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.