NaNoWriMo Realities

Day 0: Went to bed thinking of how this new novel would start.

Day 1: Woke up by alarm excited for the day and cranked out 769 before work. That’s nearly 800 words before 6 a.m. This is going to be easy! Later I did another 100 or 200 works, which made my confidence wane.

Day 2: I realize I’m not using the tracker appropriately. So I have to delete some entries and try again. I’ve only done about 600 words, and I don’t even try to get more later in the day. I don’t know if the POV character is working. I don’t know if I can keep up this voice for 30 days. Did I make a mistake undertaking this? I should be finishing the novel that’s overdue and half-completed. Maybe I’ll go to the NaNo meet-up tonight.

Nope, instead, I take the garbage out and chronicle my misadventures with my wounded toe. I take what my day job calls “voluntary time off” tomorrow because I have a podiatrist appointment at 9:15 a.m. I anticipate sleeping until 6 a.m., waking up with glitter in my eyes and excitement, and drinking hot coffee and typing until 8 a.m. when I have to call the neurologist and start real life.

Day 3: I am swarmed with cats at 4 a.m.– the time I normally rouse for work. The little kitten jumps on my face, the older kitten nibbles my fingers and my adult tripod foster gets jealous and wants to cuddle. By 4:20 I have surrendered and head to the kitchen. I take the dog out, and even she protests the early hour, and launch my coffee pot.

I sit at my laptop. I love what I am creating. I realize my sprint tracker gives me credit for words I delete and recraft, so the 497 words it tracked is actual 225. It’s painful, and slow, and my doubts creep in stronger.

It’s now 6:49 a.m. and I’m on my third cup of Supercoffee. Does this sound familiar? If so, keep at it! We must overcome!

I have a curated list of podcasts about NaNoWriMo on Spotify if you need more info or different viewpoints on approaches. Listen here.