Six pages in

Monkey on my back

Is it bad that I already want to go back to bed? I probably shouldn't have had so much to drink yesterday, but at the time it seemed like a good idea. Anyway, I was able to sleep--from about 10 p.m. until 12:30.

But honestly, more than its dubious benefits as a soporific, I think the alcohol appealed to me because of high nerves and bad habits. The plentiful margaritas and lack of responsibilities on my honeymoon has made it tough to return to my soberer routine. But I know alcohol is a bad muse for me, so I'm not going to touch the stuff now that the contest is underway.

But here I am, 3 a.m. Touch of heartburn. Exhausted. But ok all in all.

Doubting a little bit

The anxiety was definitely there at the beginning. I felt like Eddie the Eagle showing up for the Olympics. I still feel like I'm faking it when I try to be a writer... any claims to the title having to do more with showing up rather than any kind of innate talent.

Grammar?

One touch of oddness when I got started this morning. I wanted to write in the standard narrative past tense, but I kept slipping into simple present, maybe because I just finished reading a novel written in the latter tense. I haven't talked with anyone about this--but I'm curious about the merits of each. I think simple present might feel more immediate and lively for the writer, but could be somewhat disorienting for the reader.