At the beginning of this month I set some writing-related goals for myself. First, I wanted to add 15k to my current manuscript. Next, I wanted to read Stephen King's book On Writing. Lastly, I wanted to begin my search for a critique partner and/or join a local writing group. As February draws to a close, I thought I'd take a few minutes to pop in here and share my progress.
I didn't hit fifteen thousand new words this month but I came soooooo darn close. As of this morning, I've added 13,169 new words to my novel. That averages out to about 470 words per day - and that's just the work I've done on my novel. I also wrote a few blog posts and essays and did some private journaling. I realize that 470 words a day is not all that impressive to many writers, but it's huge for me. It's the most I've written in a single month since my pre-baby NaNoWriMo attempts - and I did it while nursing a sick toddler, a sick husband and eventually getting sick myself. I did it while hosting my in-laws and binge watching the Olympics and beta-reading a friend's manuscript. I was just as busy and overwhelmed and sleep deprived this month as I've been every month for past year, but I managed to hit a personal best on the writing front. How? The answer's simple, really. Because I wanted to.
This month, for the first time since my daughter was born in back in 2016, I really prioritized writing. I set my alarm and got up outrageously early so that I could get some writing time in before she woke. I let laundry pile up and ordered in takeout so that I could use naptime to work on my novel. I carried a notebook with me everywhere I went and was constantly scribbling notes. I stayed up late and worked past midnight many nights. I let my toddler watch a bit more TV than usual - *gasp!* - so that I could have ten minutes here or fifteen minutes there to finish hammering out a scene. I wanted to write, so I did. I made it happen. I have loved these past 18 months of focusing exclusively on my daughter and adjusting to motherhood (more on that in another post), but I'm ready to get back to work.
My goal is to have my novel ready to send out to beta readers by the end of May. I want to work on editing and revising throughout the summer and hopefully be ready to begin the terrifying process of querying in October. My husband and I have decided not to put our daughter in daycare and I'll continue to be her primary caregiver during the day, so accomplishing these goals is going to require a careful balancing act ... but I know it's doable. I'm so excited to see what March holds and how much more I can get done. I'm hoping to hit another 12k.
As for my other two goals? I didn't read King's On Writing, but I did read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Expect a full book review soon (spoiler alert: I LOVED it!) I didn't join a local writing group because I can't seem to find one that meets in the evening, but I have joined a few writing groups on Facebook and have been doing my best to network through Twitter. I met with a fellow writer friend and we had a lovely writing session together in a nearby coffee shop. I'm building my tribe, slowly but surely. If you're reading this, thanks for being a part of the journey. xx
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