NaNoWriMo 2009 is finally finished for me.  My novel, a shade over 50k, is complete. It will never see the light of day so don’t ask.

I did learn a few things participating this year. I can write 50,000+ words in a month. I can finish a novel. I do not work well writing at that pace. I can tailor a story to end whenever I need it to. NaNoWriMo is not for me.

It was a fun/aggravating experience. I’m glad I finished but I will not be participating next year. I want to work on quality over quantity.

Let me propose this NaNoWriMo alternative. In one month, write, edit, rewrite and edit a short story of any length until it is as good as you can get it and then submit it somewhere for publication. I think that will be better for your writing career than what I just did.