Camp NaNoWriMo for July was a disaster. I wrote… wait for it… just under 2,000 words. Yep. That’s it. While that’s almost 2,000 words I didn’t have before July, it’s nowhere near the 25,000 I’d hoped to write. I love the NaNoWriMo site and the people behind it. They do some great things for young writers and get books into the hands of children. But, the process of using NaNoWriMo to get me to the next phase, next chapter, next draft of this novel is no longer working for me. The entire draft is 10,730 words. I have an outline and have not drifted too far from the plot points. I know what needs to come next. Why aren’t I writing?
My current excuse is my writing space. I have a room of the house (small, but enough) for my writing as well as my day job. When it’s time to leave the day job, I don’t want to spend more time in that room, in that chair. I have a separate desk, but it’s only ten feet from my work desk with one shared chair. There’s not enough space for a partition to at least give the illusion of separate spaces. I’ve added décor to the room to designate the writer side, but it still feels so empty. I need to feel surrounded and enveloped in the room. I need it dark with just a little light. I need to feel cozy but not hot. I need sounds in the background. Could be music. Could be white noise. A plant. I also need a plant.
What makes you get “in the zone” so to speak? What’s your go-to ambience?
Wendy Crafton Writes 