Category: Writing

The first goal, 50,000 words in a month, is done, and with time to spare.

That doesn’t mean this is the end. No, Chapter 8 is only halfway finished, so the ultimate goal of a complete story in a month remains on the table. I plan on writing more tonight, so I’ll be inching closer to that one. I wanted to post this now, though, as proof.

This session’s word count: 844
Total word count: 50,521

Note that this word count is as counted in Vim, the editor I use for writing. It may not be 100% accurate, but I think there’s enough leeway that I can confidently say I have reached 50K.

So close, yet so far.

Chapter 8 is getting there. Call it a third of the way done. It’s the first and only recycled POV of this particular story, the same character as Chapter 1. Not sure why I picked her, but that’s how it happened.

Looking at what I have so far, I’d say about two more full writing days should do it. Of course, real life can intervene, and two “full” days can easily become six “partial” days, so who knows? But look at my word count! So…close…almost…there…

This session’s word count: 2,350
Today’s word count: 49.687

That’s a wrap for Chapter 7, and for November 22. Huh, 22, 7. Almost like…pi. I better stop, before I make myself hungry.

Anyway, it’s coming down to the wire. Eight days, one chapter. 50K shouldn’t be too hard, but bringing the full story to a conclusion might be. We’ll just have to wait and see.

This session’s word count: 998
Total word count: 47,337

I intend to write some more tonight, hence the “early evening” title. Dinner and TV will come first, since it’s Sunday.

Chapter 7 is mostly done. At most, I need two more scenes. Chapter 8 shouldn’t be that hard. (He says hopefully.) If my luck holds—there’s no reason to think it will—then I’ll have a lot to be thankful for this Thursday.

This session’s word count: 1,548
Total word count: 46,339

Another day of grinding today. I’m that much closer to the end, though, and now the story is starting to get interesting enough that I might get to Episode 3 sooner than I had planned. Like “next month” sooner. We’ve got a long way to go before that point, though.

Call it halfway for Chapter 7. It’s really a little more than that, but the scenes I’ve written are longer than average, so if feels shorter overall. I doubt I’ll finish it tomorrow, but Monday isn’t out of the question. Then it’s on to the final chapter. Thanksgiving is looking like a realistic goal, but I know better than to get too optimistic in my planning. Things have a tendency to go wrong when I do.

This session’s word count: 2,579
Total word count: 44,791

The sun’s still up, so this is not an evening post. It’s all I’ve got today, though.

Chapter 6 is done, and Chapter 7 has begun. It took longer than I expected, but that’s how it goes sometimes. The “wall” I talked about yesterday is in full effect, but I’m trying to break through it. The end is in sight!

This session’s word count: 2,421
Total word count: 42,212

There comes a point in these things where you get tired of writing the same story every single day. It becomes work, not fun, and you just have to power through it. I believe I’m at that point.

Chapter 6 is not done, as I had hoped it would be, because it’s running longer than I had anticipated. But it needs to, so that’s okay. Barring a complete collapse, I should finish it tomorrow, since I’m only one scene short. After that is Chapter 7 (naturally), then Chapter 8, and…that’s it. The story should be finished. Today’s the 19th, so I have 1/3 of the month to go. This is the time where I have to make myself believe. I’ve done it the last 3 years. I can do it again.

This session’s word count: 2,095
Total word count: 39,791

Rain, rain, go away.

The storms finally came this afternoon. I shut my desktop down for a while, which interrupted my writing. (I could have left it on, but I think I’ve already said that I have bad luck mixing thunderstorms and computers.) So there’s only one writing session today.

That writing session was productive, at least. I’m most of the way through Chapter 6, and I think I can finish it in one more day. That may not be tomorrow, though, depending on the weather. We’ll have to wait and see.

This session’s word count: 2,706
Total word count: 37,696

Introspection is how we begin Chapter 6. It’s one of my favorite things to write, since it’s all narrative. No dialogue, no action scenes, just building a world through words. It has a purpose, though, especially since this particular part comes after a gap of about 3 days of internal time.

Anyway, that’s all the writing I can do today. Let’s hope that I can wake up a little bit earlier tomorrow.

This session’s word count: 1,290
Today’s word count: 34,990

Zyrtec is a harsh mistress. I took one last night to clear my head (hooray for seasonal allergies) and didn’t wake up till after 10 AM. Add that to the weird tooth thing I had last night (long story), and you’ve got a late, late start for the day.

On the plus side, Chapter 5 is done. Chapter 6 will start soon enough, bringing with it the penultimate POV. (I still have yet to decide which one gets the coveted 2nd chapter, but I’ve got a few days.) Exploration is going well, seeds of future stories are being planted, and new minor characters are being introduced. In other words, this was a setup chapter, and it has done its job. Now, it’s time for a short break.

This session’s word count: 916
Total word count: 33,700