It’s been two weeks since I posted an update.

(You thought I quit, didn’t you?)

I wasn’t going to quit, but I did come perilously close to a . . . hiatus . . . over the past several days. It’s the kind of thing that can happen when the Day Job takes over your days (and nights) for weeks on end, including weekends. I know work will slow as we move into summer because after 28 years, I recognize that this is how things roll, so I know to be grateful for the current hectic pace. Still, I’m exhausted, and there comes a point where too many things demand your attention, and you say, “Fine, whatever. I’ll get back to the book when I get a chance.”

Here’s the weird thing: even though I’m wiped out and would desperately love to take a couple weeks off from any book-related obligations, my brain is still working on the book. I went low-key for a couple nights last week, assembling pieces and printing the draft so that I could accomplish something without having to think too hard. For a few more nights, I wouldn’t say my writing efforts were minimal, but they consisted of 30 minutes or even less, and I produced few new or improved scenes.

And then came today. Last night, I worked until 1:15 a.m. By the time I finished editing, I was exhausted. I was prepared to go to bed after I’d finished scooping litter boxes and giving the cats meds and snikkies—except then, I felt the urge to write.

I wasn’t going to. I’d already given myself permission to skip a night. Maybe that permission was what I needed. Because a few lines came to mind, and the next thing I knew, I was settled in the recliner with Charlotte by my side and my favorite CDs providing atmosphere as I wrote.

As it turns out, this is what happens when you do something enough with the intent of making it into a habit: it actually becomes a true habit. The details may vary—last night, I wrote at 2:00 a.m., not 9:30 p.m.—but the basics remain constant. For me, for this project, the basics are simple: I just have to work on the book. That work doesn’t have to take any particular form—I can add words, edit, do research, do production—as long as whatever I do advances the book in some way. But I need to do it, and so far, I have.

Will I make it through the entire 100 days without a break? No idea. I’d love to think so. At least I don’t have to produce 1,000 words every day this time, and that’s a huge break. Still, I’d love to end with an actual viable manuscript that’s undergone some decent editing. It won’t be final—absolutely cannot happen in this timeframe—but if it were a complete book, with all the scenes it needs and none of the stuff it doesn’t—that would be amazing.

Coming up: Day 28. We’ll see what happens.