And here I am.

Hello again, dreamers.  As of this evening, my NaNoWriMo 2018 experience has ended.  The final official tally: 51,174 words.  After two years of frustration, I finally did it.  And I have to say, it feels better than I thought it would.

I largely stopped posting or writing while in Sharon for the holiday, but today I finally finished the last chapter of phase 3.  As intended, the chapter ended with the penultimate climax of the novel: the Susan Constant was destroyed, hundreds of lives lost as well as (presumably) most of her crew.  Now, the colonists face an uncertain future, as they must learn to fend for themselves, and cope with both the loss of life and of leadership.  From the ashes, new leaders will emerge.  A new spirit will take hold.  And in the end, the survivors will build a new society that will change the course of human civilization.

But, of course, all of that can wait.  For now, I rest after what has been a long, grueling, exhausting, but ultimately deeply rewarding month spent in an alien forest.  Much remains to be done: the final phase of the novel will be brief, action-packed, filled with twists and turns.  I have a lot of big ideas for where it’s all heading.  The path forward will be covered in greater detail in my customary WIP Wednesday post tomorrow.

For now, I’d simply like to take the opportunity to say what a genuine pleasure this has been.  It’s been hard at times, of course: long hours spent at the computer, guzzling Earl Grey as I bled onto the pages.  But I’m happy.  For the first time, I really immersed myself in the NaNoWriMo experience.  I ventured beyond my comfort zone.  I wrote alongside fellow local writers, and met some very interesting people with some truly inventive ideas.  I made new friends, and grew closer with those I’d already made.

I’d like to give a personal shout-out to Melissa Rose Rogers, for being a constant source of motivation, as well as Alice, the persistent voice at my side.  And of course to 2018 Pitch Wars mentee Mary Roach, for spurring me on and writing with me.  I’d like to thank my parents and my close friends, who have been interested and endlessly supportive, and to one particular, beautiful woman who’s been my muse and favorite reader for over two years now.

Though NaNoWriMo 2018 may have ended, the journey of the Samarkand Expedition is far from over.  I still have work to do.  But for now, tonight, I will rest, reflect, and wake up tomorrow feeling stronger than ever.  Goodnight, thank you, and dare to dream. – MK