By the time you read this, two-thirds of the August session of Camp NaNoWriMo will be gone and as of Sunday night, I am 7,000 words behind. In the previous three sessions I’ve attempted, I have never gotten this far behind. It’s killing me. I do NOT want to fail. I know, it’s a self imposed challenge, but I still don’t want to fail at this.
That’s when I realized…I have burnout. And I did it to myself. During the month of July, a lot happened. I finished a hard edit on When Love Waits, and finished a first edit on When Love Lingers. While on the hunt for a title for the second book, the suggestion came up that it just wouldn’t feel right unless it was part of a trilogy. I sat trying to figure out what two characters I’d bring in. Then remembered two secondary characters from the first book who would work perfectly.
So, I started writing the third book for NaNo. Figured it would be a fantastic way to get it going, have it edited by September or October by the latest and be ready for the trilogy to go live. See, during the summer, I’ve also made the decision to put these books up for sale as and Independent Author. And I think that’s where the burnout has come into play. The enormity of my task hit me square in the face. Learning how to format, figure out the covers. Do I offer just e-books or print books also? What service do I use? How am I going to do it?
Luckily, a friend and indie author has been offering me loads of advice and I was able to find an art/photography major willing to help out, so she’s been designing the covers for me. It could potentially lead to a business venture for her if she’s willing to pursue it further. I’m excited to see where she takes it.
As I push forward with writing the third book in the trilogy, I will try to get as close as I can to the 50,000 word count goal. I don’t know if I’ll make it, but I’m going to try the best I can.
On a positive note, I won a 50 page critique of a manuscript I entered into a writing contest. I’m excited, but stressed at the same time because I have to turn the pages in by the 31st. *sigh*. I’m really trying not to complain because on the writing front, things are going very well. I don’t want to take this for granted or push it away because it gets too hard. Even on days where I want to take a break from it all, I can’t completely stay away from it. So I just need to keep plugging away and find a schedule that works.
I know I’m not the only one dealing with obstacles this summer. How have you handled obstacles life threw in the way of achieving a goal?
Melanie
