I think I’ve identified one of my problems when it comes to getting my writing routine into a…well, routine. I’ve let that little devil on my shoulder have way too much say – when the day and/or writing are becoming a slog, I let that voice talk me into either stopping, doing the minimum or finding something much more pleasant to give my time to.
Day 1 I went into the challenge a bit anxious but eager to go. The writing I did flowed well and I’m pretty happy with where it took me.
Day 2…not so much. The ideas weren’t really there when I started. I wanted to quit. After all, the challenge is 30 days. Surely I could make up the lost productivity on a following day?
Down that road lies a very strong possibility of failure (or madness)…and don’t call me Shirley (I know, bad pun, but I’m channeling my inner Leslie Neilsen. 🙂 So, I ignored that little voice and kept writing. Was it my best work?
No. But then, first drafts rarely are. Words on the page can be edited and polished. Words in my head…not so much. (Yes, I do love my ellipsis – I actually sometimes see them in my head as I’m thinking about my stories – call it the voices in my head)
Day 2 Breakdown
As I mentioned above, the words were not flowing like they did on day one. I had to start, take a break, and get back to it at least four times to hit my word count. What I wrote was continuous and somewhat cohesive. It built on what I wrote on day one (for those of you paying attention you might remember I had inspiration for a plot twist to the story). This particular piece happens further in the book, but it continues things nonetheless.
For complete clarity, I’m trying to finish a book I started a couple years ago. It is the fifth in my Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero series. Some of the book is written – about 20,000 words worth. All the books in the series weigh in at about 60 – 65000 words. If I am successful with this year’s NaNoWriMo, the book will be complete at about 70,000 words. That gives me room to edit and cut when I hit that phase of the project.
It should work out fine if I can keep my writing pace up.
