If you follow my blog then you know that on Mondays, I like to share posts by other bloggers that I have enjoyed. Today, I am sharing with you an article by Stacey Jane McIntosh.
Tips for Surviving NaNoWriMo
Stacey is attempting NaNoWriMo and attempting the the full 50k words. This isn’t her first time and in her article she shares what she has learnt to help other writers. If you are doing NaNo, this is worth a read!
Stacey writes paranormal romances and Celtic fairy tales – she sounds like my type of girl and I should probably go check out her books. She blogs about what she is reading and writing so if that appeals to you, then give her a follow.
Would you like to be featured?
I am always looking for new bloggers to feature on my blog. If you are interested, please comment to help me find you blog. I often share articles on writing, blogging, parenting or organic beauty.
This morning, I went to the sling library, then did the school run, I managed to bath both kids, get them to bed and now I am downstairs ready to write.
10:12 pm
I managed to beat my daily word count and add another 1,116 words to my manuscript. However, I have been seriously distracted by inspirational pictures of Pegasuses and my husband is watching Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (a show I recently watched and loved). I have done a lot of procrastinating tonight so I am amazed I managed to write anything!
https://youtu.be/ybKUX6thF8Q
Friday, 9th November 2018
9:15 pm
I must confess that today I have failed to add to my manuscript. In the background I have been blogging so not it has not been completely free of writing. Now, I am ready for an early night.
Saturday, 10th November 2018
10:00 pm
Today was all about preparing for Christmas. We went to a fair but it was so busy we gave it a miss as you could hardly move and cost £3 per person for the privilege. So we went into town instead.
Then in the evening, I created my Xmas wish list on Pinterest… but, still no writing. I hope I’ve not lost my mojo.
Sunday, 11th November 2018
9:00 pm
Today we worked on getting the house straight then went for some drinks at our local Royal British Legion for Remembrance Sunday. I got to have my first Malibu in over a year.
Once home, we ate dinner, got the kids to bed and now I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m gutted as this is day three that I’ve not written. But, I won’t give up! Sweet dreams all, tomorrow is a new day…
Monday, 12th November 2018
9:00 pm
Tonight, I can’t relax to write. Noah has come home from school with a cold and isn’t himself. To make matters worse, Aria is so unsettled. I’m running between rooms and I don’t think I’m going to sleep, let alone write!
Tuesday, 13th November 2018
9:00 am
No surprise here, Noah is off school today. He really is full of cold. I think Aria is teething, she’s dribbling, chewing her hand, off her food, doesn’t like her dummy and unsettled. This is going to be a long day.
3:00 pm
I finally got dressed. Noah is now with my mother in law as we need to take Aria to the hospital for her appointment.
8:00 pm
Aria was tired but didn’t want to sleep. Every time I put her down she would start screaming. This time she has stayed quiet so I’m hoping she’ll keep asleep as I am starving and want my dinner.
Not sure I’ll get to write today and in really disappointed. This weeks word count is dire and I’m worried I am too far behind now despite my strong start.
10:30 pm
I got to eat my dinner and I had pudding! Then we wrapped Noah’s bday presents ready for him to come down to in the morning… But, I didn’t add to my NaNo word count. With only one day left this week, it is not looking good.
Wednesday, 14th November 2018
9:45 pm
Noah was off school again today and it was his birthday. Although he was unwell, he was also really happy and full of excitement which didn’t work well with Aria being grumpy. I’m pretty sure she is teething as she is chewing her fists and is really sensitive about her bottle or dummy going in her mouth. It is has been a tough day trying to keep an excited birthday boy – now 5 years old – calm when I have got a tired baby to sleep.
I was exhausted when my husband got home and after dinner, he asked if there was anything he could do to help and all I wanted was a shower. It is funny how something so simple can give you a new lease of life. After putting the little ones to bed, I felt ready to write.
Dabble says I need to write 947 words today to keep on track for my 25k goal. I have managed to write 822 words which I think is pretty good considering the day I had.
Reflecting on week 2
Week 2 has not been great. I am embarrassed by my progress but I am tenacious so I will not give up. I can still make 25k by the end of the month. I hope next week is more promising.
My motto for this week’s NaNoWriMo is “Make excuses or make progress.” Are you doing NaNoWriMo? How are you getting on?
The little one had me up bright and early but thankfully has breast fed. I probably should have tried making a start on NaNo even if it was just writing on my phone, instead I played Dragon Mania. There is still plenty more time today after the school run and house work… We’ll see…
10:22pm
Day one and I typed 939 words (daily goal is 834 words). I didn’t get to work on my manuscript until the kids were in bed. Plus, the hubby was out tonight so it was first time since Aria was born that I’ve I done it without help.
As I never found time to prepare, I also crammed in some character development and outlined the first three chapters. I wish I had a full novel outline but something is better than nothing.
I’m pretty impressed with myself. Today has been a good day.
Friday, 2nd November 2018
11:00pm
My husband was put this evening so I bathed and got the little ones ready for bed before I could make a start on my writing at 9:30pm. I’m pleased with the progress I made as I beat my daily goal of 830, with 1,326 words.
I am really enjoying writing it and could keep going if I didn’t have responsibilities. I need my sleep so I can keep up with the little ones tomorrow so that’s me done for today but I’m looking forward to writing more tomorrow.
Saturday, 3rd November 2018
10:00pm
Today has been a busy day. We visited family in the morning. Then, in the afternoon I got Aria to sleep and was able to support Noah with his homework (researching India and the Festival of Light). Then we visited more family and returned home late.
Aria has only just gone to sleep and I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m frustrated I did not get to write today but we did a lot of family stuff today which is good for the soul.
Sunday, 4th November 2018
10:00pm
Today has been a great day. Not only did I get some time to write this afternoon but I also got to write more this evening. I managed to add 2,276 words to my manuscript.
Not only that, but we also watched the fireworks together as a family. It’s been a great day!
Monday, 5th November 2018
11:57am
I’ve had a busy morning with Aria. We went to a group and I got her weighed. She is now nodding off so I can get some lunch. I’m hoping to beat my word count from yesterday so if I get a chance to write before the school run, I will.
9:00pm
Famous last words… After, I typed the above, Aria woke up and went on a mad feeding frenzy where she kept emptying her bottles and crying for more. How could I say no when I’ve been desperate for her to get an appetite.
Now, she has finally fallen asleep, I can barely keep my eyes open. It’s an early night for me – sorry NaNo.
Tuesday, 6th November 2018
10:08pm
Today, has been nonstop but since my husband returned from work I have managed to have a bath and add 1,141 words to my project.
Wednesday, 7th November 2018 (My birthday)
1:00pm
It’s my birthday, although I’m not really celebrating it. This morning, I managed to hit my daily word count before lunch.
9:40pm
After my husband cooking me one of my favourite meals, eating cake and opening presents, we got the kids to bed and now I am back to writing and what a great way to end week one with 2,003 words.
Reflecting on week 1
7 days in and I’ve already written a total of 7,790 words. I am really pleased with the start I have made towards my target of 25,000. If I continue like this, I can easily achieve my goal.
In fact, I am only 3,876 words behind in achieving the NaNo goal of 50,000 words. To achieve that I need to write 1,759 words per day which I’ve proven I can do…
If you like this post, then you might like this one about the project I am working on for NaNoWriMo November 2018 or my NaNoWriMo diary post for Week Two.
It stands for National Novel Writing Month. The event started with a November challenge to write 50k words in 30 days.
Now, the event runs on other months of the year and you can set different word count goals.
How to get started
Firstly, you will need to create an account on NaNoWriMo. Here you can record your progress and if you complete the challenge you get a certificate. There are also other benefits (keep reading to find out more).
One benefit are the free participant images that you can use to show you are taking part on social media.
Story idea
It’s best to have an idea of what story you will be working on before you start. Coming up with ideas is never a problem for me. Staying focussed on one is where I struggle – I’m confident NaNo will help fix that.
I asked Instagram and Twitter which project they thought I should work on as I was couldn’t decide.
Set it in stone
Update your NaNo account with details about the project you have chosen.
Write a blurb (the text on the back of a book) and, if you have already started the project, include a sample (I.e. first chapter). You can update this at any point during/after the challenge.
I like to use Canva to quickly make a simple book cover image. It’s also great for making social media pictures.
Outline
NaNo can be intense and it can really help if you know where your story is going. An outline is a brief overall plot for your story and helps you stay on track. It can also be useful at the end for writing your synopsis.
I shall be using the snowflake tool in Wavemaker to do this.
Character Development
It can help to know who your main characters are and their names. Especially, if like me, naming your characters takes time.
Wherever your story is set there will be an element of world building. You need to consider where they live, the type of homes and people, jobs, education and how it is run.
If you are creating a new world then this will need more thought as you will need to consider everything from species to habitats and vegetation.
My story is set in a post-apocalyptic environment and therefore needs a lot of world building as the nature of our current state has changed drastically.
The setting of your story can be as vivid and diverse as any character. Places have history and can change a lot over time.
Software
By signing up on NaNo you will gain access to some great deals just for writers and some of these are for writing software.
This year, I have chosen to use Dabble Writer again as I love how easy it is to use and it keeps track of my word count so updating NaNo is a breeze.
Click here for my review of this product. I’ll review it again at the end of NaNo as I understand it’s even better now. It is free to trial during November for NaNo!
Writing Buddies/Camp NaNo
Sometimes they run a There are online camps for NaNo participants. It will group you with people that have similar goals or projects. Then you keep each other motivated as the challenge isn’t easy. I loved this during the July challenge but sadly it looks as if camp is running for November.
If you get a group that’s not very active, share how you are doing on social media. Writing doesn’t have to be a lonely business. Connect. Other writers are out there and want to see you succeed. You can do it.
Write
The charm of NaNo is that it gets you in the habit of writing. Try to write every day. Every bit you do is progress.
If you don’t hit your goal, keep writing. If you only achieve 20k, that’s still 20k more than when you started. Don’t quit. Writers don’t quit.
November is notoriously a busy month for me and if it wasn’t for NaNo I’d likely not get any writing done. I never shy away from the challenge and one year I will achieve… maybe, this year.
Good luck
Let me know if you are taking the challenge and wish to be NaNo buddies.
Links to articles regarding my previous attempt are:
Usually, I feature articles on Monday but for Halloween, I would like to feature spooky stories and poems or anything Halloween themed.
The content can be any genre but ideally not too long (2k max). You could provide a sample to a longer piece (i.e. a novel). I will feature a selection of my favourites between midnight on 30 October 2018 midnight and 31 October 2018 midnight GMT.
To take part, all you need to do is add the hashtag #Spooktober and comment on my post to help me find you.
Ideally, submit earlier to allow me time to see your entry but I’ll keep my eyes open until 30 October 2018.
This is the first time I’ve tried something like this and hope lots of people will take part and find it fun. Please feel free to share this post and spread the word.
I look forward to seeing your inner horror writer.
To start the year, I set myself some goals for the year ahead. I plan to check periodically during the year on how well I am keeping on track. If you set yourself goals it is important to check on yourself to make sure you are on target and to re-focus yourself.
If you want to view my last check in on myself, click here.
Achievements
If you only focus on what wasn’t achieved then you lose sight of what you did achieve and feel like giving up. By making time to reflect on my wins, I see, I did better than I originally thought:
Participated in NaNoWriMo (July) and made progress on my WIP
My article on Orangutans was published by Ginger Parrot
I took part in several twitter events!
On Reflection
Here are the highlights from this quarte:
Summary: This has been a very challenging period as I was very tired towards the end of my pregnancy and having a newborn has been demanding. It would have been very easy to give up (or take a break) but somehow I have managed to keep at it and I am proud of myself for my tenacious spirit.
Blogging: My posting has slowed down but I am keeping to the new schedule – some posts have gone live later in the day than originally planned but I am keeping up. I have more ideas than time to write but that is always better than writers block!
Writing: My goal for NaNo was rather ambitious but I a still very proud of what I did manage to accomplish in July (almost 15k). I have also been brave and finally took part in Twitter events (#Pitchwars, #PitMad, #AskAnna). I also had a great time at Felixstowe Book Festival.
Blogging Goals Review
ACHIEVED: I have created a new schedule that include one to two posts per week and I am managing to keep up with it.
NOT ACHIEVED: I have not had time to look at LoCal. I got as far as making a spreadsheet with the links but didn’t get as far as coming up with a scheduling plan.
ACHIEVED: If you have been following me you will have noticed that there has been more personal posts as I have shared days out with my son, my pregnancy and the arrival of my baby girl.
NOT ACHIEVED: I am not ready to vlog. I have lots of ideas but at the moment it can take me almost all day to get a chance to wash my face! The last thing I want to do is be in front of the camera.
ACHIEVED: I am using a spreadsheet in Google to see my content plan. I also keep track of ideas I have for posts and colour the cell – I then can copy this into the schedule where it best fits. This method is working really well for me.
Writing Goals Review
ACHIEVED: Taking part in NaNo gave me the motivation to keep adding to my word count and I made progress almost every day. My goal was 25k which I didn’t reach but I am so pleased with what I did achieve and hope to finish the first draft by the end of the year.
ALMOST ACHIEVED: My son started school this month and I got to make a start on Who Runs The World by Virginia Bergin. I bought this book at Felixstowe Book Festival after her event (click here to read about Lunch with Virginia)
ACHIEVED: I submitted to #PitchWars to hopefully get a mentor *fingers crossed*. But, I didn’t stop there! I also took part in #PitMad and #AskAnna.
ACHIEVED: During #AskAnna I was able to identify the best course for me by CB Creative. I also still have my online courses by “Write Story Books” to complete.
My highest priorities are to continue to be consistent with my blog posting and to finish my novel. I also would really love to be published on Ginger Parrot again so will attempt to write another article for them.
I have my heart set on working with a mentor but the competition for #PitchWars was strong. However, during #AskAnna I was informed of The Literacy Consultancy who have a private mentor service. It is not cheap but sounds like what I want. What do you think of a writing mentor?
The events helped me to connect with other writers which I hadn’t expected. It was lovely to see how other writers were so supportive of each other. I would encourage others to take part in Twitter events and would be interested in doing more. Do you do Twitter events or know of any you would recommend?
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. You set yourself a word count goal and attempt to write often (ideally daily).
I thought NaNoWriMo was only in November. November is full of birthdays and we often take a family vacation which means I get very little time to write that month. It turns out there are now more months throughout the year to take the challenge and July is one of those.
Sadly, I did not achieve my goal of 25k. It was rather ambitious considering I’ve had a lot on this month with:
Noah finishing at both his nurseries (2 x sports day, graduation and leaver parties)
Taster days at his new school including homework
Continuing to work up to 39 weeks pregnant was exhausting most evenings I just wanted to sleep
Hypnobirthing classes were so relaxing, afterwards I was too chilled to write
Increase in midwife appointments as my due date nears
Things I hadn’t anticipated affecting my goal:
Noah catching a sick bug
My husband getting Labyrinths (swelling inside the ear drums)
Myself catching a cold and I can’t take any meds (a week on and it is almost gone now)
Referral on my last CIPD assignment so I had to work on resubmitting that
The opportunity to write for Ginger Parrot!
As I’ve not done this challenge before I had no idea what was a realistic goal. I decided on 25k as I felt that would be achievable and yet also challenging. Perhaps, ordinarily that would have been true but I hadn’t anticipated the germs about to invade my home or how tired pregnancy and keeping up with work and a 4 year old would make me.
Putting that aside, I am super impressed with what I have achieved *pats myself on the back*. I’ve also identified from my daily word counts that certain days I am more productive and other days I don’t write at all. It could be that these are the days that I am working on my blog posts.
At points, I fell back in love with my story and was excited and proud about scenes I created. Other times, it was a struggle and I know I’ll need to return to fix some parts lacking in lustre. I also discovered I don’t have to write my novel in chapter order, I can skip ahead and return to parts later and this sometimes makes things more clearer.
I also managed to keep up with my blog posts (just about), however, I have drafted a new schedule to reduce posting as I think blogging will be more challenging with a newborn. I’ve also agreed to keep writing for Ginger Parrot and they’ve added me to their team page – this is a big achievement for me and I don’t want to let them down.
Novel writing is my first love and I’m hoping that in the coming months I will find a way to make more time for this. I don’t quite know how yet but perhaps setting myself monthly word count goals would be a good start. I think I’ll start low and try to beat it each month…
*****
Did you do the NaNoWriMo challenge? How do you manage to juggle life and your writing goals? I would love to hear how you got on.
I’m not going to post an update every day as I think that will be too much. I thought every 5 days would be better but I’ve struggled with that so it has turned into updates every 10 days!
The goal
My goal is to write 25k in 31 days to finish my novel titled Glide. I’ve called the project Diamond In The Sky as this is what I am considering renaming the novel as.
Pregnancy is really catching up with me. I am so tired by the time I finish work and it is so hot in the evenings, all I want to do is lie on my bed and dream of owning a fan.
I did received some good news. An article I wrote for a publication was accepted!
Day 17
So, today the good news got better as they sent me a link of how my article would look for my approval. Plus, they asked me what I’d like to write next!
At work, I went to lunch with a group of colleagues. It was sort of a leaving lunch because it is the last time we will all be in the office at the same time before I go on maternity leave, next week.
I did manage to do a little blog writing on my mobile whilst I melted in the heat. I went to bed early and didn’t do any NaNo writing.
Day 18
I have left the gifts to the last minute so Noah and I were up early doing crafts before nursery. I was pretty impressed with what we did.
I had the afternoon off work to take him to his graduation party at the other nursery. It was a lovely little party but I still don’t think he understands nursery is coming to an end.
I’m so busy with all the activities with his nursery coming to an end and everything I need to do before maternity that I haven’t the energy when I get home to do creative writing.
Day 19
Today, was my son’s last day of nursery – we were up early making crafts for this placement too. I had a busy day at work as my colleagues suddenly realised I only have two days of work left!
I did receive some very good. My CIPD tutor let me know that all my assignments are now marked (including re-submissions) and I have passed. So, I can relax and focus on my baby and writing.
On that note, I wrote 576 words. I know it isn’t a lot but it is much better than the other days.
Day 20
This morning, Noah had another sports day – there is double of everything because he has a dual placement. It was out in the sun with no shelter and no where to sit. Noah wanted to visit his nanny afterwards but my feet were so swollen they looked like elephant trotters, so we had to go home so I could put my feet up.
It’s very hard to write upside down and it took me the rest of the day to get my feet to go back to normal. I was also incredibly tired and fell asleep for 2 hours in the afternoon. I’m lucky my husband was off ill otherwise who knows what my son would have got up to. As a result, I didn’t do any NaNo.
On a plus note, my husband and his best friend worked on building the nursery furniture which is a huge relief to see the room finally coming together.
Day 21
I’m 38 weeks pregnant today and booked in for some pampering. I felt so relaxed and happy afterwards.
Sadly, I returned home to learn there is a problem with the wall stickers I ordered for the nursery as the seller is in America. I spent the rest of the day coming up with a new theme for the nursery and looking for UK sellers that do the same sort of thing… with no luck and no NaNo progress.
Her walls will be white like the blank page on my computer screen.
Day 22
Today, I got straight on the PC and wrote 2k before doing anything. I sent my husband off in the evening for a rock climbing experience day which left me alone with the PC once the little man was in bed and I got another 1k done.
I now have a fan! Yay! Thank you mother-in law.
Day 23
I started the day full of determination to get home and do some writing but at work they were having building work which resulted in the air con being turned off and on the roof their are seagulls and their chicks and they are aggressive – so we can’t open the windows. By the time I returned home I felt like I was dying and wasn’t good for anything! To make matters worse I felt like I was coming down with a cold – despite the heatwave… is that even possible.
Day 24
Yes, it is possible. Today was my last day at work before maternity leave and I was streaming from my nose with my cold and sweating along with everyone else suffering in the heat. Most of my colleagues were on holiday as they had to use it up before the end of July. The one colleague that was in treated me to lunch for my last day which broke the day up and made it feel a tad more special.
When I got home, I couldn’t even put my son to bed as I was so ill and exhausted. I opted to sleep on the sofa as I didn’t want to keep my husband up with all the nose blowing. I was right – I didn’t sleep a wink.
Day 25
This was supposed to be the day that clawed it back! I really thought I’d have all day to write but I’m ill, haven’t slept, feeling very pregnant and it’s too hot. I spent a lot of time between household chores (nothing too strenuous) just roasting in front of the fan. I am so glad that Noah had holiday club as there is noway I would have kept up with him.
I did manage to take some pics for my blog that had to be done as the deadline for a scheduled post is in two days. I have struggled today but managed to add a few words to the count.
Reflection
Days 16 to 20 were pretty poor – partly why I didn’t feel motivated to do a 5 day diary for that period.
I’m really pleased with my day 22 progress which shows what I can achieve if I have a fan and time and feeling healthy.
I’m also really pleased about my article getting published. If you’d like to read my post about this achievement, please click here.
Fingers crossed I can crackdown these last few days and somehow still do this! It’s not over yet! I refuse to give up! I just need days like day 22.
Are you doing the challenge? How are you getting on?
My goal is to write 25k to finish my novel titled Glide. I’ve called the project Diamond In The Sky as this is what I am considering renaming the novel. You can click here to see my post about setting the goal.
Day 1 to 5
If you want to read how the first 5 days went, please click here to view the post.
Day 6 to 15
We are now half way through the challenge and it is challenging… Here is how day 6 to 15 have gone:
Day 6
I wrote 0 words. I started the day trying to get some laundry done in the morning. The afternoon was my son’s graduation ceremony at nursery which was an amazing day. When I got home, I told my husband all about how proud I was and just didn’t do any writing.
Day 7
I wrote 1,289. I decided to skip a chapter that I was struggling to get motivated to write and instead wrote the next chapter. Now, I feel clearer about the chapter I skipped and ready to go back and write it.
Day 8
I wrote 1,493. I feel clearer about where my story is going now and was able to write the next chapter. It wasn’t the most exciting chapter but it was necessary and setting the path for what is to come.
Day 9
I got a refer on one of my CIPD assignments – I had hoped the course was finish so I could concentrate on other projects like NaPoWriMo. The time after work that I would have spent writing had to be put on hold as I needed respond to my lecturers feedback and resubmit ASAP. I want to finish before I have my baby and my due date feels like a ticking bomb!
Day 10
Today, was my Hypnobirthing class. I love Hyponbirthing. It is so relaxing. The only problem is that I am so chilled out afterwards that I can’t do anything. Word count was zero.
Day 11
I was determined when I got home from work to catch up with my word count but I got as far as about 426 words before my son started being sick. I then spent an uncomfortable night with him, comforting him as it came out of both ends. He was amazingly tough though.
Day 12
Hubby took the day off to look after my son as it would be very difficult for me to rearrange my appointments at work, especially with only 6 days of work left before maternity leave starts. On next to no sleep, I did a full days work (let’s call it newborn training). When I arrived home I was too tired to write.
Day 13
Yay, my son is better. Just as well as we had a busy day planned. I cancelled visiting a friend with a newborn as a precaution – my son could be contagious – instead, we did jobs in town (pay library fines, allergy test for my pampering next weekend, etc). Then we went home for lunch. In the afternoon, we visited the school he will be starting in September to take part in a preparing for school activity. Then my husband’s best friend came over and we chatted until I had to go to bed.
Day 14
Our house is a mess! We spent most the morning doing chores at home and popped out to buy paint for the nursery. I then played with my son in the garden in this glorious sunshine. It’s so good to see him happy and well.
Then once he was in bed, I got ready for a night on the sea front with one of my best friends – something we want to enjoy before life gets complicated with a new born. Word count was zero though.
Day 15
Today, my hubby has been great keeping my son busy so I could get in front of the PC during the day because I’m often too tired in the evening. I manged to achieve 2.5k! That is my personal best this month and it is only midday so there is chance I could add to that later on.
I also really like what I have written. There was a bit of adding to earlier chapters as well as adding a new chapter. I got to write about her casting and developing her powers and confronting Mariah and I loved it. The boys are back now but I will be looking for any chance to sneak off and write some more.
Reflection
I’m so pleased with my achievement today. If only I could have more days like that. I have seen what I can achieve if I can get the time to be able to write. I still love that feeling of creating my story, the world, characters and the magic. It is what I love and even when I felt like quitting, I couldn’t. This is me.
I am still behind target though, however, I have had some unexpected challenges that halted my progress. I thought I had finished my CIPD course and I had not anticipated my son being ill.
I have still managed to keep my blog posts regular and sent an article to a publication (fingers crossed they like it). I’d like to get ahead of my blog schedule as I’m sure I’ll be distracted once the baby is here and I don’t want to fall silent.
When I think about all I am juggling, I am achieving an awful lot – even if I do say so myself.
Let me know if you are doing the challenge and how you are getting on?
I’m not going to post an update every day as I think that will be too much, but I thought every 5 days would be a nice spacing. Here is how it is going…
I only discovered that NaNoWriMo can be done in July (not just November) the night before it was due to start. I quickly created my account and set my goal. You can click here to see my post about this.
My goal is to write 25k to finish my novel titled Glide. I’ve called the project Diamond In The Sky as this is what I am considering renaming the novel as. Here’s how I am getting on towards the challenge.
Day 1
To achieve 25k, Camp NaNo suggested my daily goal be 807 words. I was very pleased when I kicked off with 806 words.
It was a fun chapter to start with involving the battle where Kiara loses her soul and becomes a crow.
Day 2
I achieved 442 words which wasn’t as great as I hoped but it was the first day back at work and I was shattered when I got home.
It’s not so much the word count I was disappointed with but with what I wrote. This chapter was the first time Kiara got to fly. For something so exciting I think the chapter needs more to it. When I come to edit, I think I’ll spend a bit of time improving this part.
Day 3
Today, I went to my first hypnobirth class and returned home so chilled out, I could barely move. I couldn’t write, I couldn’t do anything but be relaxed. I think everyone should do the course (pregnant or not). We live in a busy world and learning to find your zen is crucial.
Sadly, the result was a terrible word count of zero. On a plus note, I wrote some notes on what needs to happen in the story to give myself some focus.
Day 4
I wanted to make up for skipping yesterday so despite a hard day at work I got in front of the keyboard and added a further 1,973 (the best word count so far!). My focus notes really helped me get started which saved time and got me writing. Perhaps, day 3 was more productive than I realised.
Day 5
There is no denying that I’m tired now. I went to work wearing odd shoes (one navy, one black). In my defence, my bump is so big now, I can’t see my feet when I am slipping on my shoes. At least they were the same style. I would show you a pic but my feet look awful, so swollen, like trolls feet.
When I got home, I tried to put my feet up but my little boy wasn’t himself. He had this foul eggy burps and I thought he was going to be up all night being sick. I decided it best to conserve my energy and go to bed early. In the end, he was only up twice to use the loo but no sickness – phew.
Reflection
The first 5 days has gone okay. I would like to have done better but I am fighting against my body and juggling my responsibilities. Now is the weekend, I’m hoping to get in front of the keyboard, get ahead and set a new best. I’ll let you know how I get on by day 10.
Personally, I would like to achieve the challenge early incase my baby comes early.
Are you doing the challenge? How are you getting on?
