Defeated

While I am still writing my NaNoWriMo entry, I believe that now may well be a good time to concede defeat. I’m a little over 10,000 11,000 words in, but with significantly less than half the time remaining, I’m confident I won’t make 50,000. There are too many distractions and too many things calling on my time at the moment. Being overseas, I thought I’d have a chance to write more. In fact, because I’m eating out every night (the problem with being in a hotel) with a group of other people in a similar boat, I’m spending much more time away from the computer. Not a bad thing normally, but not a good thing when you’re trying to write to a fairly tight deadline.

On the other hand, NaNoWriMo has got me back and focusing on my writing, which is great. I’ve written quite a few things, from the articles and stories that are on this very site, to some stuff for private consumption, but I’ve not worked on any of my pet projects for probably 18 months. This exercise has meant that I am now far more eager to return to them, and that I now know that I can force myself to write, even when I feel tired, and I actually enjoy it once I get going. It has also taught me to stop worrying about the detail so much on the initial draft and to focus on getting it done.

For that, I thank the organisers of NaNoWriMo, and I will return next year, eager for another dose, and hopefully I can claim my spot on the illustrious winners list next time. In the meantime, I will see out the course of this year’s event and keep going. If I make half way I’ll be happy.