Last Day of Camp.

Here we are on the final day of NaNoWriMo. We did it.

To begin with, I'd just like to reiterate what I said in my post the other day about congratulating yourself for all your progress whether you reach your word count or not. I have somehow managed to surpass my target, so I'm feeling quite smug, especially as I now have the restful weekend, Chinese food and, as it turns out, a lovely Sicilian lemon gin waiting for me bought by my wonderful husband.

Some of you will still be plugging away at this until midnight, and I sincerely thought I was going to be with you on that, so I would like to send lots of good wishes and moral support to you people. It's tough, it's tiring, but you can do it.

Two new challenges await me now that NaNo is over for another couple of months. One is to make sure I don't laze about for longer than the first weekend. I have to make sure I get back to it instead of doing what I did last time, which was to take a really long break which became even longer when I gave birth because, as it turns out, the formative months of a baby's life you don't really have time for...anything.

The second challenge is to get book one edited. This merges the first one because this is where I intend to focus most of my efforts until at least July when the next camp rolls around. Work on book two will be reserved for those times I can only use my trusty notebook and pen because my laptop is at risk of being hijacked for the purposes of watching Tractor Ted.  It's not like I can do my editing without the laptop so, in the interest of using my time wisely, I might well end up with some more first draft stuff under my belt.

It's easy to flop out at the end of NaNo month when you've been working so hard and you just need a break. If that's what you need, you definitely need to listen to your instincts and avoid burnout. I didn't need to "rest" for as long as I did last time. I'm willing to admit that I just got lazy after taking the time out I actually needed. This time, I can't let that happen.

It's always good to set a goal, I think; something realistic that can be monitored so you can tell whether you're achieving what you want in your chosen time frame. My target is going to be to spend a minimum of an hour a day on my editing. I will fit in any extra if I can, as well as anything I can get down in my notebook towards book two, but the hour's worth editing part is both monitorable and achievable. I can hold myself to account if I haven't spent that time and make sure I make it up on another day. To some people, this might sound really strict and overly disciplined. To others, it might not seem disciplined enough. It's just my way of not becoming complacent when I don't have NaNo to keep me in check while still cutting myself some slack and recognising that I can't do everything all the time.

Meeting my targets makes me feel good. I find the thought of getting closer to the finished product quite exciting. When I can see the progress I'm making, it gives me a sense of pride in my work and reassures me that, no matter how long the journey, I will reach the destination.

If you have any post-NaNo plans, I'd love to read about them in the comments.

Whatever your next step, I wish you all the best with it.

V.

Winging It.

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that I don't plan my work as such. I've previously thought I was in a small minority in this area.

I've never been sure what people meant by "planning a novel." I always envisaged flow charts and spider charts of all these ideas, but something told me there was probably more to it than that. So, I asked some writer friends and joined a couple of writers' groups on Facebook to find out about other peoples' writing processes and, I have to say, it's been quite enlightening.

First of all, I was pleasantly surprised to find I appear not to be alone in my spontaneous approach. There are plenty of people who have an idea and "just write," letting the story develop as they go along. I think this is always going to be the way that works best for me. I really like to be surprised by where my own story takes me.

Some people who responded said that they write a basic chapter-by-chapter plot guide along with some brief notes on characters and their traits, which is along the lines of what I expected. It's not dissimilar to my process in terms of how much the writer knows about where their story is going from the outset. It's just that my "notes" are rarely made on paper. They tend to stay in my head until the time is right to put them into the story.

Then, there is the other end of the spectrum, with comprehensive lists of details. One person said the "Snowflake Method" really changed her writing and, I must confess, I had to look it up to see what it was. I'm not going to go into detail about how to go about each individual stage here; it's far too complex and would need its very own blog post dedicated entirely to itself. A Google search will tell you everything you need to know if you want to give it a shot. (Hey, I told you from the start, this isn't a "How To" blog!)

The gist is, it starts with a single sentence summary of the story. (What wonderful alliteration.) Then, the plan builds in complexity from there. You build up every aspect of the story until you've got pages and pages of notes laying out every detail of your characters and plot.

It's not for everyone; it's certainly not for me. But I can see how it can be useful to people who wouldn't get bored to tears of writing this way. I mean, it'd be near impossible to get writer's block, which is a huge plus. For me, though, it seems a bit too much like writing the story twice, plus editing, Given my well-documented difficulties getting a great deal done in the pockets of time I find to work, taking the extra time to do things this way is just not a practical option.

My ideas build their own detail in my head while I'm doing mundane tasks like cleaning the house or brushing my teeth or having a shower. I don't feel the need to write them in a plan. I just like to get them straight down into the novel. In any case, I'm not the most patient person in the world, The Snowflake Method would bore and frustrate me so much I'd just end up giving in. That's not to say it's wrong by any means. It's just not the right approach for me. I'm sure there are many who would say my approach would be unthinkable for them, and that's fine.

Whatever works for you is the way to go and I'm certain the variety of different processes leads to a variety of different styles of work, which can only be a good thing. Wouldn't reading be dull if all books were written in the same way?

It might make me seem like a real novice to say I've only today become aware of the terminology for the three different "types" of writer, but for anyone who's as much in the dark as I was a few hours ago, here you are:

The Plotter- Someone who outlines the whole thing before writing the story.

The Pantser- Someone like me who wings it or "writes by the seat of their pants." (If you don't like/get that phrase in this context, we have something in common. I think it's fucking stupid.)

The Plantster- A hybrid of the two; someone who writes some loose notes for guidance, leaving a lot of flexibility for change.

Now, I suspect this is all common knowledge to anyone who actively engages with a group of other writers who have been doing this a while. I suppose I've been adrift, so to speak, in my own little rowing boat while other writers have found a ship to board and a crew to join.

But, whatever your process, there will be someone out there who does it just like you. And even if there wasn't it wouldn't matter. You'll only get your work done by using the approach that best suits you.

Happy writing!

V.

The Light at the End of the NaNoWriMo tunnel.

So, here we are, on the home straight.

It's the final few days of Camp NaNoWriMo and, if you're anything like me, you're cramming as many words as you can into your spare time, wondering if your target may have been just a tad over-ambitious. If you've been participating and you've already hit your target, massive congratulations to you! That's a great achievement and you should be proud.

Also, well done to anyone who has made any progress at all with their writing or other projects this month, whether you've been taking part in camp or not. We often don't give ourselves the recognition we deserve for any step in the right direction. I mean, let's face it, this is a hard road. Yes, we love writing, but I think we all have times when we think life would be far easier had we not ventured down this particular rabbit hole, am I right?

But, for those of us who are truly serious, writing is a part of our very being. To stop doing it would be like suddenly changing a defining feature of our personality; any of the things that make us... well... us.

I must admit, as exhilarating as it is to see my second book's plot development (because I don't plan- I just wing it with some rough ideas) I am absolutely exhausted. Outside of the day-to-day stuff, all my brain power is being dedicated to the book, which has meant relatively little inspiration for the blog, I'm afraid. C'est la vie. We'll get back on track.

When I've achieved my camp goal, which I will because I won't allow myself not to now I've come so far, I plan on having a Chinese takeaway and some drinks with my other half, who has been so accommodating this month. We'll stuff our faces, get a bit drunk, probably watch The Witcher and I might just take the weekend off. The absolute most I intend to do is a couple of hours of editing. Lots of quality family time and as many naps as I can manage are definitely needed after such an intense few weeks. And when I say "intense" I don't just mean from a writing point of view but also from a "being at home all day every day with a small child to entertain" point of view.

This level of exhaustion is familiar. It comes from burning the candle at both ends, something I end up doing whenever I have set myself a goal. The last time I did this was in December when I set myself the task of finishing my first book and sending it to beta readers by the new year. This came right down to the wire, the link sent at the stroke of midnight coinciding with the banging of fireworks. The tiredness from the late nights and early mornings lasted weeks. I hope to recover quicker this time, but if I don't it'll still be worth it.

They say "no pain, no gain" and, while the fatigue is difficult, the process is so much fun and the outcome so rewarding that the positives easily outweigh the negatives.

For those who, like me, have jam-packed schedules and have to shoehorn writing into your lives, you'll know that working so intensively is unsustainable in the long term. It would lead to burnout for sure. It's enough for me personally to have bursts of intense activity from time to time and prioritise rest and relaxation more in between. Whatever works for you and fits in with your lifestyle, progress is progress, and whether you hit your goal this month or not, please congratulate yourself on your participation and your steps towards a finished product. And don't forget to celebrate that achievement when it's over, in a socially distant fashion, of course.

V.

Trial and Error.

When I was in art class at school, I remember hating my work. I would rub out my drawings, or at least parts of them, at regular intervals, until a teacher discouraged me from doing that. The teacher said that things never look right when they're only partially complete, and you have to keep adding and changing things to make the drawing look as it's supposed to. Instead of rubbing it out or screwing it up into a ball and throwing it in the bin, I was taught to work with what I had; alter bits, add things, maybe just erase a tiny bit of a line to change its placement on the page, but never discard the whole thing.

I was having a conversation yesterday with a friend of mine, who is writing a novel. We were talking about self-doubt and how much of an obstacle it can be to getting our work done. It's for this reason that the book I'm editing now is the only one of my novel attempts to have made it to the completion of its first draft. All other attempts have been abandoned with the conviction that they were no good.

My friend was running the concept for her novel past me, asking for my opinion on whether it could work and whether her ideas were any good. Of course, they were. She has a wonderful imagination, a real knack for world-building and the linguistic skills to tell a story properly. But, as most of us do, she goes through times when she is unsure of her own abilities. This is where our discussions are helpful. We can give each other the kick up the arse and reassurance we each need to get those ideas down on the page.

Sometimes, we look at things all wrong. We expect things to be perfect right from the beginning; for our work to come into fruition without a single flaw or setback. We know it doesn't really work like that, though. Every creative piece of work has a lot of trial and error. For those of us who have very limited time at our disposal, we tend to want to get everything right quickly. It's gutting when we spend ages on a chapter only to realise it doesn't work and end up cutting most of it. It does feel like a huge waste of time.

It's not, though.

Every mistake is not only a learning opportunity but a pathway to "getting it right." When we go down a certain path in our story and it doesn't work, we then know why it doesn't work and we change our direction, finding a way that suits our story better. There may be things about our plot and characters that we learn on that misguided journey, which can be stored up in our minds and saved for later. We almost always come out of the bits we got "wrong" with more inspiration than we had before, so how can we possibly consider this a waste of time?

What I've realised is the point of first drafts isn't to get them right but to get them written. We can't be expected to fine-tune every element of the piece until it's finished and we've seen where our imaginations have taken us. That's what the editing process is for. And, as we go along, we might have new ideas which mean backtracking a bit and adding or changing bits that we've already done to fit the new aspects of our plot. It's really exciting to see how our stories take shape and evolve as we write them, isn't it? That's the part I find the most fun.

Whatever you write as you do your first draft, it's all a step in the right direction; it all drives you closer to the finished product, whether you keep it all or lose some of it. When the page is blank because you've deleted everything you've done for the tenth time in a row, there is nothing to adapt, nothing to transform into something better, nothing there for you to work with at all. When you have some words in front of you, the possibilities are endless. Those words can become whatever you want them to become. They are the start of something beautiful. They might be the start of something that looks entirely different by the time you've finished with them, just like those drawings of mine in high school.

For all of you out there writing first drafts, happy writing! Have fun with it.

V.

Writing Rituals.

So, after yesterday's downer of a post (definitely not intended that way, I assure you) I have promised myself I'll post something more positive today. The theme: my writing process and the joy I find in it.

I'm writing the draft of this in my notebook for two reasons:

1) If I get the laptop out my son will want to "have a go" or watch Tractor Ted on YouTube.

2) It means I can work outside in the glorious sunshine, which always makes me happy. Sure, it would be more convenient in some cases if laptop screens were more easily visible out in the daylight, but it really doesn't bother me most of the time. You'll soon see why.

This way of doing things might seem really longwinded, and I suppose it kind of is but, oddly, I often find it the most efficient method for me. It's not like doing the whole thing twice, although it might appear like that. When I come to type my work up, I don't need to keep stopping to think, except for the odd sentence that doesn't feel right when I read it back to myself. It's only the same level of effort as checking a piece through after writing it.

I'm not a fan of sitting in front of the screen for hours on end. If I'm just typing up something that's already written, it means spending less time staring at the screen, which can only be a good thing. I prefer writing in books for the same reason I prefer to read a paper book rather than an ebook. I like the feel of a book in my hands. Reading from paper feels effortless, while I lose patience with reading from a computer, phone or tablet. Something about the screen makes it feel more like a chore, probably because it still reminds me of double and triple-checking university assignments, even after all this time.

I love my notebooks. I have a different one for each purpose, each with its own gorgeous picture or pattern on the cover. The one I'm using for the blog-related stuff is from one of my best friends and has a picture of eight very different women on it and says "Girls Support Girls." This could not be more apt, given our mutual support of each other's writing projects. Whenever she releases something, you can expect me to plug it on my blog, just as shamelessly as I would my own work.

I also love the act of handwriting. I suppose that makes me a bit weird, but I don't really care. There's something satisfying about doing my neatest handwriting, particularly when I'm using my best pen. Yes, you read that correctly. We're entering the point of no return. Everyone is about to find out exactly what a sad case I am.

For Christmas, I got a beautiful wooden fountain pen and a pot of turquoise ink. (Trust me, it looks gorgeous on the page.) It's lovely to hold and, let's face it, it's fancier than a biro. I use it for my novel writing, primarily. It's an extra special pen for my extra special projects. There, now. I bet you've never read anything quite so geeky in your life.

I digress. Where was I? Oh yes...

I'm out in my garden in the sunshine, engaging in my favourite pastime while my child plays happily, and I feel at my most peaceful and positive. Yes, we might be confined here due to the virus, but we are fortunate and we are privileged. There are far worse places in the world to be "trapped" than in our own back garden.

Looking back over what I've written, I suspect this might be considered my dullest post yet, harping on about notebooks and fountain pens and boring old writing rituals. But this is my happy and, at the moment, we all need to find joy wherever we can if at all possible.

Besides, I bet you all love your boring little rituals too; you just don't want to admit it. ;)

If you have any quirks in your writing process, I'd love you to share them in the comments. Go on... At least now you know you're not as big a loser as I am. :)

V.

More Than I Can Chew: The Peril of the Plot Bunny.

Over the past week or so, I've been a bit overwhelmed by the number of tasks I've set myself all at once. My Camp NaNoWriMo target word count is split between this blog and my first draft of book two in my series. Already lagging behind schedule because of... well... life, this means I'm just not doing the other two very important tasks that need doing- editing book one and attempting to actually put myself out there as a freelance writer.

Maybe I should have set a certain amount of editing as my NaNo goal, but I'd already started book two while I was waiting for feedback from beta readers. Plus I felt it would be good to have project number two well underway when it's time to submit the first one.

I doubt I'm the only one guilty of allowing myself to be distracted by new plots when I'm supposed to be editing. I'm sure every creative person has a healthy flow of juicy, tempting ideas at the most inopportune moments, like when they're already busy with another piece of work. I wonder, though, how many people have been so slow to get their projects done that they've ended up with a backlog of about four novels in their head. Oh, and that collection of poetry... and to try their hand at writing for the stage. The list goes on.

It's exciting to have lots of ideas. It means I don't have to worry about running out any time soon. The day I run out of ideas will be the day I'm seriously worried. And I enjoy doing all of this. I'm even getting quite enthusiastic about continuing with the editing. (Number one on the list of things I never thought I'd say!) That "overwhelmed" feeling I mentioned is not so much about the number of things I want to accomplish as the timeframe I'm realistically looking at to realise my dreams.

It's time for an overshare. (You won't see too many of those on here.) Years ago, a family member of mine passed away, just a few months older than I am now. I'm in my thirties. I am not old. My perception of myself as "old" is relative to the age I wish I'd got started writing seriously.

While I'm not expecting to leave this Earth at the same age he did, the event certainly left its mark, reminding me that tomorrow is never guaranteed. The desperation to GET IT DONE QUICKLY comes directly from this. Basically, I just want to make sure I get some of my work completed and out into the world. Not to achieve that in my life would be properly disappointing.

Wow. That was morbid. And my Grammarly icon is telling me the tone of this piece has officially become "sad". There's a little unhappy face on my screen and everything. Moving on...

In the quest to get shit done, NaNoWriMo months come in really handy, forcing you to stick to deadlines you wouldn't otherwise have set yourself. But what about when it's not November, April or July?

What I find really helps me along is communicating with other writer friends. I probably need to utilise this support better, though, by telling my friends specifically what I'm going to get done and when. Then, I'd have to do it to avoid looking like a failure. Accountability is what's needed here to move the job along.

For those of you who want to find that kind of accountability but don't have friends who write, joining a writing group online might be the way to go. It's something I might well do myself in the not too distant future. If I find one that isn't full of people who are unnecessarily unkind to everyone from the safety and anonymity of their keyboards, I'll let you know.

And, you know, vice versa, I could always use some tips.

My Grammarly icon displays a shirt, signifying that the post is now formal in tone. I genuinely don't know whether that's better or worse than sad, but that's where I'm leaving it for tonight! Happy writing!

V.

The Dreaded Author Photo.

Oh, my word.

Yesterday I spent about three or four hours (including make-up) trying to capture the perfect author photo. No, I haven't finished editing my first book yet. Yes, I know I'm jumping the gun a little bit, but there is a reason why I decided to bite the bullet at this stage.

Firstly, I needed a picture for my blogger profile- it looks far more professional to have an actual photo than that weird grey head silhouette thing.  Secondly, I am aiming to get some professional social media presence set up, for which I might well need a profile picture.

So, why did it take so long to take a damn photo? Well, it turns out that it's far more complicated than it might sound. First off, I'm not at all natural in front of the camera. Some half-decent candid snaps have been taken of me while not paying attention but, as soon as I try to pose, I look ridiculous. The main problem is my awkward posture. It took so long to get the right bloody pose. I found myself watching YouTube videos on how to get it just right, changing my clothes repeatedly to create the right image of myself and trying my best to look natural in the least natural way possible.

There was one piece of advice in the YouTube video that I just had to ignore, and that was to use a proper camera as opposed to a phone. Apparently, because phones have a wide-angle lens, they make the things which are closer to it look much bigger (like the nose, for example) making the picture much less flattering. I beg to differ. That camera put about a stone on me, and that's no exaggeration, so I got my husband to take it with my phone, which made me look my actual size. Hooray for smartphones!

There was a time when I considered not having an author photo at all. I don't like having my photo taken anyway, much less if it's going to be out there in the public domain, but everyone says you absolutely NEED one, so I've bowed to the peer pressure of the writing world. It is what it is.

The idea is that it tells your readers more about who you are. I suppose, to an extent, this might be true. There might be something in a person's face or the way they dress that gives off a certain vibe about who they are as a person. What I did disagree with, though, was one article which said that readers will judge your book based on the author photo. Well, I call bullshit on that, because I have never picked up a book, read the blurb and said: "This looks great, but I'd better just check what the author's photo looks like before I commit to buying this." I don't know anyone who would do that. And, in any case, there are plenty of book covers which don't display the author photos at all. Probably not as great an influence as some sources imply, then.

It does seem to me, though, that it is a good way to look like a professional, which was my main motivation for doing the photo in the first place. However, I'm still grappling with the fact that it goes against what I originally wanted for my "image," which was to be imageless. In the beginning, I wanted to be unknown and mysterious. I still do, to a degree.

For the sake of argument, let's say that I become really successful, like J.K. Rowling successful; in this unlikely event, I would not want the fame that she has. There are certain things I don't mind sharing. All that kind of thing can be found here, in my blog. But, as for very personal details, I prefer to keep them private. I want to always keep my professional and personal lives separate, where possible, and I certainly don't want everyone to know who I am.

I think, as a writer, it's one thing to want your work to be famous, but quite another to want your face to be famous, which is why I was initially against having an author photo at all. It's the reason why I still feel nervous about it, but it's just another step to making me appear more like a "real author.  Maybe my work will become well-known. Maybe, I will become a household name; maybe not. But, if I do, I hope I can keep some air of mystery. My face might be out there in black and white form, and my personality will be read on every page I write, but there will still be a large part of me that's just for me and the people I love; a part that can't be seen, touched or altered by the world.

Right now, my main wish is to age really really slowly, so I don't have to take another one of these things any time soon! I've had enough posing to last me the next decade.

V.

Hard Times and Writer's Block.

As helpful as writing can be when I'm going through a difficult spell with my mental health, occasionally there are days when something weighs so heavily on me that it crushes all my creative mojo. On these days, writer's block is the least of my worries. These are the days when I can barely bring myself to move from the sofa; the days when the smallest household task feels like Everest.

There have been a few of these days over the past week or so, caused in part by the effects of social isolation. I know there will be countless others who feel the same way right now.

I'm pleased to say that, for now, I seem to be through the worst of it and feel like I can put pen to paper again. Having lost a few precious NaNo days, I've got some catching up to do, but I feel positive about my ability to get it done.

Still, I was quite hard on myself while I wasn't managing to write anything. Even when I'm feeling rubbish, I do normally try to get something down on the page, provided I have the time to do it. They do say that the best way to cure writer's block is to write something- anything. The trouble is, on the worst of days, the only thing I'd manage to get on the page would be a large, angry scribble or a sad face. When you can barely find the words for general conversation, finding words for your story/poem/article can feel impossible.

I read something yesterday that's been put out there on the web; just another generalisation made by someone who clearly doesn't understand how circumstances affect each person differently. The words were: 

"If you don't come out of this quarantine with either: 

1) a new skill,

2) starting what you've been putting off like a new business

3) more knowledge

You never lacked time, you lacked discipline." 

Wow.

The original poster probably thinks he's being motivational, but this is not done in a positive way. Instead, it reeks of judgment and privilege. Even if a person is off work; even if they have all the time in the world, they may well be struggling with their mental health due to the radical changes made to their lives. To expect some amazing completed project from someone who's struggling to get through each day is unfair. To make sweeping generalisations, saying that a lack of achievement right now equals a lack of discipline, is unkind. 

If you are managing to be productive, that's great! Good on you! Please do share. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I love to see people's work. But, you might feel unable to do anything at the moment. You might be struggling with guilt or frustration with yourself for not achieving as much as you'd like. If that's you, I want you to give yourself a break. Be kind to yourself, because we all have times like these. Just because you don't feel you can do something now, it doesn't mean you never will. You may just need to be in a more positive frame of mind, and that time will come. Until then, please take care of yourselves.

Be safe, be kind and be patient. You'll get there.

V.

 

Happy NaNo month!

It's 2nd April today. That means yesterday was the first day of Camp NaNoWriMo, and it passed me by completely. How did that happen? I blame coronavirus. That might seem a flippant thing to say, so let me explain.

Due to the outbreak, I am currently on furlough from work, staying home and looking after my son. Not being at work means that I'm not keeping track of the dates as easily. Also, being down to just one extra pair of hands (my husband's, when he's actually home from work) I have even less alone time to write. That sounds like I'm whining. I'm not. I'm extremely lucky to have even one extra pair of hands around the place, let alone the usual extra support from family when there isn't a pandemic. Some parents are single and are doing it completely on their own. Some parents don't have any family support. I salute these parents. That is hard work, right there.

The fact remains that it's difficult to get much done around here at the moment. The green-eyed monster isn't coming out when I see the boom in productivity that most creative types are having right now. Not at all.

Anyway, given the usual plate-spinning exercises, I'm going to have to cheat at NaNo a little this time by including word counts from projects that aren't necessarily the one I've listed on the site. I've foolishly listed my current project as my first draft of book two when I'm nowhere near finished with editing book one. (Oops!) This blog will be going towards the 20,000 word count goal I've set myself, and if I write any other articles for other purposes, they'll be counted too. The point is that my goals as a writer rest on far more than a single book. Yes, I know I'm probably asking for trouble by taking on so many writing projects all at once when I struggle to find the time to sit at my computer at all, but here we are. I'll just have to make my peace with the fact that I can't do it all, though I'd give it a damn good try, given the opportunity.

I've only participated in NaNoWriMo once before, in November 2017, when I was pregnant and bored and a friend suggested we could both take part. We both managed to hit the 50,000 word count target with only two minutes to spare. I wrote the first half of my first novel and couldn't believe I'd managed to get so far with it. Since then, I haven't been brave enough to set myself up for failure. Having only managed to hit the target of NaNo 2017 by the skin of my teeth, I very much doubted that I'd come anywhere close now that I can't keep my child alive by merely eating, drinking and breathing.

It's something I always intended to take up again. When I accomplished my goal of finishing book one for beta reading by the turn of 2020 (this time accomplished just as the clock struck twelve) I had a sudden surge of confidence. I can actually work to timeframes again! This is my year, even if 50,000 isn't possible come November. At least with "camp" in April and July, you can set your own targets and make it manageable.

Progress of some sort is the important thing. Even if a specific target isn't met, any progress is a step in the right direction. Each word is a step forward. I think I spend far too much time dwelling on what I haven't managed to achieve and what I wish I'd done by now, but that's not going to help me to accomplish anything. Yes, it would be wonderful to have the entire trilogy that's in my head traditionally published by now. It would be great to be working on yet another plot bunny that keeps niggling away. But that's not the way things have played out. All I can do is look forward and do what I can from now on. My productivity may well continue to flourish one month and dwindle the next depending on my circumstances at the time. I have to stop beating myself up about the dry spells in my creative output. With any luck, NaNo will bring the motivation to make April a month when it really flourishes.

So, off we go into camp. If you're participating, I'd like to wish you the best of luck. Let's create something beautiful.

V.