My writing challenge has withstood the pressures of car camping! I wrote my minimum number of words for being in the woods each day I was out, and I’m happy about that.
But I also know I could have written more. I could have spent more time creating words instead of relaxing and absorbing the sights around me. I could have spent more time writing than reading.
And yet, I’m happy that I didn’t. I spent a lot of time reading, a lot of time sitting and listening to the river. I spent a bit too much time worried about our neighbors who had a tendency to disturb my peace with gunfire and loud music.
I didn’t spend as much time as I could on writing, because the point of being out there is not to work on words. The point of being out there is to recharge. To listen to the woods, and the river and mull over what’s happening in my stories without actually writing them.
I set these low minimums for a reason. I want to make sure that I don’t feel like writing is a chore, because it’s fun. But I do want to make sure that writing gets done – hence setting goals. It’s a balance. I like writing, but I like a lot of things, and each one takes time. My challenge helps me make sure that some of time goes to writing every single day.
So far, mission accomplished.