For those of you that don't know: my goals for this year were pretty damned ambitious. I had set out to write 850,000 or so by the summer (June, finishing the thriller series) and to do that had set a pace to write two books a month. I failed in January but accomplished the goal in February. I won't be accomplishing it any other month.
Why?
Because it's too damned hard.
Yes. It's too damned hard. As much as I write, as long as I've been writing, this is one goal that I cannot feasibly accomplish. Keeping that kind of pace (about 140,000 a month) is sheer insanity and as crazy as I am it just can't be done.
I don't often say "it can't be done" but I know when to admit defeat and I'm admitting it this time. Why? Because at the end of February I had to wear a wrist brace on my right wrist. That's right: I was writing too much and was starting to do permanent damage to my wrists.
So instead of stopping my writing career before it began I decided to slow down. It's probably the best decision I've made in the past few years. Slowing down has taken off all the pressure and I've found that I enjoy writing again.
I'm going to be honest (as I normally am) for a while there I was starting to see writing as a chore. It was something I had to do not something I wanted to do. That should never be.
As a writer: I was born to write and if writing becomes something I hate doing then I don't have the ability to write anymore, right? Rather than make what I love (what I'm supposed to enjoy) a chore I decided to turn it fun again.
From now until November my goal is to write a book a month. For most people that's ambitious but for me it's realistic. I can manage that. I don't have to completely shun my friends or family because I'm writing. I don't have to worry that I spent an hour watching TV because I have to get second novel done. I can meander along at a pace that I'll be happy with.
I'm not even entirely concerned if I don't hit the million this year. Hell, I've all ready got two MilWordy's under my belt and even if I only write a book a month I can get pretty close to that 1,000,000 word goal by the end of November. And since I've freed my mind I'll likely write more than a book a month. It'll be a book and a short story or two or it'll be a book and a half. That's what happened last year.
So yes: sometimes it is okay to admit defeat especially when admitting that defeat means you're saving you're health and something you love. The thing you love to do should never become a chore and when it does you have to re-evaluate why it's become a chore.
Until next time: comments, questions, rage, rants and everything in between can be directed to the comments.
