…and ready to finish Camp Nano.

I tried, I really did try, to finish my 40,000 word goal for the month before I left (meaning last Tuesday, so a week early). But–and some of you may be surprised to learn this–it’s really hard to work full time on a novel for months. The more I pushed myself the harder something inside me pushed back, and so no, I didn’t finish 40K in three weeks. I did 35K and that was with a lot of ranting and tears.

Then I went off to Vancouver and had a lovely time visiting with friends and family, eating every piece of sushi I could get my hands on, and reveling in jeans’n’hoody weather. (It is only 5 degrees here in TO today, and feels like -2.)

I had originally intended not to do any writing while I was on vacation buuuuut the anxiety over not meeting my goal kept me from enjoying myself fully, so while my friend was in church on Sunday I borrowed her laptop and did about 2K. Meaning I have 3K left to do today if I want to hit my target.

(Funny side note: after I landed in Vancouver and reconnected my phone I found 3 rejections waiting for me. I would get another two while I was there–and a partial request!–meaning I got more rejections on my vacation than the entire rest of April.)

So even though I am jet-lagged and still burnt out creatively, today is going to be a RedBull & Gif Day, a fake 5K Friday. I’ve got 3200 words to do; it’s 11am EST. *cracks knuckles*

LET’S DO THIS

Update the 1st: 3.24pm
Have had latte. Still feel like I’m pulling teeth today. Writing’s going really, really slowly and it shouldn’t be. I’m at a fairly interesting scene; I’m writing characters that I like; there’s that latte; yet each additional paragraph is like a push-up when my arms are already shaking. A tiny voice in the back of my head saying “just stop already”. But there’s only 924 words to go. I can do this.

Update the 2nd: 4.41pm
Exhausted. Am mid-scene, tying up some loose ends. Still need to finish the scene so might write some more tonight, but the important thing is that

I DID IT

Gonna go eat celebratory roti and then die now k bai

Update the 3rd: 8.21 pm
Huh. Did not die. In fact, went back to the compy after dinner and did another *checks notes* TWO THOUSAND AND TEN WORDS that can’t be right. I finished the scene/chapter/plot point anyway

HAPPY MAY EVERYBODY