Readers seldom see the effort that goes into writing a book. I remember when my second Mik Murdoch novel, Mik Murdoch: The Power Within was first published. It took me months to write it and more months to edit it. I received my first email asking when the next one would be out.
That was both rewarding and frustrating.
Stories have this nasty habit of becoming a huge burden at the 2/3 mark. That is the time when the author has been living and breathing the story for a long time and is thoroughly tired of it. The excitement that was there at the beginning has faded into something that is approaching hatred. Fatigue, certainly. Writers just want to get it done and over with.
NaNoWriMo follows that trend to a tee. The thrill of something new and challenging has worn off. Some writers are ready to throw in the towel because they can’t see themselves achieving their goal of 50,000 words in 30 days. Others are ready to take a rest because they are well ahead of the curve and think they can take it easy for the remaining 10 to 11 days. Still others are struggling to keep their work going in the right direction; they can’t think what else to write and just want to quit.
Now is the time, more than ever, to keep your foot on the gas. Press down a little harder, if anything. Don’t give up. Finish the final third of the month at a sprint, instead of a walk.
Challenges for the Day
Lots of fun, shiny and or relaxing things called out to me. It didn’t help that I just returned home from watching football at the local pub with some friends. I could easily have said, “I wrote a few words and I’m 10,000 words ahead of the schedule. I can record the 200 or so that I’ve already got and call it good.”
I didn’t do that and I’m very glad. I haven’t had a single day this month with fewer than 2,000 words and I don’t want to break that streak now.
Number of Words for the Day: 2,091 words
I wrote one of my favorite scenes to date. I decided to have the characters let their proverbial hair down and act like the people I mean them to be. What came out of it is funny, irreverent and wholly memorable. Chances are good I will have to kill it in edits. 😛
How I Hit my Word Total for the Day
I did some writing in the morning and then the rest after the pub. Things turned out better than I had hoped.
Today’s Goal: 2,000 words
My Scouts and I are going to the local mall to ring bells for the Salvation Army Christmas Kettles. I won’t be home until a little later, so I will have to hit the majority of my words a little later.
Number of Words to Date: 42,223 words
I would love to hit 45,000 words tonight, but knowing how late I’m going to get started, I may have to wait until tomorrow to do it.
