50 is not 0.

CovidWriMo is not going swimmingly.

I set myself a goal two weeks ago today: I would complete a 20k-wordstory in fourteen days. Today is day fourteen.

I’ve written roughly 10k.

That’s not great progress toward my goal. Halfway, in fact. I really should be much farther along.

I could make all sorts of excuses. The last week has been insane with, you know, that whole pandemic thing. Go figure. My ministry is actually busier than ever as I touch base with the congregation members and figure out how I can serve my community best. It used to be I could write an hour a night, sometimes more. Now I’m lucky to stay awake. I’m just wiped out.

Nevertheless, I have made some progress. I’ve not made my goal, but I’ve not written nothing.

And 50% is not 0%.

This is not a failure. Sure, it’s not success. Yes, I can do better. And as we figure out whatever the new “normal” is going to be as we slog through this pandemic isolating just-don’t-kill-the-kids stuff, hopefully my writing will find its place again. Or, rather, I will find a place for it, because if I let it find its place, I will never write again.

So, no, it’s not a success. But it’s not a failure. 10k words were written. Half of a story is right there. The rest are all outlined, ready to pour out.

And 10k words are far better than 0k. Work has been done.

So what does this mean?

Well, it means we fail upward. What have I learned? Well, much of my current ministry is very different. Almost every weekly appointment is canceled for now. For instance, the nursing homes are closed to me. That opens up hours in the mornings. Instead of stuffing in more ministry there, should I put my writing in that place? After all, a lot of my ministry has shifted later as people are home now and contacting me in those hours.

Does it mean I keep writing, but move my expected word count lower? That could be it, at least for now. A trained brain is wonderful when you can keep in a certain habit. However, if I write in the morning instead of the evening, it’ll take a bit to retrain my brain. So I expect lower word counts while I adjust to whatever new schedule happens.

And this is where I’m at. 50% of a goal. Not great, but far better than 0%. It’s worth it to keep going. Some is better than none.

How about you? Are you attempting to write more during the pandemic? If so, what adjustments are you finding you need to make?