraph? To me, story-writing and editing are two different things and shouldn't be mixed. Write the story first, edit later. Otherwise you'll never get the thing finished.

That's not to say that I rush headlong into a novel without thinking. As I said, I plan it first. And I often come to a complete standstill while I research something. It's just that I try not to get bogged down by details when the rest of the novel is waiting to be written. I edit and polish and check facts later, hence why editing has previously taken almost as long as the first draft writing. This NaNo method of writing might change things, though. In this case, it will probably take twice as long to edit Bubbleworld than it took to write it.

By the way -- Bubbleworld is just a working title, as I've said. It's what the small boy calls his world under the ground. But, just out of interest, what does the title make you think of? I'd be interested in knowing what kind of story this title conjures up. Is it a good title, bad title, average title, or what? A possible alternative is Sinkhole, which is extremely apt.

Now, back to writing. Oh, and maybe some work...

Comment by NIGEL ROWE on Friday, November 26, 2010...

Bubbleworld is a great title. I don't rate Sinkhole, but how about Sewerworld? ;-) I thought you had to finish the book by the end of November?

Comment by KEITH ROBINSON on Friday, November 26, 2010...

Oh, well, technically speaking the goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words, but the phrase "write 50,000 words" and "write a novel" sort of become interchangeable in the process. You're right, though, I did say I'd finish the novel... and hey, maybe I will!! I have a few days left yet. If the novel had panned out to 50-55K, then it would be easy, but it's probably going to be 65K, which is not what I signed up for. :-)

So you like the title "Bubbleworld," eh? Okay, thanks, that's one vote so far!

Comment by ROGER ESCHBACHER on Friday, November 26, 2010...

Well done, Keith! While I do enjoy beating the challenge of a deadline and becoming a NaNo winner, I think my favorite aspect of this event is that it "forces" me to add to my body of work (ha!) on a regular basis. It's all too easy to find an excuse not to write, or rather to write other things (screenplays, animation pitches, etc.) so I appreciate this yearly refocusing very much.

Comment by BRIAN B on Friday, November 26, 2010...

Bubbleworld sounds fun. It conjures up the idea somewhat of the Boy in the Bubble. But in a way that sets up an isolation scenario which is fine.

Comment by SHANDA M. on Friday, November 26, 2010...

Congratulations!! Bubbleworld does sound fun, but the name does remind me of maybe a sequel to Waterworld. Actually the image I have is a bubble machine (instead of a fog machine) and bubbles floating around everywhere. What about Sinkhole World or The Swallet or Swallet World? But Brian B. does have a point about the isolation scenario.... Sounds like a good book. Can't wait to read it!

Comment by MICHELLE MAGILL on Friday, November 26, 2010...

Congrats Keith, Well done on the word count - hope you manage to finish it by 30th - I'm cheering for you! :D

I like Bubbleworld too - Sinkworld can be too easily misread as Stinkworld (Like I did when I first read you blog post above) LOL!

I'm hoping to get to my 50,000 today and finish the novel by the 30th also.

Comment by BRIAN CLOPPER on Friday, November 26, 2010...

Congrats! I'm coming up right behind you. I am also finding mine will be about 65,000. Almost to the showdown. Just a bit of rising action to get there and it will be upon Stomper soon enough. The Idiom Society kingdom is turning out to be a creative goldmine!

Comment by KEITH ROBINSON on Friday, November 26, 2010...

Hehe — I had to laugh at Michelle's comment. I actually said Sinkhole, not Sinkworld, but mistaking Sinkhole for Stinkhole is even worse! Keep going with your writing, Michelle, you're very close now — and you, too, Brian — both of you are just a few hours' work away from the 50K target. And congratulations, Roger, for getting there a few days ago. Just to explain to others, Roger writes actual Scooby Doo scripts, among other things. :-)

Shanda, swallet's a funny word. As in flooded caves, right? Funny thing is, I saw this as "It's wallet world," shortened to 'swallet world, a place where wallets rule. Much like our own world, in fact!

I'm beginning to think Bubbleworld might be okay after all, thanks to all your comments. Definitely not a Waterworld sequel, but certainly the story of an isolated boy.

Comment by MICHELLE MAGILL on Friday, November 26, 2010...

HA! Hilarious - Pardon my typo - but you got my point, stinkhole wasn't a book I was going to read!
Happy Saturday
Michelle :D

Comment by MING on Friday, November 26, 2010...

Congratulations, Keith! Good luck finishing the rest of Bubbleworld. I like the name Bubbleworld, it sounds... bubbly! And cheerful. :-)

Comment by KEITH ROBINSON on Tuesday, November 30, 2010...

A quick additional note to say that I did, after all, finish the novel on November 30th. The draft totaled 64,254 words.

As for the working title, Bubbleworld, I've gone back to my initial thoughts that the title is too cheerful. In fact, Ming's post above said that exact thing. The novel is anything but bubbly and cheerful, and while the name Bubbleworld is apt for the little boy who created the world underground, I think it conjures the wrong "feel" for what is actually a fairly dark story.

Maybe I should just call it The Boy Who Created a World, which sums it up nicely!

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