Here is the last half of my Camp NaNo diary, covering mid April to the end of April. It will also include whether I am a winner or not. If you would like to read the first half of my diary, click here.
I am so pleased that I achieved Camp NaNo. During the Easter Holidays it felt so impossible I almost quit. I guess it goes to show what perseverance can achieve.
I like Red Dresses more than my November project and will likely return at a later date to finish this novel.
What’s next?
As soon as Camp NaNo was over, I got straight back into editing Jewel of the Sea. My goal is to try and edit three chapters a week to get it query ready.
You may have noticed that recently I have begun sharing updates on my blog with links to Wattpad as I finish editing. If you are on Wattpad, follow me, I follow back.
I am super tired and it would be so easy to quit right now. I’m feeling pretty defeated with about 8k to go and only today and tomorrow to achieve my goal of 25k.
But, I am no quitter! If I don’t make it, I’d rather know I tried my absolute hardest and achieved my best than to cop out.
So, I managed to get about 500 words done in the day and then tonight, I added some more, making today’s contribution 1,520 words, taking the grand total to 19,645 words.
I’m not feeling confident that I’ll reach 25k but 20k looks doable and that would still be a great achievement.
Friday, 30th November 2018
11:50pm 5457
Today, has started with a goal of 5,452 words to achieve my NaNo goal of 25k this month. It feels impossible with my daily average not peaking 1k and my best ever not even being half of today’s goal. I shall do my best to have a word marathon today and finish with as many words as I can.
Our boiler has gone, so I’ve cancelled my plans and had to stay in for the enginereer. This has given me the perfect excuse to spend all day in front of my laptop, whenever Aria naps. As a result, I got 700 words written.
Then, when I collected Noah from school, we got home and did his homework together. After, he asked if he could go on his Kindle and I could go on my laptop. Well, I wasn’t going to argue with that and managed to add another 700 words to the total.
Tonight, I bathed both the little ones in the hope they would fall into a deep sleep so I could get on with my writing – it worked! But, when I got downstairs my husband’s best friend was round and chatty. I chatted with him until I plucked up the courage to be anti social and dedicated to my art and sat at my laptop – luckily he is lovely and a great supporter of my writing.
Finally, I get writting and I’m thiniking 4k to go is not going to happen. Twenty minutes in and my husband’s best friend asks what I am writing and I quickly explain NaNoWriMo and when I check my word count, I have only 3k to go! If I can keep that up, maybe I can do it.
I find myself word count watching and the closer I get, the more i am checking. The more I am checking, the more pressure I am feeling. The more pressure I feel, the harder it is to write. Then, Dabble Writer bursts into fireworks to celebrate me reaching 25k. I did it! I can’t quite believe it but I have.
Today, I have written 5,457 words (my highest daily word count ever) making my grand total 25,005 words. I have now achieved the 25k NaNo Badge!
Reflecting on NaNo
I am so proud of myself for my achievement. I know I didn’t do the full 50k but I did achieve my goal of 25k and got a new NaNo Badge. Plus, I now have a new daily word count best that is going to be a hard one to beat.
My husband’s best friend was cheering me on which was a great help. Afterwards he asked, “What goal will you set next?” I’m not ready to answer that yet as I’m exhausted and relieved it is over. But, I am going to set some soon, as it does help.
My motto for this NaNoWriMo is “You’ve got to be in it to win it!” If I hadn’t tried, I would never have made it. There were plenty of occasions I felt like giving up and wondered why I was even bothering when my chances looked so bleak. But, I proved myself wrong and it feels great!
Admittedly, I have not done any writing this evening but my plan is to get my blog posts written and out of the way so I can focus on just novel writing for the rest of the month… Wasn’t quite as productive as I hoped.
Friday, 23rd November 2018
10:30pm
Guess who is ill now? Me! I have a cold and I think Aria knows as she has been impossible to settle tonight. She has finally gone to sleep and I’m shattered. Just wanted to quickly update my diary before going to sleep. I didn’t even get to grab some Black Friday bargins.
Saturday, 24th November 2018
10:30pm
I’m officially full of cold. I finished a rather lengthy blog post (Christmas Gifts for writers – coming soon) and once the little ones were in bed, I actually got to write.As there has been a bit of a break I was slow to get strarted but once I got going I really enjoyed it and I’m enjoying where the story is going again as my characters are now on a quest for dragon’s fire.To finish my 25k in time, Dabble worked out I needed to write 1,432 words but I managed to smash that and wrote 1,571. I love how Dabble’s interface clears whilst you are typing on your manuscript making it void of distractions. I also loved how it notified me that I had met my daily goal so I didn’t have to keep track of how many words I had typed.
Sunday, 25th November 2018
10:00pm
I’m not sure what has gotten into Aria tonight but she wasn’t in agreement to go to sleep. I have only managed to just get her down and now I am too tired to write – Boo!
Monday, 26th November 2018
9:30pm
Shamefully, I didn’t manage to do any writing today. Aria carried only waking up every hour last night so I am shattered today. It has taken its toll on me and together with my cold I am in desperate need of an early night.
Tuesday, 27th November 2018
10:00apm
Wow, what a busy day! This morning was the last parent maths class. I then hurried over for the first day of baby massage class. I then went home for lunch and decided to skip the baby singing group which Aria loves because I needed a chance to breathe.Then, I picked my son up from school. Had dinner then went to a Tropics Ambassador event (I am interested in joining). When I got home it was late and I had to start the battle with Aria to get her to sleep.There was barely a moment today to even think about my story, let alone write. I wish I had written more yesterday.
Wednesday, 28th November 2018
10:00pm
Aghhh, I am feeling the pressure of Christmas coming and birthday parties, so I had to cram in a bit of online shopping before writing. I also don’t want my blog to go radio silent, so in the background I have been drafting the outline of some posts.I’m pleased to confirm that I also managed to write. I added another 1480 words to my word count.
Reflecting on week 4
I am so tired, I feel like I am running on empty at the moment. Any energy I have left I am spending on my children.
I have found that keeping a NaNo diary is makng me feel more unaccountable for my word count because I really am cringing everytime I have to explain to you guys why my daily word count is zero.
I’m also finding Dabble great at helping me see how many words I need to write each day to achieve. It is really motivating and also after skipping a few days I can see the impact of my actions (or lack of it).
My motto for this week’s NaNoWriMo is “Any progress, no matter how small, is better, than no progress at all” Are you doing NaNoWriMo? How are you getting on? If you like this post, then you may enjoy my week three diary for NaNoWriMo November 2018 or NaNo Done. If you want to know what I have been working on, please check out my NaNoWriMo Project post.
I thought Aria would never go to sleep but, finally, she did. I am super keen to make sure that week 3 goes better than week 2. To stay on track for 25k I needed to write 955 words… I managed to write 973 word! *phew*
I did get a little distracted today looking up a name for my word cutter/huntsman character. Then, I didn’t even use it!
Friday, 16th November 2018
11:00 pm
Tonight, I have been blogging and researching content for my blog.
This week I have also been meeting with companies to discuss at home business opportunities as I am looking into ways to bring in a little income without compromising my commitment to my children. I’ve got some serious thinking to do and it has been quite distracting.
Saturday, 17th November 2018
11:00 pm
I didn’t feel motivated to write this evening as I feel stuck in my story and I’m still beating myself up about how poorly I did last week and that I didn’t write last night.
I’m so glad that I put my butt in the seat because I managed to write 1,352 words tonight and once I got into the chapter, I really enjoyed writing it. I wrote in third person tonight which isn’t my usual style (I’m a die hard first person POV write) but I was writing from another characters perspective and I think using a different style helped me get past the point I am stuck.
I’ve no idea where the story will take me tomorrow. I didn’t have much time to plan an outline for this one and I have no idea where the story is going just an idea of what I want it to achieve. The vagueness is now causing me problems. I used to be a pantser but with my limited writing time available, these days I really do need a plan.
My 25k goal is still doable but there is no chance I will achieve 50k. I’m glad I set a more realistic goal for myself.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqTBFrQFY1d/
Sunday, 18th November 2018
10:30 pm
Do you ever feel like everything is working against you? I thought today might be tricky to write as it was also my son’s joint birthday party.
Unfortunately, my son woke up and was sick. As it was a joint party it still went ahead but without him. I ran around town making sure that my contribution (money, food, etc) was still made available to the other mums. The whole point of a joint party was to share the costs.
Once I got both little ones to bed I went to my PC, only to find that my cat had made herself comfortable on my chair. She had that look on her face that told me she would not be moving. After, coaxing her off the chair I logged onto the PC. By then, my husband and his friend were watching a new TV series on Netflix – it looked pretty good and kept distracting me.
However, I am pleased to say I did manage to write, even if it was only 607 words.
Monday, 19th November 2018
9:00 pm
Noah had to be kept off school due to the 48h rule to prevent him passing on his tummy bug, however, he has been absolutely fine all day which meant he wanted entertaining. There was no opportunity to sneak in a few extra words for my manuscript. I made him do homework every time he said “I’m hungry,” before giving him a snack. Which if you know any 4 year olds, that is a lot of homework.
Now, both the little ones are in bed it it my time. But, I am struggling to focus on my project when I can feel Christmas fast approaching and all the Black Friday sales have started early! I’m always looking for ways to save money so I’m finding it hard to resist temptation to shop.
10:30 pm
I managed to write 1,022 words before being called away mid sentence by a hungry baby. I just felt like I was getting back into it too. It is too late to go back downstairs and I’m tired, so, sweet dreams all. Tomorrow, I’m going to try and double my daily word count.
Tuesday, 20th November 2018
10:10 pm
Noah was well enough to go to school today. Today was Stay and Play at school so I was there for the afternoon.
Tonight, neither of the little ones wanted to go to sleep. The oldest one kept claiming to need the loo and needs reminding about hand washing. And, the little one seemed to know when I left the room, despite my expert ginger ninga skills and would start crying.
So, despite challenging conditions, I have managed to write 927 words. To get back on track, I currently need to be doing 1,029 words per day. I am behind target but I’m no quitter!
Wednesday, 21st November 2018
3:15pm
I’m so pleased that this afternoon I got to write. Noah is at school and Aria is asleep. But, now it’s time to go and pick him up so I’m going to end there with my 359 words and hope I get a chance to add some more this evening.
10:15pm
I’m glad I got to write earlier as Aria has been difficult to settle tonight. She is teething and experiencing her first cold, bless her, so really struggled to fall asleep – it could be a long night.
I am not going to write tonight, however, I did chat with a friend about my project which helped generate some fresh ideas to work on. I also drew a picture earlier today of one of the villains in the story.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqdVerMFNvK/
Reflecting on week 3
Obviously, I hadn’t anticipated a sick boy or a restless baby but despite these challenges, I feel week 3 has gone better than week 2. But, I still want to do better!
Not writing an outline for my novel or doing any preparation is really taking its toll now. I’m struggling to know what direction to take the story in and every time a new character is introduced I have to come up with a name and think about what makes them who they are.
Plus, ‘Black Friday’ sales are cropping up everywhere and reminding me that it is Christmas next month and although we don’t go overboard… I haven’t done anything.
My motto for this week’s NaNoWriMo is “If you take time to plan, you save time in the long run.” Are you doing NaNoWriMo? How are you getting on?
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.
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.
When I attempted NaNoWriMo back in November 2017 I blogged 5 tips to help you achieve. The only thing I’m doing different this time is my goal is 25k words and I’m going to use Google Docs so I can write anywhere! If you’d like to read my tips, please click here.
What I learnt from failing
Well November 2017 was a very challenging month for me and I didn’t achieve NaNoWriMo despite my top tips. November is always busy month for me but last year’s November was awful!
I don’t think you should see failure as a reason to give up. It’s a chance to learn and grow and become even better. If you’d like to learn from my mistakes, please click here.
My motto for this week’s NaNoWriMo is “Any progress, no matter how small, is better, than no progress at all” Are you doing NaNoWriMo? How are you getting on? If you like this post, then you may enjoy my 
