Stats
Average Daily Wordcount (Week 5): 2,931
Week Total Wordcount: 20,520
Year Total Wordcount: 111,418
Words to go:
Month: 71,986
Year: 888,582
During weeks 3 and 4 I had the challenge of writing while sick, which fortunately didn’t slow me down too much. I just had to figure out how to write while lying down, which thanks to the lap desk I gifted myself at the beginning of this challenge, wasn’t too difficult.
During week 5 my big challenge was the day job. We were very busy this week, which not only meant working Saturday, but because my job is physical in nature, it meant that I came home tired and sore every night. I wasn’t inclined to write in the evenings for the most part, which meant making sure I got up early enough to get all my writing done before work. Which meant I was extra tired. And so the circle of exhaustion continued.
Though I feel like the past few weeks have been extra challenging—I’m not usually sick and we’re not usually quite this busy—I’m beginning to wonder if every week is going to have these “extra” challenges. Certainly, if the pandemic ever actually goes away, there will be more demands on my time from family and friends. Not to mention the fact that I think my husband is getting cabin fever and all he wants to do is go out to restaurants again. But what else might pop up along the way? I’m beginning to wonder if these challenges aren’t actually “extra” at all.
Other than feeling a little squeezed for time, I enjoyed week 5. I’m getting really excited for NaNoWriMo. I’m liking using the Snowflake Method to plot my novel. Also, I’m pretty psyched to actually have an outline to work off of again, because I’ve got to be honest, I think pantsing is stressful. I’m envious of writers who thrive without detailed outlines, I’m just not sure I could be one of them long term.
One of the big things I learned this week is something I should have already known: I need to straighten out my priorities. I’ve started slowing down on the social media stuff, particularly Instagram. I was posting twice daily, but I’ve scaled back on that. I was mostly finding it stressful. Plus, I think for me, trying to do that many post sacrifices something in quality of posts. Demanding of myself that I post twice daily meant not only coming up with new pictures every day, but also new captions. The fact is, I don’t always have that much to say on social media and I need to focus on the writing first and foremost. Especially in weeks like this one when I was super busy anyway.
I also finally cleared off my desk, which has made a huge difference in my comfort while writing. Who knew?
How is October treating you so far? Are you being productive? Are you decorating for Halloween? Have you watched Hocus Pocus as much as me? We fall asleep to it every night, so I’m guessing your answer is no.
If you’re enjoying this blog, please like, follow and share. I post 2 to 3 times a week. And if you have any suggestions for things you would like me to talk about, let me know in the comments.
-Robin
Rambling Robin 