What's the number one rule they teach you in Writing School? 'I before E except after C'? Or is it, 'backup your work like a paranoid maniac'? That's the one.
Pity I didn't go to Writing School. Still, I learn my lessons in life. Or on the train on Monday when I managed to delete my entire NaNoWriMo manuscript. Considering the deadline for NaNo's 50,000 words was yesterday, Monday was a personal catastrophe.
I back up my work once a week - measly when you consider I knocked out 15,000 words in the last 7 days. So with a heavy heart, I retrieved my last backed-up version of the manuscript, and entered the last day of NaNo with only 30k-odd words. The kind people at NaNo said they trusted that I had indeed written my 45k words, and that if I pushed out the last 5,000 words on November 30th, they would consider the 50,000 words to be written and would consider me a 2010 'Winner'. The 5k I finished at 7.50 last night, and therefore, Winner I am.
Am only delira with reaching this milestone, now have to figure out how to put the NaNoWriMo 'badge' on this blog. Ugh, technology you are not my friend.
It doesn't stop at that. I've my missing 15k to redraft, but looming over me is the temptation to enter a Harlequin 'So You Think You Can Write' contest - guaranteed to get an editor's eye and response by January 31st. Oh, far too tempting. Can I do both? Sure I can... Wish me luck!
