Day 27: We have a winner!

Well, look at me with my winner’s badge.

Passed the 50K mark tonight. So tired I think I may be sick. Chugging a celebratory glass of wine because … y’know … I feel I have to, really.

Book isn’t finished, but I’m going to take a holiday from it for a few days and hope that doesn’t break the momentum. Of course, I may get withdrawal symptoms and have to keep going or else I’ll get terrible DTs…

For now, though, I’m going to bed. For about a week. With my wine. But you know what? I bloody did it. Yes I did, and I’m proud and slightly hysterical about that. Thanks so much for all support and encouragement; I appreciate it, and Steph, there’s no one I’d rather have as a copy editor if that time ever comes.

Now all I have to do is finish it…

Day 25: Must … sleep …

So close. So very close.

3000 words to go, but unfortunately I seem to have lost the ability to type. Tonight, in a marathon push because I know I’m going out tomorrow night and will be too tired to put anything coherent on the screen when I get in, I successfully made the transition from competent typist to utter spaz-hands. I think I have RSI in my mouse hand, and all my fingers have seized up. (I’m typing this with my nose and tongue. True story.)

However. 3000 words to go. That’s THREE THOUSAND OF YOUR ENGLISH WORDS to go. At this point I could practically sneeze that many.

 

Day 19: Heading for 35.5K

That’s my target for the day, and it would be easy except that I have to go out tonight. I’m going to play recorder with a good friend, and we always spend more time laughing than we do playing so it’s not a chore, but nevertheless – that’s valuable writing time, that is.

I’m also slightly unsettled because I’ve finally got to the point in the story where I can introduce my main male character, and it was always my intention to bring him in with a bang (literally) in a sex scene. The writing up to this point has been staid and safe, but I really need a sharp contrast with this character – sex, drugs, violence, and rock & roll, as opposed to the main female character, who is sensible and prim.

However, because I’m going out tonight I’m trying to get a few hundred words down while I’m preparing supper, and the bloody children keep appearing and looking over my shoulder to see what I’m doing. I have to keep flicking between windows and pretending I’m just looking at Facebook or something – hardly conducive to producing steamy prose…

However, allons-y. As the actress said to the bishop.

Day 17: Humility

Hit 32K words tonight.  I know this is an amazing achievement for someone like me who is working almost full time, editing on top of that, running a house and family of five and also maintaining a weird sort of pseudo-social life involving relentless orchestra rehearsals and children’s parties and swimming classes.

I know this, I really do. However, I find myself humbled (and ever so slightly disheartened) by this person. And I also know this is churlish, and uncharitable, and actually I should be cheering kateness on to more and greater things.

But fuck me. 50K words in a day? Current total 535K words? Four books? That’s just showing off…

 

Actually, just in case the legendary kateness should happen to drop by, I’m geninely full of admiration. I know I could never do it, even if I didn’t have three kids, a job, another job, an out-of-work partner, two cats, an orchestra, another orchestra, a choir and some friends. So you go, kateness. I’m flailing in your wake, but at least I’m still flailing.

Day 14: Half way

Hit 25,000 words last night. And bugger me, but I’m tired.

This weekend I have:

• music classes this morning (in about an hour);
• the house to clean this afternoon before guests arrive (dear friends, lovely to see them and everything, but MrH invited them YESTERDAY ffs);
• a concert to practice for and then play in (this evening);
• two editing jobs to make progress with;
• a training course (from work) to read and get started on;
• a trip to the supermarket;
• and the NaNo novel.

Oh, and spend time with my kids, and, y’know, eat and sleep and RELAX. Cos that’s going to happen. Sheesh.

A client rang me yesterday to ask if I would be able to drive for an hour to her house, pick her up and take her to the radio station where she has been invited to talk about the book I’m editing for her. Then sit with her, and drive her home, and then come home myself. Without being paid. Today. I was very polite to her, declining as gracefully as I could, but as soon as I got off the phone I had to kick the children out into the garden for ten minutes so I could curse and swear and march round the kitchen inventing new words for people who assume no one else has anything better to do with their time than chase around after them. (My current favourite hybrid expletive: fucksticks. Not sure what it means, but I use it a lot. In my head, unless the kids are down the garden.)

However, 25,000 words. In 13 days, actually;  I hit the target last night, in a sandy-eyed push just before midnight. I may include fucksticks in today’s contribution – there’s 25,001 words right there.

Remind me why I’m doing this?