Another November has passed and I did the writing challenge again. I was not sure if I was going to do it this year due to how busy I was expecting to be and the overwhelm I felt when thinking about going back to previous drafts to continue the stories. At this point, I should not be surprised as this is the third year I have done the writing challenge and every year, it seems like I have an idea like two days before November to inspire me to do the challenge.
So it happened again. This time, I took the approach of going more fan fiction approach. The biggest reason was for my mental wellness as I was overwhelmed and felt out of control. So I focused on joy which was just having fun with a topic I do enjoy which is Taylor Swift. I have been a Swiftie for over 18 years so I thought why not have fun by writing with Taylor Swift discography as inspiration. It was only for me to dedicate personal time in a busy season so turn daydreaming into writing sessions.
So, let's see how November went.
Week 1
1: 0
2: 6,573
I only made the decision like two days before November so I was still writing the outline on the 1st. So the writing goal for the weekend had to be accomplished on Sunday which I made it with over 73 words from the goal.
Week 2
3: 996
4: 0
5: 1,452
6: 756
7: 0
8: 0
9: 4,830
I knew I had obligations on Week 2 so my goal was adjusted with that in mind. Since I did not write on Saturday, I was under the week’s goal by 1,966.
Week 3
10: 1,212
11: 4,617
12: 1,137
13: 1,405
14: 1,772
15: 1,896
16: 2,910
Week 3 had Remembrance Day so I had an extra day where I can dedicate more writing time. My goal had that extra day in mind. I went over the goal by 1,949 which allowed me to be close to catching up on the word goal.
Week 4
17: 1,106
18: 1,101
19: 1,615
20: 808
21: 1,497
22: 0
23: 3,289
I was keeping up with the consistency but I was learning that Saturdays can be busy so it was difficult to met the goal I set for the week. I was under 1,584 words. It was not too bad but I knew what kind of week I was going into. The concern of not meeting that goal was on my mind.
Week 5
24: 0
25: 856
26: 0
27: 0
28: 0
29: 3,042
30: 7,560
The week I was expecting did end up coming. Work got busy and tasks were piling up so more hours were needed. That meant less time for writing. So the weekdays were just difficult to find the time as I still needed to eat, workout, and sleep. But I was determined to meet the goal. The overall goal was to hit 50,000 or finish the outline which I knew would get close to the word count goal.
In the end, I finished the outline and reached 50,430 words. It was fun as it was about one of my favourite topics. I enjoyed reimagining and exploring Taylor Swift’s songs more. I am glad I chose the fun and joy route for this writing challenge as it was a stressful and chaotic month for me. I was looking forward to writing to continue the excitement of where I was going in the story. Sometimes, you just have to pick joy in order to reach the intended goal, it makes the journey more fun.