Bad Writing Month

Wowza.


August was a bad writing month. Greens are the days I met my writing word count goals. Count them. Count how few there are. Yellows are when I was close. Red is when I didn't make it even close. The reds vary between at least some words a day (which I prefer), and absolutely zero.


Woof.


I usually have a handful of reds a month as well as yellows. Some days I'm just too busy or tired to write, and that's okay. Usually, though, it’s not this many.


I have extenuating circumstances.


The first week of August I was on vacation. Despite persistently taking my notebook and chromebook every year after year to the beach, I never get much writing done there. It is like that one week of the year I'm an extrovert, hanging out with people from dawn til bedtime, and loving it. I'm not going to peel myself away from those experiences to make writing time. Plus, I balance it out by getting a lot of reading done while sitting on the beach. Reading is, after all, the other half of any writers' creative life.


Even back from my vacation, my normal routine was messed up.


The second week of August, fresh off vacation, I started a new job. So, you know, that takes a lot of mental energy. Also, a family's member dog was lost, so I spent many weekend days and evenings I usually would put my writing time into on searching and sign-plastering duty. On top of that, I had a final paper for my summer grad school class due August 14th, so that took precedence over my writing time. I don’t count writing I do for school or work as part of my daily word count goals. (I do count this blog though).


I'm still trying to work in a new writing routine with my new work schedule. I'm giving August up for wash -- as you can see I’ve picked up a little in the end -- but instead of going to keep putting in my best effort.


I hope to get my steam rolling again with September. (Geesh, it’s September already.)

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