Thursday, November 3, 2011

NANO- Day 3

Still behind my goal. I'm at 12 pages and I should be at 30. Here's what my progress looks like:

There is a simple solution to my problem- pack a bag, grab my computer, printer, and check into a hotel for 30 days. Simple? Yes in a fantasy world but since I inhabit the real world I have to find a real solution. The best solution is to leave home and hide away in a Starbucks or Panera for a couple of hours where I not distracted by chores.

My husband says I should just leave all the cleaning and write. Sounds nice except that he leaves out a vital piece of that offer, the part where he says, I'll take care of the cleaning while you write. But I can't function in a filthy house. It's too stressful and my creativity suffers. So I have to strive to find some balance between work and play.

I'll try and keep this in mind as I push forward today for 18 pages.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

NANO- Day 2

Things didn't go as I planned yesterday. I was blindsided by my nemesis PROCRASTINATION. Of course I left the door open when I realized I had a nice chunk of time. I kept telling myself I had time but then life got in the way- errands, homework help, cleaning, cooking, etc. By the time the day passed I found myself with only five pages written.



It's not an impressive stack yet but at least I wrote 1295 words. Today, I'm putting myself on a timer and I'm hoping to play catch up- not a place I wanted to be on the second day. I'm shooting for at least 15 pages today.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

And They're Off!!!!

November 1st and NANO begins. I'm taking it on again this year. Not only do I plan on writing my 50,000 words but I'll be finishing this novel that's been playing around in my head in some form for the past seven or eight years.

This year there are a couple odds in my favor:

- All my kids are in school, so from 8:15am until about 3:00pm I have free time. Well it's not really free, there are hundreds of errands and chores to do but I'm putting a time limit on this and prioritizing writing.

- I've set a 10 page per day minimum instead of focusing on word count. 10 pages feels more real and substantial. I will print my pages each day and watch my stack grow to keep me motivated.

- And this is the most important factor: I am keeping my family completely ignorant of taking part in NANO. As much as my family likes the theoretical idea of me being a writer; the reality of me being left alone to write is a problem. I write and suddenly I become the President of the United States facing economic, national, international and political crises.

Because I just can't leave well enough alone, I've also decided to use the 30 days of NANO as a fitness and weight loss boot camp. Not only will I be writing but I'll be losing weight and getting stronger. I'll need the added stamina in the later stages of NANO when the uncontrollable desire to curl into a fetal ball and whimper strikes.

I'll be checking back each day, wish me luck.