Did I just have a good first week of Camp NaNo? Is that legal?

Things went pretty well for me this week. That almost never happens. When it comes to Camp, I struggle every day for a month. What’s different this time?

First of all, we did nothing for the 4th of July this year. We stayed home and relaxed. That gave me more time to write and I didn’t have to spend time recharging from being around groups of people. However, the excessive at-home fireworks this year has been an annoyance. I’m used to some fireworks going off around 9 pm on weekends around the 4th, but this year it has been every night and often closer to midnight than sunset.

It’s also been hotter than usual around here. Normally we get a blisteringly hot day or two and then it’s back to regular summer heat. Not this time. It’s been uncomfortably hot almost every day so far this month. That’s kept me from going out to walk around town for inspiration (procrastination). As long as I’m in a cool room, writing doesn’t cause me to overheat.

The library isn’t open. This sounds like it’s a bad thing. Overall, it’s terrible. However, I like to lie to myself and say I’ll write better at the library. I drag my laptop there and spend a few hours browsing the shelves and people watching. It’s fun, but not good for my word count. Since I can’t do that, I’ve had to stay home and actually write.

There’s still a lot of uncertainty in the the world. These aren’t easy or fun times for anyone, but compared to April, I feel like I have a better handle on things now. I have a clearer picture of the situation and I have some experience with keeping myself and my loved ones safe. I don’t feel as helpless and that has freed up some space in my mind for creative work again.

Even with all these variables working in my favor, I’ve kept my Camp goal low. I want to push myself to write, but making myself stretch too far to reach it will only discourage me. I’d rather aim for something just a little bit beyond what I can typically achieve. Maybe this month will be my first ever Camp NaNoWriMo win? I could really use a win right now.

How was your first week of Camp NaNoWriMo? Have you kept your goal low or are you aiming higher?