Word count: 23,025.

Once again, the advantage of free time that weekends typically offer to people doing NaNoWriMo has been snatched from my grasping hands once more.

Today saw Maria and I leaving Melbourne at the stupid (for a weekend) hour of 8:30am to drive up to Shepparton. A while back, we’d said to my sister – who is competing in the Half Ironman event on Sunday – that we’d go up to cheer her on. And my folks were coming down from Goulburn (in NSW) for it as well, so it was turning out to be a bit of a family weekend.

I tried to write when I could – I tried for 5 minutes in the car on the way up, but the screen of my laptop was either too glary or impossible to see when I put on sunnies. I managed an hour or so once we got to Shepparton while Maria visited a friend, then after late lunch/early dinner for those in their carbo-loading phase before the big day, I managed another hour or two of writing while Maria went off to visit other friends.

So I did as much as I needed to yesterday to make sure that I’m not slipping any further behind than I already am, but I know that I’ve gotta put in a stellar effort this week to make up the 2000 words I’m behind at the moment. I actually found myself starting to get a bit stressed out by it yesterday … self-inflicted stress mind you, but stress nonetheless. I just wanted to shut myself away from the world so that I would have no distractions.

Hopefully the last 2 weekends in will be less busy. I already know that there’s a birthday party on Sunday for one of Maria’s friends. I’ve tentatively said “No.” (a rarity for me), but I’ll see how I go during the week and decide closer to the date.