Tim Allen as Santa Claus...I was expecting more power tools.

NarNoWriMo has ended and the holiday season is upon us. That can only mean one thing: Gifts! And Tim Allen, but not many people talk about him...

But, before I get into what to expect, I want to reflect quickly on the NarNoWriMo and hopefully encourage some of you to do it next year.

First, I am disappointed to say that I was unable to achieve the goal of 50,000 words in the month of November. I ended the month with 43,196 words. During the last couple of days, I saw the writing on the wall with holidays becoming a greater barrier than anticipated. Thankfully, my brother had a great perspective on it: "You may not have hit the word count, but did you finish the story? If you so, than you did it!"

Although I didn't hit the word count, I would say that I did finish the story from beginning to end. Was it my best writing? No. I can't believe anyone put out a bestseller with a first draft written in a month, but at least a story was completed. Editing is next! In fear of getting to wordy and not holding up to my word (I said I would reflect quickly), I have a bullet list below.

What I learned:

Writing can't be done only when inspired, it must be consistent.
It let me be okay with writing "bad" and put focus on finishing.
Setting word goals can be a great motivator.
I need to manage my time better to reach goals.
I can write way more words in a day than I thought (Best day: 6,348 words).
I can write a novella in a month, so I am pretty awesome!

Overall, I felt this was a great experience to help me reach my writing goals. My hope is anyone who is interested in writing would definitely take advantage of this opportunity next year. Plus, you don't have to pay to do. The only thing that is spent is your time. If you're not interested than lucky for you we are talking gifts next.

Not so fast...instant gratification is bad for you!

I enjoy the holiday season and I want to give back to great people who have been reading my blog, twitter, and/or subscribed to my newsletter. First, the ebook. It has been ALOT harder than I thought to make one. It shouldn't be, but it has been. I hope to have some progress this weekend and get it to subscribers soon. Once I get one done, another would hopefully be easier. I plan to have another free short story ebook in time for the holidays, unless you celebrate Hanukkah, I doubt I'll get it out by December 6th.

The last gift is a small giveaway. I am going to get those logistics figured out this weekend and have some information for you on Monday, December 5th. I haven't decided if I want to make it a secret, since it is a gift giving holiday season, but I am leaning toward letting everyone know what the giveaway is. Like I said, you will know (or won't know) more on Monday.

So, if you are interested in getting the free short story ebooks and potentially the giveaway prize, please remember to subscribe to my newsletter. If I get you email, it makes it easier for me to contact you.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me through the contact page. If you can also follow me on twitter if you want to keep up with what I am working on or talking about (I say weird things from time to time, its just in my nature).

And now, I leave you with a GIF: