I can see clearly now the brain has gone.

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Guess what, guys? We've almost made it! Six days from now, SoCNoC 2010 will be coming to a close, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief (and maybe a little bit of disappointment) that it's over again for another year.

 I don't know about you, but I've learned a great deal from my novel this month, things that I never really expected to be taught. I began the Challenge with the certain knowledge that my novel and I were close friends, that I knew everything there was to know about it (well, except for the plot, but more about that in a minute), and that the month ahead would bring great things for both of us. I wasn't entirely wrong, but I have to say things haven't turned out at all like I anticipated.

About five days into June, I realised something that was kind of depressing: I didn't know my novel at all, and worse, I didn't even like it. We went from good friends to the kind of acquaintances who glare at each other when they pass in the hallway, each remembering that time the other played their music too loud or wouldn't hold the door to the lift when they were in a hurry. In short, it was made infinitely clear to me that having an idea is one thing, but getting that idea to behave and turn out according to your expectations is, well, another thing altogether.

Consequently, I have spent most of the past few weeks in a state of semi-indifference towards my manuscript. I haven't really been able to connect with my characters, the plot pacing is all over the place, I've forgotten a few things I wanted to include and included a few things I'd rather forget. It's been an interesting ride, especially since I can't remember having felt so disinterested in a work in progress before. On the one hand, I'm sad that this idea seems to have fizzled out before it even got a chance at life. But in another way, it's been absolutely awesome.

Being detached from my novel has given me the chance to really look at my own creative process and think about the novel from a critical standpoint. Usually, I'm so busy agonising over how much I suck that I can't be objective about my work and weigh up the things I want to do better next time. For some reason, however, my inner editor stopped picking on the prose itself around Day 10 and instead started concentrating on things like plotting, structure and characterisation, things which, I admit, usually pass me by at this stage of a project. In addition, rather than being upset by all the things that haven't worked, I've found myself calmly assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the current draft while making plans for Draft 2. Maybe it's just the lack of sleep talking, but I really feel like I've made some unexpected progress this month, and that makes me very happy!

So, what have you learned from SoCNoC this year? Has your novel turned out the way you thought it would or run roughshod over your expectations? Do you love it or hate it? And, the biggest question of all: will you be locking it away never to be seen again, or attempting a second draft?