I haven’t written yet today for the simple reason that all the papers have been turned in. I’ve written 56,271 words for November. And my brain is completely empty after turning in two 20+ page papers in the last two days.
This word count is for lecture notes, notes from readings, rough drafts, actual papers, and blog posts.
I know this because I kept track because November is National Novel Writing Month, where writers try to write 50,000 words.
I’ve participated in NaNo, as it is colloquially called, for years with original fiction. I wrote Calling in Dead, which is about a road trip with a scientist who is becoming a zombie who is trying to get to the cure while trying to outrun the hunters who want to kill the partial zombie. I wrote Gabriel’s Gate, which is about a politically connected detective agency in Maryland. I worked on Occupational Hazard, which is about a serial killer in the OR.
I have to say, after being a working nurse during a pandemic, about a virus, makes me kinda reconsider the zombie virus. It just hits differently.
The overall point of this blog post is that it is okay to admit your brain is empty after the end of the semester.
Just look at what you’ve done over the semester.
Books that have been read.
Papers that have been written.
Tests that have been taken.
Be proud of yourself for all that you’ve accomplished.
After finals put away the schoolbooks.
Enjoy the holidays if you participate.
Enjoy the time off if you don’t.
Spring semester will be here before you know it.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 