NaNoWriMo–End Week 1
Week 1 ended yesterday and I am already a bit behind. Not loads and loads behind like I was worried I would be. Just enough that I have to put a bit of extra push to write a bit extra every day I can squeeze in the time.
Reasons I got behind in no particular order:
- A family emergency pulled away my husband and oldest daughter for four days. I depend on these two people in my life more than I realized and without them here to help keep the family running smoothly, time and concentration were compromised.
- Work called. Don’t get me wrong. At this point in time and life, I need the hours at a paying job more than hours at a keyboard creating stories that might or might not be seen by anyone but me. I thought I had a very light work schedule this week and so I had time to get ahead a little bit before the end of the month approached. Bringing with it, Thanksgiving and more hours to handle all those Christmas shoppers. Work called and needed me to work and I needed the hours and so I went.
- Writing is like exercise. I have mentioned before I have a hard time putting in the work needed to write and finish large projects. I am using NaNo to help me develop the habits and focus I need to write those novels that have been haunting me. I have discovered that not being use to it is showing. Just like stepping into an advanced aerobics class cold turkey and ending up with sore muscles, so have I ended up with a sore brain trying to keep up with the daily goals.
Reasons why I am happy with my progress:
- I’ve written over 10,000 words on a single project. Wow. I start so many projects and get a couple thousand words in and the energy dies and I move on to something else. Writing this much on a single idea is actually starting to fuel itself. The energy I feel to keep going is now both external (the nanowrimo event) and internal (I’ve gotta know what happens next). It is exciting.
- At least 1,000 words every day. I may not have written the 1,667 words required daily to reach the monthly goal of 50,000 words. However, I have written at least 1,000 words every day. It means I am writing steady and daily. The habits are starting to form.
- The story. The portion of my brain that is furiously outlining the story ahead of the words on the page is working overtime and I am excited by what might be coming along and can’t wait to see it on the page. I occasionally forget that I am the writer of the story and wonder how the author will handle that scene coming up and then remember that the author is me. And I have to handle it and get a bit spooked. Then I think, just get the bare bones down now and revise, polish and flesh them out later and it will be good.
I would like to send a special thank you to all my friends and family that don’t understand what I am doing but still are giving me a thumbs up when they see me. Even if that thumb is up in front of a fake smile because they think I have lost my grip on sanity. Thank you to my glorious husband who asked me how my writing was going even while dealing with the loss of a special person in his life two states away.
End week one and my word count is at 11,334.
Off to add to my word count. I may be back later. Mouse doesn’t like to be kept quiet for long and she has more to say.
