I really am that tired right now. but I wanted to do a quick ROW80 check-in. I don't want to miss any of those. I think checking in and staying in touch with the group is going to be my saving grace, the thing that helps me keep myself going.
I've had to acknowledge that some things aren't going to get done when I had hoped they would. My writing resolve and momentum caved under Christmas pressure. I'm not going to hit 65,000 words by Thursday. I will hit it by the end of the month, though, so I'm not too far off the mark. I haven't done much of anything about my story this week. A few new details planned and lots of thinking about it, and that's about it.
Before you jump down to the comments to tell me I'll get there and to not be discouraged and all the wonderful things everyone keeps telling me (and this is completely sincere--I have loved every bit of support and every comment and can't thank all of you enough!), I want to tell you that I'm feeling pretty good about where I am. I have done some writing and some planning in December. Usually, I enter December full of plans and leave full of angst because I didn't do one thing during the whole month. Not this time, though. I have actually done things. In December!
Better than that, I have a workable plan to continue my story. And best of all, I'm finding that it's flexible, so when things like needing to take time for holiday preparations throws me off my schedule I'm not completely derailed. I'm merely detoured. I don't feel like I'm stuck or stopped. I really do feel like I just made some adjustments to my plan.
So what am I saying here in my exhaustion induced babbling? I'm saying that I'm going to finish this story. I'm still fully in my story world, and even when I'm not actually writing I'm thinking about my characters and what they're doing all the time. This is all really good stuff and quite different from Decembers past.
Here's my plan. This week I'm going to continue reading the outlining book I'm working on. I'll make notes as much as possible, although I suspect I'll be needing to go back and fill in some details after Christmas is over. Right now I'm not going to say exactly when I plan to finish the book because there is a lot of holiday stuff to do, and I know I don't want to leave any of it undone. I really enjoy choosing gifts, making things for people, planning and cooking food, decorating, the whole lot of it. I'm not going to shortchange myself on this. But I do plan to have the book finished by January 31, 2012. That's one month later than I'd hoped. I think if I get back to work on the 26th and really stick with it, this is still a workable timeline. We'll see, though, because I'm still in completely new territory since I've never finished a novel before.
I'd like to end with some witty comment or pithy quote or something. I'm much too tired for that and have a few more pictures to print out for a super secret Christmas project. So instead I'll just say "goodnight."
5 comments:
Congrats on getting things done in December! I know how hard it is to keep writing this month :D
You are doing great and sometimes life does get in the way and sometimes there's just more of the story that wants to come out. I know the feeling of thinking constantly about the story and the characters. Have a very merry christmas and enjoy!
I think a lot of us are struggling to maintain our goals this month - and as others have said to me, don't worry about it, we all need a break at times! I guess we are just too hard on ourselves sometimes lol, have a great Christmas - I'm sure you will bounce back in the New Year with the rest of us :)
I'm so glad you're not getting down on yourself. Sometimes the thing about a too difficult goal is the way it can help us shape our plan to tackle it. Eating the elephant a bite at a time.
Yeah, that's kinda gross, but you get the idea.
You're doing great. This season does things to us. I eased up on myself a bit. I eventually fulfilled my goals, while getting the cards and gifts out, too. But none of it was easy and I always felt like I was behind.
Happy holidays.
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