NaNo Mid-Point. Argggh!

In the words of so many suddenly-enlightened antagonists, "What have I done?"

I'm post-midpoint now and waaaay below target.  Yes, I've experienced many of the same inconvenient time-sucking hurdles all the other participants have, but they're not necessarily the bulk of the blame.

I've concluded, reluctantly, that I'm not the type of writer who can produce 50,000 words of prose within a month and be able to use any of it.  Just ain't gonna happen.  That's not to say I've not had productive spurts, but the massive majority of what I've written is completely unusable.

If the definition of "rewrite" is restarting from scratch, then what I've written needs to undergo a rewrite.  If the definition is to re-do chapters, sections, characters, plot lines, etc., then a rewrite is not what this manuscript needs.

But this exercise has been worthwhile.

I've discovered characters and fleshed out ones I knew I'd have.  I've learned that some of my original plotting ideas just won't work, but found others that might.  Being that this manuscript could loosely be termed a prequel, I've got new things to enrich my upcoming sequel.  But there will be no "editing" or "revising" of this manuscript.

I intend to continue.  That's how I am.  If I say I'm going to do something then I do my dead-level best to follow through.  (That's why I debate long and hard before committing to anything.)  I'll do so knowing that I'll be sending it off to pixel purgatory when I'm finished, but there is still benefit to completing it--beyond following through on a commitment.

I will discover more characters.  I will be able to further develop plots and subplots.  I will find hidden themes, things I can foreshadow, envision new twists and a multitude of other things I can use.  I just won't be able to use the words and structure I've already got.  I think this is okay.  Much of this is what I normally do anyway, albeit at a slower pace with far less throwaway prose.

Perhaps by month end I'll have refined my target audience with this book.  (It's not that I didn't have one in mind, but the story seems to want to unfold differently.)  And when I begin writing this thing in earnest, for real, I'll have one mighty fine outline and maybe that's the whole point after all.

Have you experienced a NaNoWriMo or similar challenge?  What were your experiences?

Evolution of an Edit

I'd like to share with you the process I recently went through trying to tweak a scene's opening paragraph.  I do this often to the point of self-torture.  Follow with me the evolution of that sentence.

This was the original statement:
"Miriam sat at the table cradling a cup of far too weak cynom tea wondering what was keeping her husband and sister."

I decided the reader needed to know where Miriam was since it wasn't mentioned later.
(Edit: Take 1)
"In her modest home nestled next to Aridhum’s massive, western curtain wall, Miriam sat cradling a cup of far too weak cynom tea, wondering what was keeping her husband and sister."




Then I got to thinking.  "far too weak" doesn't really add anything so I removed it.
(Edit: Take 2)
"In her modest home nestled next to Aridhum’s massive, western curtain wall, Miriam sat cradling a cup of cynom tea, wondering what was keeping her husband and sister."




Then there was the issue of senses.  I had a hint of taste, but nothing else.  I added some more.
(Edit: Take 3)
"In her modest home nestled next to Aridhum’s massive, western curtain wall, Miriam sat at the table wishing her cynom tea’s flavor matched the strength of its spicy aroma, cradling the hot cup and wondering what was keeping her husband and sister."



Well, that sentence was way too long and difficult to comprehend.
(Edit: Take 4)
"In her modest home nestled next to Aridhum’s massive curtain wall, Miriam sat at the table wishing her cynom tea’s flavor matched the strength of its spicy aroma.  Cradling the hot cup, she wondered what was keeping her husband and sister."



I decide I don't like the extra prepositional phrase at the table and remove it.
(Edit: Take 5) 
"In her modest home nestled next to Aridhum’s massive, western curtain wall, Miriam sat wishing her cynom tea’s flavor matched the strength of its spicy aroma.  Cradling the hot cup, she wondered what was keeping her husband and sister."



I decide I don't want to start the second sentence with Cradling and tinker with splitting the longer sentence.
(Edit: Take 6)
"In her modest home nestled next to Aridhum’s massive curtain wall, Miriam sat.  She wished her cynom tea’s flavor matched the strength of its spicy aroma.  She cradled the hot cup and wondered what was keeping her husband and sister."


I decide I like the original first sentence even if it is longer, but removed the sitting.
(Edit: Take 7)
"In her modest home nestled next to Aridhum’s massive curtain wall, Miriam wished her cynom tea’s flavor matched the strength of its spicy aroma.  She cradled the hot cup and wondered what was keeping her husband and sister."



So that's where it stands now.  Am I finished?  Not likely.  You see, that's my problem.  I never know when to draw the line and say "enough is enough" and move to the next sentence.  And only a few thousand more paragraphs to go!

Do you torture yourself with endless revisions of every line in your manuscript too or do you know when to stop?


P.S. The Movie Clapper Board Generator can be found here.