Susan and John Ruff, Fantasy Authors

Every so often, I like to challenge myself. I don’t like too much of a challenge, so I typically pick a task that moves me a little out of my comfort zone, but not too far.

Participating in Na-No-Wri-Mo (National Novel Writing Month) back in 2021 was that kind of challenge. The idea of the event is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I was not sure I could write 1,667 words of fiction each day for an entire month, but I wanted to see if I could do it.

It turned out to be tougher than I expected.

Part of my problem was lack of preparation. The basic outline I drafted for the story prior to starting Na-No was not detailed enough. I knew where the novel was headed, but not how to get there. After the first week of writing, I ran to my beloved co-author in a panic saying, “What am I going to write tomorrow?” We talked though the story and plotted out the next two or three chapters on our dry-erase board. Once I finished those chapters, we plotted out the next few chapters. Eventually, with John’s help and lots of determination, I succeeded. I even finished the 50,000 words a couple of days early.

(In case you are wondering, we were writing The Door Ajar at the time. The book is far more than 50,000 words long, but we wrote most of the middle of it during Na-No.)

But sometimes the challenges I pick can be much tougher than expected.

Last month, I hiked the four-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. When I signed up for the hike last year, I knew I would be facing a challenge. Until I started the trail, however, I had no idea how difficult it would be.

Like my Na-No-Wri-Mo experience, I found that I had not prepared sufficiently for the hike. I knew I could easily walk seven miles a day, but I had been hiking at sea level. It had been more than 15 years since I took a trail that ran above 8,000 feet.

The four-day Inca Trail includes a mountain pass at an altitude of approximately 13,800 feet. Our group had spent a few days in the Urubamba Valley before the hike getting used to higher altitudes, but the lack of oxygen above 12,000 feet still hit me very hard. As I was climbing the tall stone stairs up to the pass, I had to stop about every ten steps to catch my breath. The process was exhausting. I think I made it to the top more by determination than physical strength.

Fortunately, it did not start raining until after I reached the top of the pass.

The rest of the hike was also tough. The rain made everything much more difficult. When we finally reached the Sun Gate on the late afternoon of Day 4 of the trek, I was almost too tired to be excited by the famous archaeological site in the distance.

Almost. I will always love archaeological sites, no matter how exhausted I am. The first time the rain clouds parted enough to let me see Machu Picchu, I still felt a thrill despite my weariness.

My excitement returned full force the next day when we got to explore the site. As we were walking through the ruins, our trail guide (who was also our tour guide) assured us that we were not mere tourists like the rest of the crowds at Machu Picchu – we were adventurers. I certainly felt like one.

Am I glad that I faced those two challenges (Na-No and the Inca Trail)? Absolutely. There is a feeling of elation that comes from succeeding at a challenge that is almost beyond description.

Would I ever do either one again? Not without a lot more preparation!

-Susan 5/2/2025