Last week I
set myself a challenge of writing 20,000 words in one week. That’s roughly a
quarter of a novel. Here are some of the ups and downs of that journey, plus
any notes I have learned from doing it.
Why I set myself the challenge
I had
already started to write my fourth book and had about 10,000 words down so far.
I had spent a lot of time on plot and had separated my novel into four parts. I
happened to have a lot of annual leave to take, so I decided to book a week off.
I figured
that if I could write 2,500 each morning and then relax for the rest of the
day, then it would be a mix of using my time productively and getting a bit of
chill out time too.
The challenges I faced
Full of
energy and bravado on the second day, I decided to post a photo of my
whiteboard and show Facebook and Instagram how I was getting on with my
challenge.
This was
kind of a mistake.
Once I had
put the challenge ‘out there’ in the land of social media, it made me somehow
accountable.
Of course I
knew that no-one would follow me up on it and ask, ‘oye! Wrote those words yet?’
But I would know.
On the other
hand, the whiteboard thing was a good idea. I couldn’t believe the amount of
support and lovely comments I was getting each day (to the same bloody picture
of the same board with white laminate on it). And it did help to spur me on in the
end.
A manic
phase
Initially, I
felt quite manic. I felt like I had loads of energy and this 2,500 word thing
was a doddle. I told myself that come on Rose, I’m sure there’s a hoard of
full-time authors out there, writing 2,500 words every day easy-peasy. I had
dreams of one day joining the full-time author elite, living in my ivory tower,
scribbling out pages and pages of words that tumble down like Rapunzel’s hair.
I mean, I know that full-time authors obviously work their socks off, but allow
me a fantasy here!
Then
things got busy
Not only was
I was writing 2,500 words each morning (which takes a couple of hours) but then
I was spending the afternoon plotting. I’d be making notes for tomorrow morning’s
chapter so that it wouldn’t be such a shock when I hit the blank page at 9am.
After the
plotting, I’d catch up on social media and then in the evening, there would be
something of a social nature – dinner with a friend, going to see a dance
production, going to the cinema.
I began to
see how a full-time author could fill their time in rightly and I still love
the thought of it. Aside from the worry of ‘when’s the next pay cheque coming
in?’ I could quite easily settle into a routine.
Nanowrimo
Through my
social media time, I also realised I had timed my 20,000 word challenge nicely
with Nanowrimo. All over Twitter, a ton of writers were working on the 50,000
word challenge for the month of November. It felt like a lovely comforting vibe
that we were all in this together. (Except of course now, I have bowed out and
they are all still writing).
Hitting a
slump
Towards the
end of my week, when I was around the 15,000 word stage, I hit a bit of slump.
I started to think about having to go back to work on Monday. I started to feel
like I needed a real, proper, rest. One where I could just lie on the sofa all
day and watch unnecessary crap on YouTube and order a massive Dominoes pizza.
But there
was the whiteboard. The damn whiteboard staring back at me, whispering that there
was just another 2,500 in the morning, and another 2,500 the morning after
that, and then I’d be done. I told myself that after this I would take a break
for a while. That I’d step away from the manuscript for a good week or so and
then come back to it with fresh eyes.
Pressing
on
So hey ho! I
pressed on, and by jiminy, I did it! I shared my news on Facebook and everyone
was delighted for me. I took a lovely stroll around the park and enjoyed the
fresh autumnal day. And later I sent all the chapters for my sister, who likes
to read them for me and make any proof-reading notes that jump out at her.
Even though
I was really pleased at myself for completing the challenge, even though I was
glad to get all those words down in one go, would I do it again?
I’m not
sure.
Yes, there
is a positive in gaining momentum. I did get really into the story and I did
feel like I got to know my characters really well.
I am pleased
with where this story is going and I am excited about writing in a different
genre of psychological thriller instead of chick-lit.
BUT I don’t
think it helped my mental health a lot. I would be quite prone to depression
and looking back, I’m not sure it was such a good idea to pile so much pressure
on myself. I knew at the time that I felt too manic, and I knew that
eventually, what goes up, has to come down. I almost buckled myself in, waiting
for the downer.
And it came.
After the initial
euphoria of reaching my goal, then came the mild irritation. The queue at the
shop that was too long. The way that only one staff member was dealing with
about 12 of us.
And then the
return to work. When you take a week of holiday, all that happens is that when
you return, you have one whole week’s worth of work to catch up on. And of
course, because of my challenge, my batteries were already low. I had no extra
energy to draw upon.
This week I
could feel myself getting down, tired and irritable. All signs that my body is
scolding me for not looking after my mental health.
Maybe next
time I would set myself smaller goals.
And maybe
one day I’ll actually get to write full time.
Because is
my fantasy still there, of the Ivory Tower and the words tumbling down each
day? Hell, yeah!
