I'd love to see it become an optional 2-month thing, sort of like how there are combined 5k and 10k races where people intending to run longer split off from the pack at some point to follow the longer course. If you go for the December portion, you're committing to 100k words.

The first year I did it I reached 50k three days ahead of time and promptly stopped writing, never to return to the story. Which is sad, because it wasn't a half-bad story and has promise. (Scribbles artistic note to self.)

The second year I got to 25k and promptly stopped because I felt like my story sucked. It just wasn't developed enough in my head or in an outline. I'm a plotter, not a pantser.

This year I didn't do it at all because I've been distracted by another project. That'll probably be unveiled in a month or so.

But all this rambling is to say that I'm rooting for your continued effort! I hope you do follow through and edit it, polish it, and send it out.

I'm a proud participant of the ToBuFoNaNoWriMo, or Too Busy For National Novel Writing Month. You may have taken two weeks off, but I took the whole month off. :) I bet you're WAY ahead of me!

I am so excited that you'll complete this.

I think it's cool that, while you're already out of November, you're still willing to cross the finish line instead of just saying, "Well, fuck it. I missed the bus." This way, you're not wasting whatever effort you put into the rest of November, and you still get some sense of accomplishment. Hey, my NaNoWriMo story hasn't been touched since the day I finished it. It's really sloppy, but I came out of it with what I think is a good premise for a series, a great feel for a couple of main characters, and some decent plot nuggets. All of these will be recycled when I get around to starting this series for real, which I have slated for 2010 (because I have to finish the current project, and then Shelle and I have been talking about a possible joint project for next year). Point is, you're not supposed to end up with a polished gem. You have the rough lump of coal that you can refine later for whatever it turns out to be worth. So cross the finish line, mah brothah. Better late than never. I'm in the same boat. I'm writing this reply to you after coming back from my own weekly writing night (Shelle is generous enough to chase me from the house to go work on my novel every Wednesday we can spare). My New Year's Resolution was to send my fully edited novel to at least one literary agent and/or publisher by the end of 2008. I'm 97.5% sure I'm going to fail in that resolution, but instead of cursing myself for a failure, I'm giving myself a month or two extension to do what I said I'd do. We can bond through our better-late-than-neverness. ;)

Also? There's always next November...
*rumble of thunder, exit violins*