1,121... but feels like it should have been more

I was surprised when I did my word count this morning to find only 1,121 new words. I worked really hard this morning, perhaps too hard. I have that pesky editor in my head. I love my editor, don't get me wrong, but editing mode is the antithesis of creating mode... and right now I need to be creating. If I weren't shooting for this April 1 deadline, I would probably let my editor take over for a while. I think the little bit I unleashed yesterday is the problem. I started polishing rather than writing. I just have to hold it off a little, because from here on out, I'm going to need to be writing to get this thing done.

"Get 'er done!" I keep hearing my friend's voice in my head. She's in the reserves and has recently returned from a year in Kuwait. It's a line she used with her soldiers. I'm thinking of tattooing it in mirrored script on my forehead so that every time I look at myself I am reminded of my goal. "Just get 'er done!"

Critique group was great last night. We were back up to six at the table, three of us had material to read. George brought this poem that I found captivating. I'm not much of a poet (I've written perhaps two poems since I was a teenager) and I don't really read much poetry. I do like to listen to poets read their own work. I've become a fan of Maya Angelou in that manner. Her voice brings something to her poetry that I just can't hear when I read it on my own. In general, I am probably more of a Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstein kind of poetry lover. But I was really struck by George's use of language and the image his poem painted in my mind.

I was the only one who brought anything of considerable length and I stumbled through it, as usual. They didn't seem to mind, however. The feedback was positive and I recovered from "the shakes" quite quickly when I was done. Maybe I'll actually get good at this some day -- reading what I've written to someone other than the voices in my head.

I did share with them about the April 1st goal and my determination to finish this novel. After this morning's work, it seems like a fairly daunting task. I keep thinking I will find an empty day on the calendar and I will just escape. I will hide out in my husand's office/closet for a day and write till I get to the end. I know it's there. I even know the road to get there... None-the-less, there are a lot of words to commit to paper between now and then.

I have 18 days to go.