So my goal every year is 50,000 words and a story that ends not too long after the official winning number but before the deadline. The first year, that's all it was. Last year and this year, though, I set additional challenges for myself. Last year I tried an episodic style with cliffhangers and alternating points of view between two main characters. Much fun, may or may not be worth editing. Even if it isn't worth taking further, it was an interesting exercise in building tension, pacing, and trying to keep two storylines equally interesting.

This year, because I normally write science fiction, I decided to try fantasy. I've gotten a bit bored of epic romps around pseudo-medieval worlds with modern worldviews, so that was out. I wanted to try for something like an urban fantasy with strong mythic elements, something I've never tried before. I ended up with an SF/F combo novel, magic in a futuristic setting, and not much mythology at all. It was good fun, however, and I'm happy with how it worked out. Using the scientific method on spellcasting... go figure.