I am so far behind that I should probably admit defeat. But I’m not going to.
Yesterday was 500 words. Precisely 500, because yes, I pushed those last 16 words to hit the even marker. I did end at the end of a sentence, though, so at least there’s that.
Yesterday was also dealing with my car repair place; making plans with a friend; yoga; assorted cooking including finishing up some homemade chicken broth which had been simmering overnight (easy to start, work to finish); CostCo, including making single-serving freezer packets of fish and meat; meeting a friend; and then going out for a quick dinner with other friends. Oh, and taking the dogs on two long walks. For me, it was a very busy day. The fact that I got 500 words during it is more something to celebrate than something to regret.
Admittedly, the rest of the month is going to have plenty of equally busy days. I’m cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 11. It’s going to absorb a lot of my attention for a couple of days. (It already is, as I browse recipes for interesting AIP-friendly food that won’t seem AIP to my audience, ie arugula and roasted squash salad & grilled Brussels sprouts.) I’m also getting my kitchen cupboards replaced. Not sure that will happen in the month, but apparently it may involve some more negotiation with the insurance company. When the guy from the kitchen company came out this morning, I discovered that the wall has broken. Apparently the nails in the metal inside the wall, when they get wet, can rust and expand and break the wall. Sweet, huh? But it may mean that I’m back talking to the insurance company again. I’ll be visiting the kitchen guys again tomorrow, when he’s got an estimate ready. The point, though, of all this babble is that I can’t assume that the next twenty days are going to be any more productive than the last ten.
Despite that, I’m not ready to give up. I need to write 2K+ words per day and there were definitely days when I was writing A Lonely Magic that I hit that number. Other people can do it. I can, too. I just need to remember my three new NaNo rules. 1) No editing. 2) Have fun. 3) Write without doubt.
Hmm… not to doubt myself immediately, but it seems to me that the third rule covers both the others. If I manage to write without doubt, then I will have fun and I won’t edit. So, okay, new rule for NaNo: Write without doubt.
And it is so me that I’m immediately thinking about how I could edit that, how I could say it to make it stronger, whether Abandon is a better verb, what the implications of abandon are… but I’m going to stop myself. Time to move on to the story. Tomorrow maybe I’ll invent a new rule.
It’s amusing to see how your mind works.
I haven’t given up yet, either. No words yesterday. 720 today. I seriously don’t know if this will ever go anywhere, but I’m enjoying it.
This is me being pseudo-zen, but I do find that it helps me to remember that the experience is its own reward. Our society is so centered on goals & achievement, but writing because you find pleasure in the process is a lot more valuable than some amorphous future achievement. In other words, have fun today, don’t worry about tomorrow! (I’m better at preaching then practicing. 🙂 )