Last night I finished the first of my two novels for this November. It flowed easily, as many of the projects I care the least about do.
But that is a good deal of the point NaNoWriMo teaches us, to let go and realize that somehow we find the end anyway, and the less we hold on to what we thought we we doing, the better the result.
It is hard to believe how little I have blogged this month. I miss it. I honestly wish I had more going on in my head, but between my transformative trip to San Francisco for A Night of Writing Dangerously – I promise, I'll tell you all about it – and writing two novels this month, I am bone dry for other things to say, at least things you haven't heard me say before.
I tell myself I am setting a good example; that I am writing and not letting anything else stop me despite how much I want to blog instead of meet my word quota.
Writing two novels is both easier and harder than I expected it to be. It has been nice to switch between my two stories and to have that freedom of thought, not being locked in on one single train of plot line and characters.
But the actual switching between is getting to be a bit of a bitch, frankly. And so is the wear and tear on my body that I have not anticipated. Like my hands aching constantly and the relative inability to use my pointer fingers for anything but tapping the keys of my bluetooth keyboard (I prefer the touch screen keyboard, but my hands need the change).
Which is actually another reason for my lack of blog, though I always hate to admit when physical ailments prevent me from living up to my obligations.
Writing this much for a year starts to take its toll on a person after a while. Things like swollen joints, aching back, and yes, even a little weight gain because I cannot get the same amount of activity in my day when there are words to be written. It all adds up, but so do the words (576,000 right now!).
The pain, at least, is temporary, as is the brain cramp I am wrestling through in the transition from ending one novel and returning to the middle of another. It is a skill, one I am still working on.
But as always, I will finish.
And to all of you who are struggling along to get to the end this month:
You. Will. Finish.
I am right here with you, and I completely, totally, and unflinchingly believe in you. Yes, even you with only 10,000 words written. You can do it.
And then we will all drink heavily and ice our poor broken hands. Or is that just me.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
