Author Journal 24th – 30th March 2022

Guess who’s on holiday, finally? Yip, that’s me with the huge grin and a list of movies to watch–when I’m not out on the bike with Jez. Like most people, the last week of work before you’re on holiday is a hard slog. And, man, did I feel it.

Review 17th – 23rd March 2022

Here’s what last week’s goals looked like:

How Did It Go?

Phew, it was hard going. I had exhaustion and an inner chimp who had had enough to battle with. I’m currently only able to write four days a week, and to hit 5K, I needed to hit 1000 words for three of the days and 2000 on the last.

Thursday, lulled me into a false sense of security. I was so ready to start my time off with a win. Tiredness was trumped by enthusiasm and coffee, and Neenee was happy to work. I’d even managed to wrangle some extra writing time by way of another dental appointment needing me to reshuffle my time. That extra time helped me to hit 1231 words for the day!

Friday was when the cracks started to show. Distractions were no longer avoided; no, I sought them out. I took longer to get going. But, when the time eventually started slipping away, I managed to add a further 940 words.

I went into Saturday with a bloody-minded determination to make up for Friday’s shortfall on my daily goal. It worked, though I was really starting to feel all the energy drain from me. But, I added 1101 words.

Sunday, my BIG workday, was so slow to start that I thought I’d write a big fat zero words. I’d had enough. Four months without a real break was just too draining. I spent the morning focusing on my usual afternoon tasks, praying that I’d somehow magically find the enthusiasm to get the last load of words (1728) down. I’ll be honest, I can’t remember how the hell I got the words on the page. But I did it. I added 1998 words!

All told, I added 5,270 words last week, taking the manuscript to 96,068 words.

This Week’s Goals

  • Watch movies and TV shows with my feet up.
  • Enjoy the beautiful weather we’re having.
  • Go on cycle rides with my beloved.
  • And, do the follow up interview with Marsha on Zoom–I had to reschedule due to a snag with Thursday’s dental work.

See you all soon!

That’s it for today. Thanks for stopping by, and take care.

Susan

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com
Follow SUSAN TIPPETT BRAITHWAITE on WordPress.com

About Me

Hi! I’m Scottish author Susan Tippett Braithwaite. I craft romantic suspense stories featuring Sex, Lies, Scots & Spies where danger and desire meet with explosive results.

Susan on Instagram

More From the Blog

19 responses to “Author Journal 24th – 30th March 2022

  1. Chris Hall Avatar

    Enjoy your hols, Susan, you’ve certainly earned the time off!

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite Avatar

      Thank you, Chris! Will do ?

  2. Marsha Avatar

    Thanks for the mention, Susan. Good luck with the goals. How did your appointment go?

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite Avatar

      Thanks, Marsha! I got everything fixed and I’m all set for our chat—I’ve emailed the new time to you. ?

      1. Marsha Avatar

        Thanks, I will check them this morning. It’s not till Saturday, right?

      2. Susan T. Braithwaite Avatar

        Yip, it’s not until Saturday ?

      3. Marsha Avatar

        Great, I can’t wait! 🙂 Manny is excited to meet you, too.

  3. Photos by Jez Avatar

    Amazing work, sweetie ? can’t believe you blitzed your target in just 4 days ? Time for some much needed time off & cycling ??

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite Avatar

      Thank you, sweetie! Biiiiiikes ?

  4. bushboy Avatar

    Sounds like the right time to have a bit of downtime Susan ??

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite Avatar

      Thanks, Brian ?

  5. Stuart Danker Avatar

    1,000 words is still mighty fine, but that last day of 2,000 must’ve been gruelling. I find that 2,000 is my upper daily limit, and that’s if no research is involved. Here’s to keeping on writing!

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite Avatar

      Thanks for stopping by, Stuart! Yeah, the last day was torturous ? Do you hit 2k often or is that a golden day every so often? (I love hearing about other writer’s output.)

      1. Stuart Danker Avatar

        I definitely don’t hit 2,000 often, lol. If anything, my regular target is 250 words, which I often overshoot. The small amount is what gets my writing every day.

      2. Susan T. Braithwaite Avatar

        I think you’ve got a great goal with 250 per day. It takes a lot of pressure off and, as you said, allows you to overshoot it. ?

  6. Aletta - nowathome Avatar

    Enjoy your time off! Well earned indeed!

    1. Susan T. Braithwaite Avatar

      Thanks, Aletta! I plan on making the most of it ?

  7. […] won’t surprise readers of my Author Journal posts that I’ve been running on fumes for the past month or two, nearing burnout. The routine, […]

Leave a comment below–I'd love to hear from you!