So I wrote this post last year, during NaNo, in hopes of inspiring myself and others that it really can be done. I’m posting it this year if any NaNo-ers need a little support.
I’ve gotten to Day 10 of NaNoWriMo, and so far I’ve made my word count every day. But right now, my small lead has leached away to tiredness. I’m sitting at my computer with my eyes blinking shut, and all I can think about is how much I just want to go to sleep. I’ve done the majority of my writing every night before hopping into bed, though most weekdays I build a small lead during my lunch break so I don’t have a full complement of words to write at night.
Of course, I didn’t do that today. I’ve slowed down, and now I’m just sleepy. It doesn’t look like I’ll make my words today, and I fear greatly that if I fail to do all my words today, I’m doomed to failure for the rest of the month. Am I to be content with the 16,000+ words I’ve written to date? Did I really think I’d be able to win at this bizarre goal of writing a full 1667 words every day for a month? Me, who has never written consistently daily in her life, who has never had a word count anywhere approaching 1667 every day. Should I be proud of my 10-day achievement and just try again next year? Or should I attempt to soldier on and see what happens the rest of this week?
I doubt that I’ll make up words as the month progresses: I’m already starting to burn out on ideas despite putting words to three different projects as the mood strikes me. Maybe I’ll make a good start on words tomorrow and not feel this despair, because tonight, my pillow beckons, and I have yet to brush my teeth and don my pajamas. It’s not midnight yet, but it’s quite late and the baby will be waking up long before I’m ready for him. So adieu for today. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow about continuing this crazy adventure.
Of course, I just checked my word count for today and it’s actually better than I thought. Maybe I really can do this!