"Four! Four days! Uh, uh, uh!
I was a part of the track and field team when I was in junior high school. I participated to hang out with my ex-boyfriend and buddies (good times) not because I was an athlete. When I competed I tried my best, excelling at long jump and reliable in 100m and 200m dashes and relays. Waiting in the starting block was the worst feeling in the world. It was worse than going on auditions, worse than giving speeches, worse than job interviews, performances, and all the attention that special occassions (milestone birthdays, wedding, etc.) ever gave me.
You wait and feel two opposites at the same time. You can feel your muscles twitch in anticipation and your body trying to remain motionless as you wait for the gun. The entire race goes through your mind as you wait and imagine whether or not this might be victory.
Now 16 years later, I no longer take any pleasure running and don't even know if my nearly-30-years-old body could manage. I lost interest with track when I broke up with my boyfriend just before summer vacation in 1992.
So why the anxiety of waiting in the runner's block?
See: www.nanowrimo.org
As November fast approaches I prepare my monthly-mental-to-do-list. Nothing interesting; events I will be attending, work related functions, home projects, special occassions. But it's unique and different than any other month because I intend to write a 50,000 + novel by the 30th.
I did it last year. I won last year (polishes Nanowrimo 2008 badge with sleeve). Confident this year...
But instead of 30 days and nights consumed by writing a novel, I am having back surgery. Minus a hospital stay and time heavily medicated by pain releiving drugs, I imagine I might only have 2 1/2 to 3 weeks to work on my novel.
But that's what makes a challenege. Even though you may have been previously successful, or even if you haven't, you find something to improve upon. Raise the bar, set a higher goal, reach for the stars kind of inspiration. If I did it in 30 days last year, I'm going to do it in 23 days this year. If I have 30 days to do it next year, I want to write 60,000 words.
Goals (and people or causes to enforce them) are what we need to avoid procrastination and help us maintain our focus. It's what we do research for, and post on the Nano forums for, and write out notecards and outlines.
One goal. Get ready.
On your mark, get set...
October 28, 2009: T-4 days to Nanowrimo!
I was a part of the track and field team when I was in junior high school. I participated to hang out with my ex-boyfriend and buddies (good times) not because I was an athlete. When I competed I tried my best, excelling at long jump and reliable in 100m and 200m dashes and relays. Waiting in the starting block was the worst feeling in the world. It was worse than going on auditions, worse than giving speeches, worse than job interviews, performances, and all the attention that special occassions (milestone birthdays, wedding, etc.) ever gave me.
You wait and feel two opposites at the same time. You can feel your muscles twitch in anticipation and your body trying to remain motionless as you wait for the gun. The entire race goes through your mind as you wait and imagine whether or not this might be victory.
Now 16 years later, I no longer take any pleasure running and don't even know if my nearly-30-years-old body could manage. I lost interest with track when I broke up with my boyfriend just before summer vacation in 1992.
So why the anxiety of waiting in the runner's block?
See: www.nanowrimo.org
As November fast approaches I prepare my monthly-mental-to-do-list. Nothing interesting; events I will be attending, work related functions, home projects, special occassions. But it's unique and different than any other month because I intend to write a 50,000 + novel by the 30th.
I did it last year. I won last year (polishes Nanowrimo 2008 badge with sleeve). Confident this year...
But instead of 30 days and nights consumed by writing a novel, I am having back surgery. Minus a hospital stay and time heavily medicated by pain releiving drugs, I imagine I might only have 2 1/2 to 3 weeks to work on my novel.
But that's what makes a challenege. Even though you may have been previously successful, or even if you haven't, you find something to improve upon. Raise the bar, set a higher goal, reach for the stars kind of inspiration. If I did it in 30 days last year, I'm going to do it in 23 days this year. If I have 30 days to do it next year, I want to write 60,000 words.
Goals (and people or causes to enforce them) are what we need to avoid procrastination and help us maintain our focus. It's what we do research for, and post on the Nano forums for, and write out notecards and outlines.
One goal. Get ready.
On your mark, get set...
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