Does 4k words justify a fresh Wednesday Pen?
Especially when last month, I told myself I wouldn’t measure it in word count, but instead in progress on the relevant project? And when I…did not meet that goal in time for the newest Wednesday Pen?
Even if it doesn’t count, folks, we’re doing it anyway. Welcome to the September edition of the Wednesday Pen!
September Progress
Like I said at the end of August, I meant to focus entirely on ONE PROJECT during September. More than that, I meant to focus on a teensy section of said project. Just a tiny corner, easily managed, right?
The writing gods laugh at me, because I wrote 3,842 words that had nothing to do with said project. Let’s just say it was a rough month on all counts, and I’m not exactly proud of that progress. Bit of a low to charge in with after the high of August’s writing recap, honestly. 🥴
September Lessons
So, here’s the million dollar question: did I learn anything from not doing the thing I set out to do?
Usually the answer is no, because I keep doing it. In a roundabout way, though, it’s yes this time. I learned a lot about how I spend my time when I’m not writing, and particularly about how I manage my time. We all knew I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew (and if you didn’t know…surprise!), and the running to do list I worked on this month really proved it. No matter how hard I try, sometimes, it just isn’t possible to cram all that stuff into my day. Or week. Or month.
I also learned that the space before I clock into work is a valuable time. I typically get to work about half an hour before my shift begins simply because I don’t want to sit through rush hour. That leaves me thirty lonely minutes in the break room to organize my thoughts and feel somewhat more prepared for the day, and those thirty minutes have been incredible.
Sure, I haven’t specifically used them for writing yet (YET), but they’ve been fantastic for organizing my thoughts and making some order out of chaos. I have something shaped like a plan for this month as a result, instead of a cobbled together list with half the items added at the last minute.
That little bit of quiet time might not produce huge results at once, but I’m starting to see just how it might add up with time and patience!
October Goals
With October here, startlingly enough, it’s time to buckle down and get to work. NaNoWriMo is just around the bend, and I have a fresh novel draft to plot! As ever, I don’t think it’ll be a detailed outline, but I hate pantsing my way through it, so I need to lay some groundwork this month. So far, all I really know is that my brain wants me to retell the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice…but make it sapphic. It’s about the gay yearning, y’all. 😎
Really, though, I’m excited about the bare bones I’ve dreamed up so far, and I’m determined to have a decently assembled skeleton in time for NaNo. Can’t just give up when this will be my sixth year in a row participating!
Beyond that, though, I do want to refocus on the project I didn’t touch last month. It’s starting to bother me how long it’s been around, and I need to confront it at long last. Eat the frog, or whatever the saying is about getting a thing done when you’ve been dreading it, you know?
Like August, though, I don’t want to attach any word counts to this. I just want it done, and that’s the only commitment I’m making to it at this stage. Wish me luck!
Wednesday Pen Connections
If you want a little more of a closer look at my writing, or my NaNo project, be sure to follow me on Twitter or check out my NaNoWriMo profile! Besides the blog, I’ve been a bit lowkey on social media recently for my own mental health, but these are the places I most frequently talk about writing. 🖋️