accomplishedI wouldn't call it a wasted enterprise, though. I learned some interesting things and was reminded of some others that I'm glad I was apprised of before it was a situation where I had grades dependent on my actions. I'm still not entirely certain I have a novel in me, so to speak - what I did get down is pretty fragmented. I do have at least one core story idea that might actually go somewhere with some work, though, so that's good.
I fall really easily back into old, bad habits. All the same procrastination behaviors I cataloged when I was working on writing my thesis - the last truly large writing project I've undertaken (none of my technical writer work involved documents any longer than five or ten pages) - all those behaviors I thought I had done battle with and vanquished? Ha! Wham - right back in the old ruts I go. Ok, so my apartment is cleaner than it has been since I moved in - but that really wasn't the goal at hand.
I'm still thinking about this one - but I'd gotten clear to chapter 7 and my protagonist had yet to interact with another character, human or other wise (after sentence #1 where she is leaving the house). I only realized this when I was working out a scene where she hears some people passing her at night, and it occurred that this near-but-non-interaction was the closest thing to dialog I'd written yet. I doubt the world is interested in a stream-of-consciousness work of fantasy, but who knows.
Then there is still the question of why I turn initially and immediately to fantasy when I sit down to write a novel (but not so much when I sit down to write other forms). Have I subconsciously wanted to be a "Fantasy Novelist" all these years? What's that (both the desire and my feelings about the desire) all about? There are other modes I'm clearly (even to my own prejudiced eyes) better at, why don't I try my hand at those?
So even though I didn't finish a novel, I'm glad I participated. There's always next year - hell, there's always next month for all of that, it's not like I did any of the social "we're all in this together" activities other than buying a t-shirt. I can be like
amnotsurly with his 1-hour comics, I'll write a series of 1-month novels...No, actually - no I won't. But it is an amusing thought to contemplate, all the same.
