Another novel writing marathon has come and gone. This marathon was extremely productive for me. I think I was just so thrilled to be back in person, that I kept my head down and my fingers on the keys and flew into creative action! This was the first IN-PERSON marathon since the dreaded lock-down of 2020.
The only time I ever really left the building was to go on the Creativity Walk on Saturday morning. Prior to the marathon’s beginning, however, I had staked out the closest pub/restaurant, as well as a general store down the road. There was also a beach across the road. SO MUCH to do that was NOT writing. And I scoped them all out before my arrival.
I did not do any of those things, with the exception of a quick visit to the beach with the Creativity Walk.
During the last handful of in-person marathons, I probably would have dove into the things that distract from the writing. It was, after all, the reason I scoped out the area around the new venue. Things to do! But at the novel marathons, the thing to do is WRITE. Somewhere along the way, I might have begun to lose track of that notion. I was constantly distracted at the last few marathons. I’d walk downtown, go out to the pub night, go outside the venue with others and just shoot the breeze. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t help one’s word count AT ALL.
Apparently you must actually sit with your laptop and hit the keys to grow your word count. Who knew?
This year, I guess I was on a mission. I can’t talk about my manuscript because it’s been submitted to the contest and reading judges may be lurking. (-; The manuscripts are subject to BLIND JUDGING for an unbiased review.
Anyway, I still socialized a lot. I wandered out onto the venue’s balcony to feel the sun on my skin. I did non-writing things. But I also surprised myself by how focused I was, how BUM IN CHAIR I managed to be at this marathon. I think we were all just so happy to be back in person. We wanted to take advantage of the luxury of merely WRITING for 72 straight hours. I hardly slept at all. Yes, I zoned in and out of consciousness while attempting to stay awake and keep typing…but I only went for a 1 1/2 hour sleep Friday mid-overnight and a 5 1/2 hour sleep Saturday mid-overnight. That leaves a lot of sleepless hours.
My final tally page count for this year’s marathon was 131! Word count was about 29,000 words, if I remember correctly. Have I written more than that at previous marathons? Absolutely! But it’s been a long time. The most I ever wrote at one marathon was somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 words. This year didn’t come close…but it completely overshadowed any efforts I made during previous 4 years of online marathons, possibly even combined.
The marathon is, first and foremost, a fundraiser for the YMCA Simcoe/Muskoka literacy programs. We writers are always thrilled to contribute to such an important cause. This year we raised over $12,500.00! Thank you so much to my own personal supporters! Your donations mean the world to SO MANY PEOPLE! You’re changing lives!
The sponsors of the marathon went well beyond expectations! They donated fundraising prizes for the writers, food, money, etc, etc, etc. So generous! The photo above is my haul from the super generous people at PETSMART HUNTSVILLE. They really made this prize amazing. Our two pugs loved their windfall! There was also an army of tireless volunteers putting this event together and running it in real time…too many to mention here but all are amazing! This is truly an event that takes a village to pull off.
I’m busy continuing on with my story now! I have a nice start to this novel after my whirlwind of a weekend in Port Sydney! I can’t wait to go back up North for the Wrap Party in September!
Another year over! Thanks to all who made the 2024 MUSKOKA NOVEL MARATHON possible! You have restored my faith in my own creativity!
KEVIN CRAIG 