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.