I wanted to share with you a quick thought about my writing during NaNoWriMo. Each night when I finish up a paragraph or a sentence, I do so with the intent of leaving something in the tank.

This, presumably will allow me to jump back in the next day and churn out another 1700 words. By the way, I’m now up to 19,834. And that’s the problem.

Now that I wrapped up for the night (and these words are applied through WEDNESDAY, so I now have another 1700 to write because it’s past midnight) I see that I’m only 166 words away from 20,000. That’s pretty awesome.

But it’s also a little odd that I felt compelled to stop before that milestone. Is it a safety move so when I write on Thursday I’ll just blast through that measuring stick and end the day with 21,000+?

Is it fear of that 20,000-word barrier?

Not sure on either count. But I do know my hands are tired and I need a nap. So I’m leaving some vapors in the tank and I’ll see you here again soon.

If you’re doing NaNoWriMo too, keep up the good work!

If you’re not, I urge you to enjoy and make the most of whatever you’re working on.

Keep reading!

© Jeff Cutler for Jeff Cutler - columns, essays and opinions, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: challenge, mentality, nanowrimo.org, stamina, tank, words, writing

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I’ve also been writing for JeffsNotes.com and have had a piece show up on StuffJournalistsLike.com.

While you haven’t seen me here over the past few days, I have been busy. And I’ll keep you up-to-date on the progress of the novel once I get head-down into it this weekend.

Keep reading!

© Jeff Cutler for Jeff Cutler - columns, essays and opinions, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: columns, Jeff Cutler, journalism, nanowrimo.org, novel, opinion, writing

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