A brief update on my progress with National Novel Writing Month….
Yeah, about that… I can probably say, with absolute certainty, that I’m most definitely NOT going to make the 50,000 word count by the end of November. As evidenced by the first three days, which included the weekend, my real life schedule just won’t allow for a novel to be written in that amount of time. Even if I gave up going to the gym, doing my dishes, laundry, and seeing any member of my family or friends, I have to work overtime and just getting to and from work eats up precious writing moments. Trust me, I’ve tried writing on the bus, but then I can’t read my own handwriting and all the ideas are gone.
That doesn’t mean I’m giving up! No, I intend to keep writing, but the goal now is to get as far as I can in the span of time left to me. Granted, when I get on a tear, it feels like I’m catching up. But then I notice it’s almost one in the morning and I have to be up and ready for work in four hours. This creates a vicious cycle of tiredness, lethargy, eureka moments, and so forth. So it’s best that I don’t see this month with the goal in mind of finishing a first draft, but getting as close as I possibly can.
I’m not gonna lie, it’s hard to admit defeat so soon because I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to setting a lot of goals for myself and beating myself up when I don’t meet them. I promise not to actually beat myself up. But I’m getting a stern talking to about time management and “realistic goals” come December. Boy am I gonna get it!
All joking aside, I’m not out of the game yet, I’ve just changed the parameters. By the end of November, I’ll be a step closer to completing a novel, which is the closest I’ve ever been to even writing a novel. Win-win, really.
The Maniacal Geek 