Favorite Writing Moments, and the end of JuNoWriMo

Jul 1, 2011

Happy first day of July, friends! With the beginning of July comes the end of June, and that means the end of JuNoWriMo. I'm going to admit to slacking just a bit for the last week-- a few days, I only got up to 1,000 words a day. But at least I was getting them in! I got in nearly 50,000 words in the past month, and I'm more than 3/4 of the way through my story. And it ain't over yet! I'm still going to aim for 2,000 words a day until I finish the book, hopefully in the next two weeks.


Today, to celebrate the awesomeness of everyone who sits their butt down at a computer/notebook and writes books (that's you, friends!), I'm sharing a few of my favorite moments in my writing. You're welcome to join in. I'm not talking about things like getting full requests or meeting awesome authors/agents, I'm talking about favorite moments while you were actually writing.

My absolute favorite memory, and one that will probably remain so for a long time, was finishing my first novel. It was pretty crappy, but of course I didn't know that at the time. I was a sophomore in college, and had dragged my laptop to the empty front room for a final push to the end. As I typed, my roommates came home. With them came friends, and an impromptu party began right in front of me. I barely noticed. For the next hour, I kept writing until it came. The end. I even typed the words. Full of the emotional ending of the book and the euphoria of having finished it, I threw my hands in the air and shouted, "Yes!" I don't think anyone even noticed, but in celebration, I put my computer away and joined the party.

So, my friends, it's your turn. What are your favorite moments from your writing?

14 comments:

Rachna Chhabria said...

I have several favourite writing moments. Like you, the one that comes to mind is the time I finished my first book (I too didn't realize that it was crappy). And the second one, when I finished my second book.

Jenilyn Collings said...

One of my favorite moments is going back to a novel to revise after letting it sit and finding passages that make me laugh out loud. It's a wonderful moment. Also, there is nothing like finishing a draft.

Anonymous said...

Happy July! Congratulations on finishing JuNoWriMo! :) I was so excited to wake up this morning and throw my hands in the air yelling "I slept in, and I don't have to write crazy amounts today!" Your writing moment sounds amazing! My favorite writing moment was this month, and realizing that I had two perfect novels, and they were finally the ones.

Angie said...

Congrats on Junowrimo. You did awesome. I love the feeling of finishing too. Finishing anything. Maybe that's why I like short stories. I get to THE END so much quicker! I also love when my characters surprise me. =)

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your awesome accomplishment this June! Haha I love that you just jumped up at the end and joined the party. It was like a celebration party building up for the end of your novel.

My favorite writing moment was in 2009. My husband and I were on our way back from our honeymoon, riding the Amtrak train from Chicago back home to Memphis. As midnight rolled around on November first my husband was passed out on my shoulder, and I wrote in my notebook for several hours while everyone else on the train slept. It was wonderful!

mshatch said...

finishing is a great feeling. The first time I wasn't even sure what do next :)

Taffy said...

Congrats on your great writing last month!
I love when editing and I create an awesome sentence/paragraph/chapter.

Christine Murray said...

Congrats! I love the moment when I start revising, and find that the writing is much better than it felt at initial composition. Love that feeling.

Anonymous said...

I have many favorite moments while writing, but the best is when I make a breakthrough for a character. Usually the emotional breakthroughs are the best.
You're almost there!!! :)

shelly said...

When my novel actually made sense.

Ruth Josse said...

Congrats Shallee! You did awesome! I'm grateful for what this month has taught me.

My favorite memory is the first time I tried writing something. Even though it was pretty bad, I'll never forget that first excitement of putting words on the page.

Emy Shin said...

Congratulations on finishing JuNoWriMo! It's really amazing, and good luck on finishing the manuscript!

And thank you for sharing your favorite memory with us! Finishing your first manuscript is a huge milestone -- and I anticipate being deliriously happy whenever I'm there. Hopefully soon. :)

ali cross said...

I love that story! I have a strong memory of finishing my first book too--my husband and I both wrote our first books together. We finished just a few minutes short of the New Year, 2003. We held our printed books in our hands and stood outside and shouted YEAH too! Funny, eh?

(and oh yeah. that book is AWFUL!!! :D)

Rachel Searles said...

Ha, that's a funny memory :) Thanks so much for hosting this challenge! Bad timing for me but it was so cool to meet a bunch of other writers and push toward our goals together. Good luck with finishing your first draft--I'm very impressed!

 
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