MarNo Fail?

I started March Novel Writing Month with an attainable goal: Write my novella or, at least, 40,000 words. Based on my past first-draft writing experiences, I thought it would be easy and I'd even be done ahead of time so I could go back and start rewriting Book 3. Ha! Man plans, God laughs.

Life went a little crazy. Day-job business got slammed. And then there was the horrible disaster in Japan and I couldn't just sit by and think, "I wish I could do something" when I actually could. So I poured myself into the Indie Author Relief Fund auctions. Not that I think God laughed at that - heavens, no! - but He did laugh at my original self-centered plans.

So, I didn't get the novella done. I didn't even get 40,000 words written. I DID get 33,296 words on the screen. Just a little shy of one goal, but far from the other (finishing). But with everything else I accomplished this month - things much more important than word count and release dates - I don't feel it's a fail.

The rest of the weekend, however, I'm doing a writing marathon. The house and the family are prepared. Housekeeping on blogs and Facebook is done - or at least as good as it's going to get. So I'm going offline and getting this story out of my head.

Did you do MarNo? If so, how did you do? Are you writing this weekend?

How to Prepare for a Writing Marathon

Last week, I challenged you to a writing marathon. Thanks to everyone who participated! Not only was it a great and much needed kick-in-the-ass to get some words weaved, but it also got me back into the WIP. I've been excited to write every night this week.

For future challenges, or if you just want to have your own writing weekend, here are some tips to keep you strong and focused:

Stay hydrated! Water is good, but coffee's even better. Or tea. Or wine or beer. Whatever your fancy. Just drink LOTS of it.

A warning to all who dare to enter your precious space. Unfortunately, it doesn't deter teens who must rebel against everything! If anyone saw the apology post on my FB, that was my son. He thought it'd be funny to burst through the door and yell, "I'm disturbing you!" Sheesh. At least he apologized...

Chocolate!!! Brownies are my choice, but you can choose whatever form of the food of the gods you prefer. No, I didn't eat the whole pan. In fact, by the time I got to them, 3/4 were gone. Yep...teens.

Don't forget to cut your nails! Mine weren't quite that long...but long enough. Before I could write Sunday morning, I had to trim my nails. Because by the time I crashed Saturday night, I was typing, "I8 cdo9uoldenh'ta beolikefve yhed swaikd 6tyha6t!" Of course, that could have been because I hadn't followed rule #1 enough:

What I do not recommend:

Long-nail-typing is nothing compared to cheek-typing. And drooling may cause electrical shock. So be sure to get at least some Zzzzz's!

So there you have it. Some tips so you, too, can have a successful writing marathon.

So how do you prepare or make it through a long writing streak? Any tips you can share?