Oh my, what fun this year has been. “Congratulations to all the participants.” I am thrilled to be a sponsor of the great and so near to be great writers.

Over the years, I have spent thousands of dollars attending lectures, seminars, and conferences on our craft and there is a reoccurring theme, "The first step is to get the story into writing!" That's the purpose of "NaNoWriMo," to give us the confidence that we can put enough words together to make a story. It doesn't matter if you ever print this one, what matters is that you wrote it.

You can move to the next steps in your writing career with this notch in your belt, "I wrote a book." Now, do what George Orwell suggested in one of his few interviews, "If one does not revise his manuscript at least fifty times, he should consider it rubbish and toss it into the nearest dustbin." (I am talking about his revision suggestion, not the dustbin part) Orwell also suggests putting a finished manuscript in a desk drawer for at least a year before you read it for final revisions. I am not sure I could wait that long.

But Steven King says the same thing as Orwell and many others, he works on several projects at a time. When asked how he knows a story is finished? He said, "It depended a lot on when the electric bill was due." (Steven is one of the funniest men I've heard speak on the tenets of our craft. Whether or not you are one of his fans, he has many great insights into our art.)

Oh, and to Jeff I feel for your loss, I forgot our little competition. I wanted to jump in with a few more sponsorships but got sidetracked. I am attaching my share of this year's tribute to our amazing writers, and after seeing the numbers, for the ease of counting, I rounded my payment out to an even 600,000 GPs. ( Assuming that's okay for the bookkeeping process.)

Outstanding Job… by everyone! I am glad to be of service. I also extend my offer to read and comment on anyone's efforts. Assuming you are interested in the opinions of a long time student of our art. I've spent more time learning how to write than I did getting my two degrees in Engineering. (This last statement doesn't mean much, writing fiction is much harder than building a rocket or fixing a broken manufacturing plant.) However, I do love sharing my thoughts and ideas. It doesn't mean my wayward observations will get you on that top shelf at the corner market. But they might spark an approach that helps you find that one twist in "Voice" that gets you over the top. But even if your revelation turns out to be… you should've hit the "Delete" button sooner. I will have helped you learn that knowing what advice to ignore—is as important as knowing what one should use.

“Bravo…Bravo…Bravo, to all,” I yell from my balcony seat!