Slogging

I’m struggling to get to the writing today. I’m exhausted and headachey. But I am so close! Just under 3,000 words left to write to win NaNoWriMo. And I think that’s going to bring me to the end of my story, too, so it’s really exciting. Except I can’t get off this couch!

There are too many of these exhausted and not-quite-well days. But at least the fire is going again, I am not freezing like I was earlier, and I have a plan to put together a quick dinner and get it into the oven so we will have food. Things could be much worse, right? If only the motivation fairy would come and get me on my feet!

10 thoughts on “Slogging

    • Thank you! My sinuses get all worked up around this time of year, so I have to work around them. But I got it done!

  1. I’ve had days like that. Sometimes it’s better to take a little time off. I finished NaNo yesterday, but I’m only a little more than halfway through the story. But, I’m setting it aside until next month(I say like it’s a long time away instead of tomorrow :D). I tried to move right into beta edits on another project yesterday but quickly decided to take the rest of the day off. I think my brain needed the break.

  2. Cold compress for the head. Little nap. You already have a good plan for an easy dinner. Now, what if you broke up what you want to write in little chunks? Say one 45-minute session before lunch. And another in the early afternoon? Sometimes I surprise myself just by working one small scene at a time. You are so close, you’re truly already a winner! Congratulations.

    • Thank you, Beth! I write in small chunks, and it works beautifully for me. I actually break it down further so that I write in 10, 15, or 20 minute sessions with a little break (3-5 minutes) before starting on the next. This makes an hour of writing fly by, and I usually end up with between 1500-2000 words pretty easily. I love small steps!

  3. Hopefully you managed to get past that 50k mark. Sometimes the words just flow, and sometimes the characters just sit around moping. “What do you want to do?” “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” Then do yell at them.

    • Mike, I did get past the 50K. I got past the section I was slogging through, and then suddenly the words were just pouring out. I love whan that happens! I didn’t even have to yell at anyone.

  4. If you don’t have an actual deadline, perhaps stepping back would be a better way to approach the slog. Or if not a hesitant backstep, maybe a pause to glance around and see what else is there to add an interesting aside or spark some excitement through this challenging patch. Writing is hard enough… no sense in adding difficulty. Besides, who knows… you may find the new path even more enjoyable.

    • Since it was for NaNoWriMo, there was a deadline. I was also challenging myself to actually write every single day in November, which I don’t usually do. So it was really important to me to get those words down. I kept going, and then I broke through the slow spot and things picked up beautifully. Sometimes that pushing works (just not every time).

  5. I totally forgot to make visits last Wednesday, due to Jim’s appointment. Today, I’m at the infusion center with him, and catching up. I see that you won and finished the draft, so the slog was well worth the effort to move through. Hooray!

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