Last week was the first week of this new series, My Writing Life, and I talked about the fact that I had started NaNoWriMo as well as having another project on which I was editing.
Well, I ended the week on 11,009 words which were on track as far as NaNoWriMo was concerned. It had been a pretty good week, I had been getting into my stride. But what did week two look like?
Week two was more difficult. I have had a difficult week with my health, struggling with the levels of pain I am dealing with. I am seeing my GP and trying to sort this out with new medications, but it’s a process and I am never going to be pain-free as long as my neck is unstable, but we can at least try to get it to a bearable place where I can do some work.
Wednesday, I started by reading the editing project on my Kindle and realised that there was still quite a lot of work to do there. And this was after I had worked through it once already! It just didn’t read well. It felt … everything was too close together, rushed. I needed to make it feel less rushed and hurried. This means that I now have two full-on projects for the rest of November because ideally, I’d like to also finish the editing project by the end of the month as well. This project is one I’m working on for my agent. I didn’t think I’d have much left to do on it after working through it once already, but I have to be honest about it if I want it to be the best book it can be. I might have optimistic deadlines, but that does not mean I am putting out shoddy work. I realise the editing job has more work than expected and I’ll put that work in.
Now the hard work for the week was to see if I could juggle both jobs successfully, NaNoWriMo and the editing job, because I don’t really want to stop working on either of them. NaNo is going really well and someone is waiting for the editing project.
That was the plan, all well and good, but then I wake up to a bad pain day on Thursday. This is not conducive to writing. I struggle through the day and just about manage my NaNo word count. I can’t manage the other project and decide leaving it for one day is not going to be a problem.
Then I wake on Friday and realise this is going to be an ongoing issue. The pain is still here. I have to try to manage both projects this week with the pain.
So, the NaNo project was doable because as I mentioned last week, I work in 15-minute bursts and if I tell myself that’s all I have to do, is sit and work for 15 minutes and then I can lie down and rest, I can get it done. Luckily Saturday was a good day, and I managed to up my word count to double which was good as I wasn’t about to write more than 50 words on Sunday! The pain was so intense I couldn’t even get out of bed. I had also been able to progress the editing project some on Saturday as well.
How is the NaNo project going? Is it just a pile of words or is it actually a story, with structure and characters with wants and needs and desires? Well, I started out with a thin synopsis and it seems to be helping me so far. I am still writing and the story is still holding together. The NaNo site keeps sending emails out about how we’re at the halfway point now and this is usually the difficult bit and to keep going, but we’re not. We’re at just over 20,000 words which isn’t the halfway point on a full novel. Yes, it’s halfway on the NaNo project of 50,000 words, but the full novel, the difficult middle for me is at between 30-40,000 words. So, that’ll be next week.
It’s a little different this one. It’s Hannah Robbins 5 but because of the crime, there are more points of view from the people involved than the investigators at the minute and though this is working fine as I’m typing away now, as it progresses I’m hoping it’s going to hang together okay later.
I’m also hoping to complete the whole novel not just 50,000 words by the end of the month. Now I have to pull my finger out if this is to happen. The pain needs to ease up so I can up my word count. I’m enjoying NaNoWriMo and the whole, write along with other people, see a graph of your work as you progress and the encouraging emails as I go along, thing. I could do with this every time I write. It’s made me so much more productive.
So, that’s been my writing week.
What’s your week been like?
anita says
Sorry to hear of your struggles, Rebecca. Writing is hard enough without physical pain, I do hope your doctor comes up with a solution, or at least one you can work with…
Rebecca Bradley says
Thanks, Anita. My GP has been very supportive and my spinal consultant is brilliant. I have good doctors around me.
Margot Kinberg says
Thanks for sharing the way you manage your writing and still work with the chronic pain issues you have, Rebecca. I hope that you and your doctor will be able to find ways to manage that pain. In the meantime, I think every author has challenges, however small or large they are. The key is finding ways to meet them, and not giving up on the writing. Wishing you well with the next Hannah Robbins!
Rebecca Bradley says
Thanks, Margot and you’re right, every writer needs to find what works for them. Be it that they are struggling with time management because of working hours and kids or ill health, it can be managed in some way if you think about it and try variations until something fits right with you. I just happen to have found my way.
MarinaSofia says
You certainly are great at staying positive (and flexible) in spite of the challenges you face almost daily. I like the way you reframe things and focus on what is really important. Hoping you find a way to manage the pain.
Rebecca Bradley says
Thanks, Marina. I love writing. It’s what keeps me going and motivates me daily. It gives me a purpose in my life so of course I was going to find a way to make it work π
Claire Sheldon says
your doing so well Rebecca, don’t forget that
Rebecca Bradley says
Thanks, Claire π
Laura Laakso says
Good luck with juggling NaNo with your editing project. I have HMS and ME, so I sympathise about having to balance pain management and writing. Some weeks are better than others, but it’s never easy.
Rebecca Bradley says
Thanks, Laura. I’m sorry you also struggle with pain and fatigue with writing. It’s not an easy task and it’s a matter of finding the right balance for each of us. I am lucky in that I found what worked for me. It wasn’t a quick fix, it took me many many months, even a couple of years to find a way of working that fitted with how I was and that meant I produced a decent level of work as well.
Amy says
Inspirational to hear how much you’re achieving every day. Good luck with NaNo, it sounds like you’re making amazing progress. Sending you very best wishes.
Rebecca Bradley says
Thank you, Amy. I love doing it, it makes me incredibly happy. The writing gives me purpose in my days.