I’ll admit it now: I’ve written next to nothing this month.
Normally, I’d hate to write that. But this Wednesday Pen comes on the heels of NaNoWriMo, and it marks the end of 2020. Frankly, I think weΒ allΒ deserve a little rest here, and I’ll take any words I can get right now.
Thankfully, December wasn’t entirely full of rest, and I did eke out a few batches of personal words, so today, we’ll dig into those!
December Progress
As of today, I’ve clockedΒ 5,577 words in December, with the possibility that I might squeeze out a couple thousand more before 2021 arrives. I haven’t worried about any of my larger WIPs, instead focusing on some little flash fiction bits and bobs I’ve previously neglected, and it was a nice change of pace. After hurtling through 50k for NaNoWriMo, a couple hundred words here and there was a walk in the park. And, frankly, it was less stressful! No deadlines, just a sense of creative want and the time to wander my way through it.
This also means I’ve written about 155k throughout this year! I’m incredibly proud of that number, even if I know many of the words that make it up aren’t quite the quality I strive for. Words are words, and I can always go back and make them stronger now that they exist.
December Lessons
Really, it’s all about resting this month. Following up such a breakneck project like NaNo requires stepping back into more enjoyable words, without placing deadlines on any of them. Every word I’ve written without pressure riding on top has been more enjoyable than the last. Sometimes, I forget what it’s like to write just because it’s fun, but this month has been a good reminder for sure!
I guess not writing is occasionally really important to writing. Who knew? π€·
January Goals
2021 is lurking just around the corner, and with it, the pressures of New Year’s resolutions. I feel like these pressures are extra strong since I didn’t meet most of my original goals for drafting this year. Projects I meant to work on just didn’t click, and I drifted off in new directions, trying to find stable ground for more than a couple thousand words.
Maybe the lesson here is to stop biting off more than I can chew, a lesson I am notoriously bad at learning. Which means instead, I’m going to try all over again. Ideally, January will see me finish a novella-length project I’ve been stalling on, along with a smattering of flash fiction that accompanies it. I’d also like to finish outlining a fic I’ve let sit for too long.
(If you can guess the exact number of WIPs I have, you win a gold star. Go on, guess. The number isΒ notΒ what you think it is, and I’m not very good at bringing it down.)
Anyway, we’ll start there, and adjust my overall goals for the year accordingly. That’s the next best thing to listing out a bazillion goals at once, right?
Wednesday Pen Connections
As ever, if you want to stay in touch, I’m mostly on Twitter, though I talk more blogging than writing at the moment. Still, always happy to make more writer friends and talk WIPs! π