Month: November 2015

And…that’s a wrap.

First of all: Happy Thanksgiving! Second of all: it’s done!

That’s right, the story is finished, and with 4 days to spare. Never thought I could do that, but now I know I can. I’d like to do some nice stats and all that other stuff, but I’m done with writing for a while, and I’m going to take a much-needed break. One filled with turkey and dressing and potatoes and pie and all that other wonderful food that only comes around once a year.

Regular posts should start back up next week. December 1 is a Tuesday, and I don’t normally post on that day, so we’ll get back in the swing of things on Wednesday the 2nd. Of course, that’s assuming that these software updates I’ve been putting off for a month don’t go haywire. Debian Testing is a harsh mistress.

This session’s word count: 2,629
Final word count: 54,030

After midnight, so the day changes.

All that’s left is the last third of Chapter 8. It’s basically an epilogue, setting things up for Episode III, whenever I decide to write that. (Maybe I’ll start next month.)

I’m going to bed for the night. When I wake up, there’s only one thing left to do: Finish the drill.

This session’s word count: 880
Total word count: 51,401

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