Falling At The Last Hurdle

So, I have probably 5000 words left of my novel to go.

Last time I hit this stage, the end wrote itself in a blur of creativity that kept me up into the small hours of the morning. But that was when I was at University and had the time to sit at my computer for hours each day to work through the blocks and the hurdles and keep the flow of the story going. It’s not so easy now. Not that it was ever easy in the first place…

After the 80k in 80 days challenge, which I failed, but did manage to get about 50,000 words written, I spent my holidays from work trying to get the last 30k done. After the push to write so much so quickly, I suffered from a bit of story exhaustion, and left it a long time before writing any considerable amount of words. Then I went to Birmingham with Carole Finds Her Wings and we met up with a writer friend from Uni. Writing chat and reminiscing about University left me feeling all inspired, and for the first time in what felt like ages I was writing loads again.

Then I was back at work and the energy was sapped out of me again. With 5000 words to go.

So I’m making a pledge – to write 100 words a day. Because that is just a very small amount, but if I do it every day, the story will be finished before Christmas. And I really want this story to be finished. I really don’t want to fall at the last hurdle.

Well, the last hurdle of the First Draft stage – I am not naive enough to assume there won’t be greater hurdles in this manuscript’s future. But I would like the chance to face and overcome those too!

The Tiredness Scale

In my mind the tiredness scale goes something like this:

 

A bit tired —> Very tired —> Dog tired —-> So tired I might die —–> So tired I have died —–> So tired I’ve died and come back to life after a brief stint in the afterlife, during which I worked my arse off.

 

Currently, I feel I’m somewhere between the last two. It has been one hell of a week, and it’s not even friday yet. Between my work commitments piling up and a very long day yesterday, I would have been pretty tired, but the reason I’m so especially exhausted is because there has been a fire call almost every night for the last week.

And by night I mean usually after midnight.

Last night it was from eleven until five in the morning. I had to get up for work at seven.

Now, I don’t stay awake all night – and I certainly wouldn’t try to take the tiredness crown from the Boyfriend who was out fighting the fire all night – but I never sleep as well when he’s not there.

I’ve been tired before. I’ve been more tired than this before, but that was after I stayed up for 36 hours straight in order to get home from my holiday in time for my university graduation. I haven’t hit the room spinning stage I was at then, but I think I can safely say this is the worst tiredness I’ve had since.

Roll on saturday morning, is all I can say, when the Boyfriend and I can spend a much needed morning in bed!