Nanowrimo 2014 diary.

What happens now? Or what I've learnt.

Like most of my November this weekend was very busy. I was selling board games on Saturday and working at day job 1 on Sunday. This left very little time to write however, I remembered what they said at the Nanowrimo Kickoff meeting about all words written in November counting towards Nanowrimo.

I counted up the words for this developmental diary, just over 7000 words. That would leave me with only 400 words needed to complete Nanowrimo and cross the finishing line. My stress levels immediately lifted and I gave myself permission to have the night off.  I was exhausted on Saturday evening, and not really in a fit state to write. So I joined husband and kids at a friends house for a curry. 

Lesson 1: Too much work and not enought play make Rosie a dull person.

As you may have gathered through reading this diary, I have a rather busy life. Free time is a very precious commodity in my life, I don't have much but some of it has to spent on things that I enjoy. Playing games (board and computer), reading books, playing music, and most importantly spending time with the people who mean most to me.

This month I have been forced to accept that sometimes I simply cannot write. Instead of trying to write through these times and power through instead I'll plan for them and do other things instead. Like playing with my children, talking with my husband or sleeping.

Action: Do something fun and or relaxing every day.

Lesson 2: Understanding how my process works.

This month I've learnt more about how my writing process works. My best time to write is in the mornings, but I can't be too tired during this time or I'll get distracted with cleaning bathrooms etc. My other good time for writing is in the early evening. My husband likes to play computer games and although I like watching him play, it would be better to write during this time.

Action: Aim for 5000 words a week, and 2 chapters of editing.

Lesson 3: I need sleep.

For the last month I've been subsiting on around 6 hours of sleep a night. I normally sleep for around 7 - 8 hours a night. Being short of sleep has had nasty side effects such as the sore throat threatening to steal my voice.

Action: Go to bed early enough to get at least 7 hours of sleep.

Lesson 4: Writing a public diary has kept me honest.

There were time in November when I didn't want to write, but the thought of admitting I hadn't written or achieved my goal was enough to spur me on. I plan on writing more developmental diaries like this for future projects. Starting with editing Portal Wars. Even if no one was reading it I enjoy sharing snippets of my life with the world.

Action: Continue writing developmental diaries for the different projects I am working on.

Thank you for being with me on my Nanowrimo journey. If you're interested in the book I've been writing this month have a look at Cleansing River here:

http://www.wattpad.com/57420654-cleansing-river-nanowrimo-%2714-prologue?utm_source=web&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_info&ref_id=21581796

The spiritual successor to this book is My Writing Diary and can be found here:

http://www.wattpad.com/85386938-writing-diary-what-this-diary-is-about?utm_source=web&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_info&ref_id=21581796

or have a look at

http://www.rosiereast.com/ for more about my writing plans