Novel writing in February didn’t go quite like I anticipated it. Between it being a short month and being incredibly busy with work and life requirements, the month got away from me, and it was March before I even knew what was happening!
I did make a bit of progress on the chapter at the beginning of the month. My intention was to weave in pieces of my original writing from high school so I needed to spend a fair amount of time researching (if researching can include reading over your own horridly simplistic writing from 6 years ago). I did accomplish this task, going through and marking chapters and passages and then copying over those pieces which I felt were important to include in this new retelling. But the process of actually making Chapter 14 make sense and flow with an intended plot line from the previous chapter didn’t quite make the February cut.
What I really took away from my Novel Writing Journey in February actually has nothing to do with my novel or even writing specifically. I realized this month that while it’s beneficial for me to pursue a personal growth goal of writing a novel, I can’t forget the more important priorities in my life.
Like finding a new job and making the next step in my life in 2015!
I realized about midway through the month while looking at my over-packed and completely undoable to-do list that I had to prioritize better or my brain would explode. Writing is important to me. My YouTube channel is important. My blog, my novel, my boyfriend, my family, my job, my search for a new job, reading…the list goes on and on! They’re all important to me! But I’m realizing that if I want to make 2015 different, if I want to find a new job and make this year count, then I need to do something different. I need to prioritize differently. I don’t want to, but I have to. And I have to make sacrifices with my personal goals, but at least I’m still working at something.
In February, I found a job I REALLY want. Like I’ve never been so excited about applying to a job before and felt like I actually had all the credentials for and would do very well at, and it gave me the courage and motivation to redo my resume, write a banging cover letter, and finish my website (check out kaitlynpendleton.com if you want!). And in order to accomplish my work/future goals, I couldn’t work on my novel as much this month as I wanted. I console myself with the fact that I got a little bit of writing done, AND I applied to that job. This might not sound all that impressive, but for someone who has a hard time getting the motivation to apply for jobs (despite the fact that I really want a new job, I know it seems contradictory), it’s a pretty big deal!
I hope that since I did a lot of my job search grunt work in February, then March will be easier to do both job applications and novel writing. Perhaps it sounds ambitious to finish Chapter 14 AND write Chapter 15, but hey, aren’t you supposed to be able to accomplish anything you put your mind to? Well, it never hurt to try!
i IMAGINE (blank) 
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