The Final Countdown

Don't look at that countdown widget on the left hand side. It's scary! It looks like something you have to diffuse before the time runs out.

50ks challengers, you are nearly there! Whether that means you are nearly at the 50k mark or at the end of June with words written that you did not have at the beginning, the challenge is almost complete.

But if you are lagging behind or just running ahead, there are still three days to go! Including two weekend days. This is a godsend for those of us with the 9 to 5 day job, maybe not such a godsend for those who have to entertain the kids.

So let's recap on who has crossed the line already:

Felicity
Rhian
Sandie
Natalie
Diane
Helen
Suz
Shona


And Nicki just made it to the 50ks mark. Way to go Nicki!

We're here at the 50k mark, yelling and cheering and stamping our feet, encouraging the rest to join us! C'mon girls - a few final sprints and you'll be over that line.

This has been an amazing month for a lot of writers as they discover what it takes: the plotting, the planning, the pantsing, the sprinting. How it's okay to let the inner critic go and just write, and that sometimes your characters just don't feel like playing.

Sometimes its not just the characters who make the writing difficult and who present you with obstacles in the way. Suddenly friends are popping around - you haven't seen them for months, but suddenly there they are, husbands are yacking in your ear more than usual (and more than necessary), kids are getting sick - and even you are getting sick, teachers tell you that you don't know how to write, your boss tells you that your writing is a little saucy (LOL) and your teenager chucks a wobbly.

There's a reason that this happens: at the beginning of the month, we made a commitment to this crazy challenge. Not only did we make a commitment to write 50ks in 30 days, we made a commitment to ourselves as writers, we made a commitment to our muse and we made a commitment to each other. So then up popped the obstacles to test our commitment. And yet, we kept writing! Despite the pressure, despite the tantrums, despite the ridicule, we kept writing! And even if we don't individually make it to the 50ks, we are all winners because of that! (Including the writers who have faced up to the possibility of not making it to the finish line!)

We used to have cross countries at our school, because my school was on a farm and it would be a 5 kilometre run. I always finished the course. Usually the whole school had packed up and gone home by the time me and my mates crossed the finish line, but I still did the whole distance. (walking!). Maybe one of the things you learned during this challenge is that you'd rather walk than run. And that is a perfectly fine thing to know about your writing methods. It's got to be what works for you.

So even if you make your 50ks mid June, end of June, end of July or by Christmas, you've made it! You've tested your writing mettle, you've risen to the challenge, you've showed up at the keyboard every day, you are a winner and more importantly, you are a writer. And in great company.'

And I hope that this fine company of writers is going to continue past June into July for editing or writing, and beyond...

Leave a comment and tell us how you're doing...