This is where the true mettle of a writer is found, down there in the trenches, getting it done.

I feel like I’m surrounded on all fronts by the enemy and t’s going to require an extraordinary feat to save the day.

The trouble is I’m nearing exhaustion.

I can feel the tiredness, the strain, but above all else the desire to finish.

Can the mere feat of writing ever take on being heroic?

No. I guess not.

I signed up for the full 30 days. No pulling out now, no matter how much the tie is trying to pull me in another direction.

It’s pen to paper and be damned!

For the statisticians, todays word count is 2,727 words for a running total of 49,220.

It’s agonisingly close, and, hopefully sometime tomorrow I’ll cross that invisible line in the sand.

It’s just a pity the book will not be finished.

Nearly two thirds of the way through the month. Id only I was two thirds of the way through this story.

I am a lot further than I thought I would be at this time, but there’s more work to be done.

This morning I started working on a section further along, before I;d finished a part further back, which can be fun, but I had an idea that was worth teasing out, because in the end it solved a minor block I’d reached, and then will lead to another part further on it the book.

Notes made in the various parts of the outline, it is now back to work.

It’s very early in the morning here in the underside of the world, and I’ working on a short piece before I go to bed, and tease the story out in my sleep.

Sometimes I forget what it was sometimes, when I wake up, I have to get pen to paper quickly, before that all important first cup of coffee!

For the statisticians, only 2,490 words today for a running total of 46,493.

Half way!

I managed to get this far, and I still have energy in the store.

But, ideas are coming along while I’m writing the parts that need to be written, and it’s a constant battle to keep focussed on the writing, and scribble on those pesky post-it notes those ideas I want to keep.

The other problem, finding a pen that writes.

Don’t you find that as a writer, who uses pen and paper as well as a word processor, can never find a pen that writes when you need one.

Frustrating, and time consuming, and sometimes an idea is lost.

Enough of being sidetracked. For the statisticians, 2,271 words for the day, down on my usual totals (blame the dry pens) for a grand total so far of 35,382 words.