As my five-year plan obliges me to do, I will write not a word for thirteen days in a row starting tomorrow (“My Five-Year Plan,” December 29, 2016). Only one more challenge of this ilk awaits me early next year, my plan’s fifth and final one, when I will write not a word for fourteen days in a row. That will be from February 7 to 20, as I like to remind myself every now and then. Two weeks entire! Looking forward, the immediate challenge strikes me as unworthy of comment. Easy-peasy, that is. Looking backward, I have gone through similar challenges galore. For nearly four full years already, I have never allowed my plan to slip an iota. And no kidding. Whenever I had a chance, I made it more challenging, as well. Although I am ever-so-slightly annoyed by pride that is swelling in my chest at the moment, that is what it surely is. Pride to be reckoned with. I am only a primate, after all. Sadly, I am capable of reading and writing, puffed-up proficiencies that are beyond chimpanzees and gorillas, our closest relatives. Lucky bastards!

Addendum (November 19, 2019)

And? No trouble whatsoever, as I suspected ahead of the exercise. The last thirteen days went as smoothly as ever. Even more, I was bursting with joy all the way through. Day after day, not a single word added to my gargantuan magnum opus! But fourteen days in a row are uppermost on my mind at the moment. Ah, I look forward to them with gusto bordering on passion. A bit more than two months to go… Three cheers for my five-year plan one more time!