ROW 80 Check In:
You will notice that there is no writing challenge today.
On one hand, you could be cynical and think this is because I'm too tired to think of one. Or, you could be positive and see it as purposeful ploy to point you towards my last writing challenge: Trim'n'Taut. The challenge is to take an entire story, and trim away all the side plots, etc., until you get a tweet length summary of the book. I opened this up as a writing compeition, with the prize of a copy of Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird for the best entry. The competition closes on Wednesday 24th April, so you still have a few more days to think of an idea and post it!
So, my goal was to write an article or blog post every lunch break.
How did I do?
I think 'atrociously' comes close to summing it up.
Thursday I was just flattened by the time I got to lunch, and so contented myself with visiting other ROWer's blogs for inspiration, safe in the knowledge that I had Friday off from work so would be able to make up for it then.
Come Friday, I managed to get to the gym to do my half marathon training (I've just started training for my first half marathon. Read more over at Personal Fitness Base Camp), and then had planned to go shopping, do my wriging, and then go out to dinner with friends. Instead, I took a 4 hours afternoon nap and had to rush to meet up with my friends. Got home late after a cocktail had gone quite to my head (yes, have lost all my college training, cannot take more than one drink now) and so collapsed into bed without another thought.
But that was okay, I could make it up Saturday! I knew I had to attend a family lunch (my grandmother has just turned 98! I have some awesome genes. Just saying) and then said I would come for dinner at my brother's new house (yes, he's finally moved out of home, again.) But I could still write in the morning. Except for the small fact that I was meant to have gotten my grandmother's present on Friday when I went shopping which I didn't do. So instead I was rushed around trying to find a present, drove out to my parents, had a fantastic lunch with family (grandmother was very happy to have all her children and half of her grandchildren there), visited my brother, went to see movie with my brother and sister, and then got home tired. So I just went to bed.
And to be honest, today almost didn't happen either.
But it has. So, I suppose, that is a small victory.
When you can't make large victories, you might as well rejoice in the small ones.
Don't forget to add your entry for Trim'N'Taut writing competition!
We can't always be successful, just as we can't always be happy, sad... etc. I think the joy of little successes make the big one really special, and I think little setbacks make the thrill of success (big or small) all the more gratifying.
ReplyDeleteThat said, if you took a 4 hour nap, perhaps your body was saying you needed that downtime. Hopefully now it has reset itself and you'll be able to take charge again and write.
And if not... write anyway. You can do it. :-)
Happy birthday to your grandmother!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel... I've tried making lunchtime promises before. The trouble is if I don't leave my desk at lunch I end up working through it and then I never get any blog or writing related stuff done.
Of course, when the weather finally starts warming up, it becomes even harder to do anything constructive at lunch...