Project October 2018: Week Two
Day 8: 0
Day 9: 0
Day 10: 0
Day 11: 1,198
Day 12: 0
Day 13: 0
Day 14: 3,860
Total: 12,997
Finding the time and the motivation to write this week seemed harder than last week, although in retrospect it shouldn’t have been. I’m brimming with ideas, more than I can turn into blog posts without coming up with new ideas. The writing just didn’t flow like it did in week one.
On day 8, I knew I wouldn’t get anything done. It was football day so I headed to my grandfather’s place, stopping at my dad’s house on the way to pick up the mail because he’s away as I write this. I was going to just leave the mail on the kitchen bench but as I went in, I saw a fridge magnet and thought to myself, “What a small world!” Even though we live about twenty minutes from each other, on his fridge was a magnet with emergency home contact details – electricians, plumbers, etc – and a picture of the local real estate agent it was advertising, who just happened to be my neighbour’s son. I just had to call my dad and tell him and we had a bit of a chat. And then there was football and time spent with my grandfather for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Day 9 is lost in the fog of non-writing. I worked but I can’t remember anything else. I certainly can’t remember why I didn’t write.
I tried to write on day 10 but it just didn’t happen. After work, I sat with my computer open, I had a few ideas about what I wanted to write but they just weren’t ready, I guess, to emerge in fully formed thoughts. Still, I made notes for three blog posts that would hopefully help to make the writing easier in the coming few days.
On day 11, I took a sick day. Perfect for writing, right? Well, first I had to go to the city for blood tests and an MRI to help diagnose my arthritis symptoms officially. I’d never had an MRI before. If I didn’t have claustrophobia before, I definitely do now. Maybe it would have been okay if I’d been lying on my back but I had to lay face down in order to keep my hand flat, but I can’t do that for very long without starting to feel like I’m suffocating. Even though it took nearly half an hour in the MRI machine, I managed not to press the alarm that was pressed into my hand just as everybody else left the room but I did cry just a little in the changeroom afterwards as I was putting my clothes back on. Still, I managed to come home, settle down and hit the daily target.
On day 12, I worked, then went to see my phone provider because my contract had ended and I signed up for a plan with more data, even though it cost less. Bonus! I spent the money I’ll be saving over the next year on seasons two to five of Fringe (having just finished binge watching the first season). Then, because I had so much data to use and didn’t have to limit myself like I’ve spent the previous two years doing, I spent the rest of the evening online. This new plan might have been a mistake.
Friday evening grocery shopping on day 13 was supposed to be followed by writing. I had the best of intentions. But during a pre-writing Twitter check, I came across an author who was apologising for a rant, wanted to know what she had been ranting about so went to her Twitter page where I ended up coming across a book selling goal she had set for herself and a couple of mentions about her financial difficulties. I clicked the link through to her books and found she had four- and five-star ratings only and the Kobo version was just over five dollars, so I bought a copy and then started reading it. And kept reading. Sometimes being a good writer means being a good reader.
And to the end of another Project October week. Day 14 was a Saturday and it’s also the one day of the week I have to myself, so I spent it writing. I hit 3,860 words and while it’s good in the context of the daily target, I have fallen behind in my overall goal. So what? Every word is a blessing at the moment. I’m going to just keep writing, just keep writing, just keep writing and see how it goes…
