katecavanaugh
patreon
Hitting 50K, halfway hooray sprints, & demise of the daily NaNo vlogs....
🕑 Added 2023-11-14 21:22:27 +0000 UTCHappy new moon, y'all! 🌚
(I only missed it by a day, so we'll just pretend bahaha.)
I hope you've had a WONDERFUL start to your November and NaNoWriMo (if you're participating). I hope you've found the groove of your story, that you feel closer to your characters more and more each day, and that you're excited to be almost halfway, EEK.
Things have been a little hectic over here. Maybe you've noticed the daily vlogs have stopped. (They had a good run!)
I didn't realize quiiiiiite how many doctor appointments I'd be having during November when I initially came up with this plan. (I thought there'd be one. There have been like five now bahaha. More to come, woohoo!)
I should stress that I'm fine! (Or, as fine as one can be while still searching for answers, but really, I'm fine.) I really like my doctor -- she's helped me find a new migraine medicine that is INCREDIBLE and works so well for me -- and definitely feel like I'm in good hands.
But I do get ~anxious~ pre-appointments and it was hampering my ability to write until the appointment was over. The issue with daily vlogs is that if I don't start writing until AFTER my appointments, it just pushes everything back. I can't film what I don't write, I can't edit what I don't film, and I can't post what I haven't edited...you get the point bahaha.
So while I won't be posting vlogs daily, I am still filming!! My plan is to edit and upload when "milestones" happen...like today!
Today I hit the 50K mark in Project Death!!
(Not, unfortunately, for all of NaNo, the finish line is still quite a ways off for me lolol).
My stats for the month look a little wacky, but I'm still feeling confident that 2023 will end in a Win!
But you know what not having daily vlogs also gives me free time for?? STREAMING WITH Y'ALL!
So let's have a Halfway Hooray / Double Stream Day party!
Tomorrow, on November 15th, at 8:30am CST, we'll wrap-up the first part of the month together. You can find the link to that here.
And then on Thursday, November 16th, at 1:30pm CST, we'll welcome Part 2! Like our own, mini reset (if you need it). You can find the link to that here.
My goal is to have these on/near the rest of the major NaNo Days too (think the 20th, 25th, 29th and 30th, but more info to come.)
Please catch me up on how this month has treated you so far!!
Thanks y'all and happy writing! 🍂
Comments
Clara Rose Elliott
Doctor stuff is grueling when you have health issues that necessitate a lot of schedule adjustments. It's good to give yourself the space to accept that it is actually a big thing. It absolutely takes up headspace that isn't available for writing (except maybe journaling but even then). Glad your migraine meds are helping!
Jessica M. Vázquez
Congratulations on hitting 50k in Project Death!! First week of NaNo for me was amazing. Then a work deadline got announced, and at the same time my son and I got sick. I haven’t written a word since like day 9. I’m out on a mini retreat today to see how much I can catch up, but my brain is not cooperating and I’m still sick. :( But I’m going to show up and try! I get it about the medical appointments. That was me in October , and Preprober just couldn’t happen for that same reason. I’m still trying to find answers about my chronic pain and why I get sick every two weeks or so. Good luck on your journey. ✨🫂 Migraines suck. 💕 We can do this!
78kgsofshade
It must feel so good to be making so much progress on your work! I'm a Rebel as well this. month and am finding that it's taken the pressure off (which is good, all other things considering). So I'm above par, over 25K, and mostly just annoyed that I'm at 87K words total for draft two and like ~halfway through the edit. She's a chonky girl right now.
Lola Sweet
Glad to hear you’re okay! I hope you get the answers you’re searching for sooner rather than later…. I’m still on the hunt for a good migraine medicine. It’s a struggle. I thought about doing a nano for the first time this year but haven’t had the time to sit down and write, so I’m living vicariously through you. Lol
Renae Vs Books
Yay for the 50k! That's a huge milestone! I'm convinced that November is the WORST month for writing a book! I say this every year and yet I still participate! I tried to do daily TikToks and I can't even handle a 2 minute update video so I can't even imagine! You did the right thing letting yourself off the hook. The worst thing you can do creatively is put your writing on a To-Do list.
Sarah Cahill
congrats on hitting 50k! I totally get the issue with daily vlogs, but you do what's best for you.
Author JC Carpenter
Kate!!! I'm so glad you're doing okay. I thought about you this past weekend and was wondering if you were okay and hoping the migraine's had left you alone. Hitting 50k in Project Death is so exciting. You'll reach the NaNo goal. I believe in you. Can't wait for the streams (I'm really going to try and make that early morning one but we'll see lol). Of course I miss the daily vlogs but I would much rather you be happy and healthy and getting what you need to get done accomplished. See you on the stream! And please take care of yourself! ❤️
Nancy Chen
Glad to see that I'm not the only one who gets anxious before appointments. It's really difficult to focus before the appt and then afterwards I always feel drained. Hope you get some good writing done for the rest of the month. Looking forward to your vlogs!
Maariyah S.
I get super drained about medical appointments too. It's like you need that extra time afterwards to decompress and get your breath back! When it's over, I always end up treating myself with a pineapple and mango slush or something baked as a "congrats for getting through that crapshow!", which I HIGHLY recommend lolol. Glad to hear that you've adapted nanowrimo vlogging to meet your needs! This month has been a really lovely balance of creative joy and rest. I mean, sure, there are days where I may not write because... life... but I'm not forcing myself to play catch up or think about how behind I am which feels very freeing. I've also been marking every 5k milestone I hit which is a nice motivation to look forward to. My upcoming one, for 10k words, is to make a drink that my characters would've typically made, and because it's the Victorian era, I got good ol' Mrs. Beeton's book to help me hahaha. It's called a "Summer Draught" for anyone curious enough to try it out, and it's essentially Lemonade for Dummies lmao. See you all on the streams tomorrow!
Kerri B
I'm really glad you found a doctor you really like! As someone who occasionally deals with medical issues stemming from being born four months early, finding a medical professional who gets you is super important! I had to quit nano because a boatload of work landed in my lap (a micromanaging client has me particularly stressed and second-guessing myself rn) so I'm fitting in writing where I can. I really miss writing every day and my character Graham (aquarium diver). He's so funny and I know readers are going to love him... when I eventually finish the damn thing! 😂
Samantha Andersen
I'm the same way with appointments. I always try to get early ones because I can't do anything really until it's over with. This is my eighth year doing NaNo, and I have been a day behind for the past week. I just can't quite seem to catch that one days' worth back up. But I am in a pretty good spot overall so I am confident I will win.
