NaNoWriMo: A Writer's Reality

*Disclaimer: This post was written in full NaNoWriMo mode, ie. no proofread, no (okay, some) typing corrections, and little thought given to word choice, the object being to get words on paper STAT. Thanks for understanding!*

Okay, I know I said NaNoWriMo was real in my last post, but let me just paint you a little picture of what this month has looked like chez Kiley.

My desk is cluttered with several notecards, some of which have really important information pertaining to my story, some are to do lists, some served as coasters when my actual coasters was misplaced under all the other notecards, and some contain utter drivel. There is also my Moleskin notebook that I bought as a motivational present for ONLY NaNoWriMo notes. That plan is actually working out well.

My two watches both sit crumpled to the left of my laptop, because I always take them off twelve seconds into writing. Have you ever typed on a laptop with a bulky watch on? No good.

I have several blue pens (okay, and one black pen for distinction) and several highlighters, all (hopefully!) tightly capped, for whenever I need my next multi-colored bout of inspiration.

There is a dinner plate with smudges of hummus. There is an empty glass that still smells vaguely of Yuengling. There is an empty coffee cup with a spoon sticking out of it. There is a bowl originally used to ration my chip intake, but it has since become a pomegranate detritus receptacle. There is also a half-eaten pomegranate.

Sidenote: pomegranates are SO not writing friendly fruit, what with the juices and staining and difficult maneuvering for the seeds, but if you like to munch and keep your hands and mouth busy while watching TV, I'd recommend them for that.

A number of earrings and hair clips and ties are sprinkled over the desk, because when I put on my SkullBeats headphones that actually block out noise, the earrings inevitably gouge holes in the sides of my head, and I end up ripping them out of my ears and tossing them aside. Somehow, I forget to do this before putting on my headphones EVERY. TIME. The hairclip graveyard that is collecting has a similar story, except it's because my hair is getting pulled by the headphones.

I can almost see my bed under the discarded and carefully laid out dress clothes. When I get home from work, I immediately pick up my sweats and t-shirt from my bed and get out of my work clothes, because who wants to be in slacks any longer than is absolutely necessary? I take just enough care to make sure they don't get wrinkled, but not quite enough for them to make it all the way to safety in my closet. When I go to bed shortly after this post, I will move the pile to my desk stool, and they'll be moved back again when I get home tomorrow.

Over the past twelve days, I have consumed at least two cups of coffee, more often three, one of which may be a medium from Starbucks. (No, I don't want to think about the money that I'm wasting there, but damn is that pumpkin spice latte to die for.) I have eaten some fruit, but also multiple family-size bags of chips, a box of peanut granola bars, some fruit, and the delicious sandwiches that Bouchon Bakery provides as break food. Yesterday, I opted for the salad, hearing the little voice in my head (and the not so little voice of my ass) calling to me, "Vegetables! Please, for the love of all that is holy, VEGETABLES DAMNIT!"

I was running regularly, 2-3 times a week, but have now run once in twelve days. My stomach is losing what little tautness had been growing, and my ass is making an impression on the cushion beneath it.

I am tired. I am grumpy from being tired. I have a near constant headache, but whether that's from staring at the computer screen for hours on end or because I'm having caffeine withdrawals, I don't quite know. I found out last week that I'll be leaving New York - at least for now, I'll post about it later - and moving back to Cincinnati, so there are boxes littering my floor that need to make it to the post office before this coming Sunday if I'm going to have any chance of staying under the weight limit. I haven't had a day off of work (shortest shift has been 6.0 hours, the longest when I work both jobs has been 12.0) since last Tuesday, and I will work every day until I leave New York on November 19.

But if I said that any of this was making me genuinely unhappy, I'd be lying. In twelve days (excluding yesterday, because my computer crashed and I was going to hand-write, but I took the day off of writing and it was EXACTLY the breather I needed...we'll see if it comes back to haunt me at the end of the month), I've written 21,165 words. I'm almost halfway to my novel, and I'm feeling writing highs that I haven't felt in over a year.

I'm not halfway into the challenge, but already I cannot thank NaNoWriMo enough for the support, the motivation, the kick in the ass that I needed to get writing again. I'm nervous about this next half coming up - moving back home with my family, Thanksgiving, and plenty of distractions - but I'm excited to keep writing, and I want to WIN. (Winning means submitting your novel to the official word count and being declared a 'winner' and receiving a digital high-five.)

The next time I stop writing, somebody come give me a smackdown, kay? It may sound like I'm torturing myself, but I really like what I'm doing right now, and you'd be doing me a favor if you were to give me a wake up call in the future.

Maybe I'll learn my lesson and be my own motivator soon enough, but I'm going to take advantage of all this camaraderie and interweb support and keep plodding along on this month's challenge. I hope you all are well and having a happy writing-November, non-shaving-November, or whatever kind of November you choose!

Here and there,
Kiley