Standing guard beneath a tarp. Statue in front of the Iglesia San Francisco in Popayán, Colombia. Nov. 2013. | Kenneth Lowe

Seriously, how do you gringos stand it? Above image is from about the same time last year, when I was galivanting around Colombia and not hiding under a blanket because my apartment leaks heat like the NSA’s underpaid code monkeys leak awful security secrets.

I did have another successful night of writing last night. As usual, I seem to stumble along at first, then get to the truly exciting part and just unleash my limit break.

I want to write more about what this experience is teaching me about just forcing myself to produce no matter the mood or time constraints, but I fear I have little insight into what it practically means. It has instilled some confidence in me; the feeling that I can just push ahead and deal with the loose ends I’ve left behind later is particularly liberating.

At the same time, it is depressing how much more needs to get done when set against how long I have been writing this damn thing. This isn’t even the first time I have declared myself in it to win it, but it is the most serious single push I’ve made on it ever, I think.

Anyway, more to come today as we hit the halfway point. I was up above 24,000 words last night, so meeting the halfway goal will be a cinch.