Man, rereading my old stuff versus my new stuff is very weird. It’s like…there was this big dramatic change in my writing in 4 years that makes me a little dumbfounded. In high school, I wrote the first “book” in this world, a novella I refer to as the prequel to the series I hope to continue. I’m trying to edit and reread the book I wrote for NaNo, but I have so many ideas that it’s hard to contain them while I try not to start writing the next one. It’s an amazing feeling, to be able to want to write as much as I do. It makes me feel almost complete.
In any case, I was rereading some of the stories on the side, because other people were, and I realized how much I’ve grown as a writer in the short time that’s passed between them. In high school I didn’t know what it took to write a novel. A real novel, with a deep story and plot. I haven’t gone back and read that prequel in a long time, but I know that the world I created in high school is still firmly etched into my mind. I’m so glad I went back to this book and decided to rewrite it. I don’t know what made me to do it, but I am grateful nonetheless.
I like to think that text-based roleplaying has made me a better writer, but I’m not sure how much it has contirbuted. Largely, I praise Hogwarts IRT for my writing jumping up the scale. There, I wrote with people that are amazing at what they do. Reading their posts is like reading poetry; something that is hardly the norm for roleplaying boards. I joined them in late 2005, after I had already begun college. College didn’t help me one bit outside of a creative, non-fiction class I took. My writing improved through writing with others and honing my own creative output.
The bad thing about RPG’s is the mindset you have to write in. You are constantly writing from the perspective of a certain character. The way you write is different than how you would write a story. My novel is largely told from the main character’s perspective, though it is in third person, I think I found a way to make it work. Anyway, it’s funny, because I always would have to switch from “writing mode” to “RPG mode” to get my head straight. With my lack of current RPG’s, I don’t really have to do that anymore. (I stick around at IRT, but I don’t have much time to post).
In any case, it’s still very interesting to see how you grow over time. In a few years, I will probably look back on my writing now and say the very same thing. Which is a good thing, because I am not completely satisfied by myself 
I am my own worst critic.
Other than that, I’ve begun editing. It’s more of a read through than an edit though. I am always the kind of person that needs another pair of eyes to give me an honest critique. So, after I do this read through I’ll find some and see what happens.
Good luck to those of you that still have to finish NaNo and those that have finished and are stuck editing like me, or finishing their books entirely!
Now, just to finish the book… It was a long process, but I’m glad I finished it this year and early too!
I think my chapters might be too long. I was always afraid of them being too short, but some are like…insanely long. Anyways, it’s ok. I like the story, it’s been a fun month.
