December NaNo Update #1


The fact is, I've dropped off and I'm not where I'd like to be.

The other fact is, I've written a heap of words in 9 days.

The sad fact is, most of those words were written in the first 3 days.

Here are the rest of the facts.

Day 1: 3,487
Total: 1,3487

Day 2: 3,231
Total: 6,715


Day 3: 3,118
Total: 9,869


Day 4: 820
Total: 10,689


Day 5: 2,909
Total: 13,600


Day 6: 0
Total: 13,600


Day 7: 980
Total: 14,580


Day 8: 0 (planning day)
Total: 14,580


Day 9: 278
Total: 14,858


(I should be at 25,859.)

WHERE I'VE GONE WRONG

1. Not pushing myself hard enough. I've spent more time on the internet than necessary

2. Going out without writing first. I think going out is important, but if I'd written first, then I wouldn't have fallen behind.

3. Not getting up early in the morning to give myself a head-start. The first day I got up at 6:00am. The next day it was later. Now I'm back to my normal self. Getting up earlier is the single best thing I could do to keep my targets.

I think I can catch up if I put my mind do it. However, if I think of it as trying to catch up, it could be self-destroying. So for now I just continue as if I'm right on track.

An idea: You see how in the first 3 days I wrote roughly 10,000 words? Maybe I should do a few more intense bursts like that, at times when I have no plans to be anywhere. That sounds plausible to me.

What would you do at this point?

2 comments:

  1. Heya Ryan! I think you got an extra number in the total for day 1. ;-)
    What would I do if I were you? Well, first of all, about 15k in just over a week is excellent progress! You also list the things you could improve, so I think you're really no the right track. If I were you, I'd try to make a routine. Is there any regular time of the day that you can sit down and write? Even if it's just an hour, do it every day at the same time. That way, you'll establish a routine.
    I don't know. That's the advice I can come up with! Writing is so personal... We each have different things that work for us. Good luck! :-)

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    Replies
    1. I responded yesterday on iPhone but it didn't go through. :(
      Nice to see you again, Nadine!
      You actually have a very good point. My writing times have been so sporadic that I would put off writing until early morning, meaning I couldn't get up to do a morning session the next day.
      I think I should have a set time for each session. Say, 9am-11am, 2pm-4pm, and 7pm-9pm. I think not specifying the exact times has made it more difficult.
      Thanks!

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