Writing a Novel is Hard

Have you ever seen one of those 10k runs that all people are encouraged to participate in? There's a funny thing about the first couple of kilometers of those. The first aid stations in the beginning third usually see a LOT of people who are completely unprepared for a 1k run, let alone a 10k. I'm kind of feeling that way about my novel. 50,000 words in 30 days. That works out to about 1600 words a day assuming you don't miss any days (which I have).

I can see why writing is considered a full time job now. Even when I do manage to sit down and write I'll rarely get my full quota for the day done in the 3 hours I generally have. It's also become pretty clear to me how important the editing process is. Trying to keep momentum going when you're writing is a challenge. You can't always, and in fact, probably shouldn't, write linearly. If an idea comes into your head you've kind of got to sketch it out before it's gone. That kind of stuff puts you in a mood that might not fit the previous section you wrote so I've ended up mixing tones and styles all over the place.

It's a good thing this isn't to write a novel you're proud of or I'd really be in over my head. I've got a story figured out though and I'm satisfied with my characters that have appeared so far. It's just filling out the words in between.