Meg Dowell Writes

It’s not even noon, and I’m already having the best day off EVER.

You would think that I’d be angry, considering the fact that I woke up at 6:45 this morning (it was either my brother banging around or my body going, “Hello? Meg? WAKE UP! Time for school!”), but I’m totally not. I didn’t get as much writing done last night as I would have liked, and quit around 9,600 words or so before scampering off to bed, so I got up, checked my e-mail, and started writing.

I kept on writing until about eight o’clock, when I’d reached just around 10,000 words or so. Then I took time off for all of the things I absolutely had to do today, like showering and registering for college and all that jazz. Then I came back, sat down, and finished chapter 8, which I just sent to Evie with a big smile on my face. My current word count is 11,653, which is just under tomorrow’s goal.

I’m not quite sure what my actual goal is for the end of the day, but I do know that I’m shooting for at least 15,000 words by the end of the weekend. That number may change, depending on how much I actually get done before I fall asleep tonight. But I’m leaving early tomorrow, and won’t be back until Sunday night, and who knows how much writing i’ll get done while I’m gone. With my family, you never know.

Looking closely at my outline, I’ve just realized that I’ve only planned out up till chapter 15, and only have about one-fourth of that one worked out. Which means that, pretty soon, I’m going to hit the point I’m deciding to call Point Meltdown, where I’m either going to have to stop writing in order to do more planning, or do what I did last year, which was write words that hopefully come together in the end. Which they didn’t. That book was a disaster.

So I’m hoping that I’ll get some sort of inspiration to outline the rest of my book, so that Point Meltdown remains nothing more than an idea, instead of an actual, tangible breaking point. Because if and when I reach Point Meltdown, things are going to get ugly. We’re talking on the ground, fetal position, crying. And that’s before I actually have to stop writing.

This is what I get for procrastinating on my outline. I knew I should have started earlier, instead of waiting until the week before to get going on it. Don’t get me wrong: I got a lot done in that week. I outlined fifteen chapters of my NaNo novel. I just wish I could have worked faster and outlined the rest. Because, though I know where my story is going, and I know how it ends, it’s barely begun.

But don’t tell Evie that. She might eat you.

I hope y’all (as in, you all, all of you who are reading this) are having a great day, and I wish the very best on your weekends. Please do me a favor, and remember this: avoid Point Meltdown at all costs. Just talking about it makes me nervous. Eek!

Love&hugs, Meg♥