The Monkey Works
Slogging away every morning for nearly two weeks now, definetly not writing the novel of my dreams.
Instead, I've been rolling out of bed around 4 a.m, tapping at the keyboard until I actually wake up and the fog clears around 6. I admit to few if any aha moments where the writing breaks through and takes wing. How could it, under the circumstances?
Instead, I've been rolling out of bed around 4 a.m, tapping at the keyboard until I actually wake up and the fog clears around 6. I admit to few if any aha moments where the writing breaks through and takes wing. How could it, under the circumstances?
In the process, between glimmers of insight and morning light, I've caught the sniffles (cough, cough) and grown more irritable with each passing day, adding my slapdash words to the count, racing the clock before daybreak.
In short-lived triumph, I post the morning's output on the NaNoWriMo site, hit submit, and watch the words melt away, disappearing into a graph, charting my "progress."
My cumulative word count? Around 21,000 words. Give or take. My "stats" assure me that at the present pace of 2000 messy words a day, my ETA for the finish line is November 25.
And that's a good thing.
With just fourteen days to go until Thanksgiving, I expect to be diverting most of my energy and attention to a turkey, starting next weekend. Prep for the holidays out of town is not conducive to the writing exercise I've imposed upon myself this month.
(And speaking of holidays and exercise, I'm gaining weight.)
Burning the midnight oil on research and spending hours at my computer before dawn, I've proven to myself that mental gymnastics, however arduous, are no substitute for physical activity. In fact, the “writing life” can be detrimental to one's health and wellbeing, particularly without creative energy boosters other than chocolate and caffeine.
From monkey-at-a-typewriter to turkey. Sounds about right.
As far as the whatchamacallit "novel" is concerned - this blogfest, marathon journal, tome, 50,000-word-doc-in-the-making, whatever it will be - I'm still taking it easy, one line at a time, claiming that all this is just "the research."
My story? You may be looking at it right here.
Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for stopping by.
Good work, Viv! I have to get your input or perhaps such read instructions (how tame, how unexciting) about how to post my measely 6,600 or so words. I'm doing much better now that I have my real desk chair downstairs. I can sit comfortably for long stretches without getting my pain level to an unexpected "8" just by standing up. I'm so impressed with how hard you're working and how early you're rising to do this. I have the feeling that the novel I'm working on has no chance to survive after December 1 unless I get it much further down the road. So I keep pushing. Not very hard, but harder than before. You, though, you are my hero!
ReplyDeleteHey Ann
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't know how I'm going to get there in a week. And by Monday next -- will be packing to go to Chicago-- for days of cooking and fun with the family. There will be no time for concentration on this -- in fact, there's been little time for concentration as it is ..
This thing is like I'm pacing the field -- figuring how to plant it. I don't have the crop in, believe me. All I can say is that my subject is big and sprawling and foreign, and I'm learning something, a little every day.
It's a hard path you've chosen. Writing.