I am declaring myself a NaNo winner, even though I didn’t technically meet the criteria of “Official” Winner Status. My total reached a whopping 11,555 hard-won words. That makes my daily average a mere 385 words and represents 23% of the published goal. If we were grading on the curve, any self-respecting teacher would award me a failing grade.
Thank goodness I am not relying on school standards. You may wonder why I believe I deserve to claim the same accolades as someone who met the requirements. Excellent question, and it boils down to obstacles faced and overcome. This month saw my sweetheart undergoing major surgery and spending an entire week in the hospital before being discharged. Hospital rules prevented me from seeing him during his stay, which only increased my anxiety. Now he is convalescing here at home, safe from infections and making steady progress. We are scheduling twice-weekly physical therapy and home nursing services, along with weekly doctor appointments.
For good measure, I am trying to wrap up a house remodel. Coordinating workers around our other constraints while maintaining the quarantine zone has complicated things. Oh, and did I mention a day job? Friends told me I was crazy to try NaNo. But I am nothing if not a glutton for punishment. Besides, I needed a distraction, a piece of time reserved for me when I could forget the world’s pressures.
Did you write for NaNo? What challenges did you face?
Did you win, based on your criteria?
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Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Jo Hawk 
You did so well Jo! Overcoming all those odds and still writing so much. I hope your partner recovery speedily.
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Thank you Sadje. Every day he gets better, and every day we do what we can to move forward. 😊🙏
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Take care.
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Well done. A massive achievement considering what you had to deal with. I hope that next year you have the opportunity of giving the writing 100% attention.
Best wishes
Penny
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Aw Penny, thank you for your wishes. I am positive next year will be a vast improvement, and I am looking foreword to writing some more flash fiction. 👍😊
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I’d tried NaNoWriMo a few times in the past, but life got in the way and I wasn’t able to finish. One year, it was my mother dying, another it was me losing my job and my apartment. This year I was blessed… sort of… since quarantine left me little else to do. And yet I still only won by the skin of my teeth, because I’m lazy. Love to you and your sweetheart, and congratulations for what you were able to accomplish. Perhaps we’ll meet again at Camp NaNoWriMo.
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Strider, that is amazing. Congratulations on your win. ✨🎉✨ It doesn’t matter how you get there, a win is a win, and you should be proud of yourself for pushing across the finish line. I would love to meet up for Camp. I am determined that in a few weeks, the world will open a door on a fantastic new year filled with endless possibilities.
I don’t know about you, but I am sealing all openings to 2020, and will be executing evasive maneuvers to make sure none of it follows me into next year. 😊
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Heck yeah!
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😄👍💗
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You do deserve an “I DID IT” Award! Any bit of writing is good. Glad your sweetheart is home and hope the remodel goes smoothly.
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Thank you my dear friend. Each day brings improvements, and soon this rough patch will be in the rear view mirror. 💗
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