Knowing When To Quit - And Not Feeling Guilty

There's the first - the knowing when to quit. And then there's the second, the not feeling guilty. Unfortunately, the two are just not comfortable going hand-in-hand.

After deciding to throw in the towel on NaNo yesterday, I began feeling guilty. I made a commitment. True, it was more to myself than to anyone else. After all, whether I made the grade or not, no one else would be affected and all I would have to show for it is pride. And pride comes at too high a price, sometimes.

This morning I've gone to my various writer's sites and confessed my "sin" or "Failure" (note the capital F because that's how it feels). Honesty, along with Pride, is a thin blanket on a frosty night.

However, I do know I made the right decision. I didn't act on the impulse this morning, but the first thought I had on waking up was about 'Shady' - the story that's been pushing and nudging the hardest lately. If I hadn't been so darned comfortable and if the room hadn't been so darned cold (I sleep with the window wide open - even in November), I would have gotten up and started writing.

Instead, I lay in bed until eight o'clock, got my chores done, made my 'confession' around the places, and now, at 10:30, I'm here. When I get done here, I'll start on 'Shady' and see how much more I can get through.

I also thought about meeting the 50,000 word goal on NaNo, anyway. Copy my book that I started for it, and each of the blog posts I've made this month - which also qualify as writing, and the flash fiction pieces that I write in the next few weeks for the FFF group on Scribblers. I think between each of those, I would be well over the goal for the month.

In fact, since I would never be in position to publish what I was writing for NaNo (it would be too incomplete, too rough), maybe I should. Just to measure how many words I do write in a given month. Of course, that wouldn't count the in-line corrections I make along the way, but that would be bonus in any case.

It's an interesting idea. And, following further navel contemplation, I don't think it's cheating. After all, it's not like I'm doing this on a publisher's website or in a place where it counts for anything. Once I post the update and have the system count the words, the site doesn't retain what I've written. It goes back to zero with the count registered until the next time I pick "Validate" and paste my writing.

You know? I think I will do that. What the heck?

Now - I hope you have a lovely day. I'm going to get to work on something I want to do.

Best~
Philippa

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/i/notifications