Month: November 2016

And so it ends. I wanted to put up a bunch of nifty stats and charts and stuff for this, but I had some problems sleeping today, and that threw my schedule all out of whack. So you get a text recap instead.

Today, I finished Chapter 21 and started Chapter 22. We’re now in the run up to the climax for sure. Lots of things are happening, and threads are coming together. If not for those pesky tornadoes last night, I might even be excited.

Now, to the month as a whole. Let me first state that I have enjoyed this month of writing like no other in my life. I’ve done Nanowrimo 6 times now, and I’ve completed at least one half of the challenge in the last 5. (Well, 2013 was a bit…off. The story there ended at about the 49K mark. I’ll still call that a win.) Never had I thought I could write 100,000 words in a month. A few short years ago, I would have laughed at the idea of writing half that.

But now I truly know my limits. 100K is about how much I can write if I considered writing as a full-time job. I won’t call these the best 100,000+ words I’ve ever written, but the point of the challenge, as I understand it, is quantity. Editing and rewriting can come later. Of course, I’ve never been great at that “stream-of-consciousness” writing style. I can’t leave typos and grammatical errors in; I’ll stop to fix them where I notice they’re there. Now I’m confident I can do that while still maintaining an absolutely incredible pace. A Sandersonian pace, if you will. (Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors, and one of the most prolific I’ve ever seen. As much as I’ve written this year, I think he’s still outpaced me!)

Nocturne is not yet done. I’d call it a little over 75%. Maybe 80%, if we’re feeling generous. I think it’s not out of the realm of possibility that I could finish the draft before Christmas. Whether fate will conspire to prevent that remains to be seen, but I’m going to give it my best shot. I shouldn’t have to maintain the torrid pace of the past 30 days to complete it in that time, so I’ll also have the chance to focus on other things.

I’ve had fun this November. Maybe more fun than with “The City and the Hill” (2015), Before I Wake (2014), “Out of the Past” (2013), and Heirs of Divinity (2012) put together. Nocturne, or what I have of it so far, will definitely go on the list of my greatest writing accomplishments.

Normal PPC posts resume Friday, and you can check out my Patreon for more information on what I’m writing and releasing. Remember to subscribe over there. It helps me out a lot. And finally, thank you for taking this journey with me. It’s been a great one, and I can’t wait till next year.

Final Stats

Previous word count: 100,805
This session’s word count: 2,821
Total word count: 103,626
Daily average: 3,454

Rudolph. Christmas. And thunderstorms. I’ll stop a little short tonight, I think. Still in Chapter 21, but I’m almost done with it. On a more interesting note, check out the total word count. Yep, that’s 100K in a month.

Previous word count: 98,540
This session’s word count: 2,265
Total word count: 100,805
Daily average: 3,476

I know, I know. Bear with me. It’s been a long day. First, we had that windstorm that passed through, and it caused a few power flickers. Nothing too bad this afternoon, but enough to convince me of the wisdom of shutting down my desktop until the gusts died down a bit. No problem, right? I’ve got a laptop. Even though I don’t normally write on it anymore, I could still use it this once, couldn’t I?

Nope. I was copying some files around, and I noticed one of them causing an I/O error. Some testing revealed a bad sector on the hard drive. Uh-oh. I got my laptop in July 2007, and it’s performed admirably since then, but it’s long been showing its age. Anyway, I felt I couldn’t risk it, so I waited some more, until I thought it was safe enough to turn the desktop back on. And that’s where we are now.

Call it halfway on Chapter 21. I am. The POVs have met, so I can’t delay the inevitable any longer. I have to start working out an ending. We’ll see if the world continues to work against me doing that.

Previous word count: 96,528
This session’s word count: 2,012
Total word count: 98,540
Daily average: 3,519

And now the threads are becoming twined. Chapter 20 is done, and Chapter 21 will mark the first time that my 2 POVs actually meet in person. That should be the last bit I need for Act II, unless you’d prefer to call it the start of Act III. Either way, it means we’re getting close to done. Right now, I’m thinking 30 chapters in total, not counting the prologue and (maybe) epilogue. Back to Kellis tomorrow, as she finally gets to talk to the man she’s been hunting since around the 3rd of the month.

Previous word count: 93,410
This session’s word count: 3,118
Total word count: 96,528
Daily average: 3,575

No cute intro today. I’m feeling a little under the weather, and I’m hungry. Chapter 20 is about halfway done; once I finish it (tomorrow, hopefully), that’ll be it for Act II. Then, it’s on to the finale. I think I may be to the point where I’ll just start alternating POVs. We’ll see.

Previous word count: 90,680
This session’s word count: 2,730
Total word count: 93,410
Daily average: 3,593

You know the great thing about being poor? Black Friday is just another day. I don’t have to worry about shopping, because I can’t afford even the big deals of the day. So I get to stay at home, watch The Grand Tour, and write.

Chapter 19 is in the books (ha!), and the two threads of the story have essentially converged. Chapter 20 will catch Shade up, and then the final act can begin. I don’t have a clue how I’m going to pull it off, but these things have a way of working themselves out. We’ll see.

Previous word count: 87,068
This session’s word count: 3,612
Total word count: 90,680
Daily average: 3,627

Happy Thanksgiving! (If you’re reading this and you’re not American, then Happy Black Friday Eve!)

I’m thankful for being halfway done with Chapter 19. I went back to Kellis for this one; it seemed like the right choice. Sure, it leaves Shade on a bit of a cliffhanger, but that only builds tension, right? And I’ll find a way to tie this chapter in with the last. After turkey, of course.

Don’t forget to check out “The Last Captain”, my latest short story release on Patreon. It’ll be released at midnight tonight for anyone willing to put up $3 a month.

Previous word count: 84,165
This session’s word count: 2,903
Total word count: 87,068
Daily average: 3,628

The big reveal has come and gone, and Chapter 19 is complete. I’m coming up on a kind of time skip, as I’ve got about eight or nine months of time between the “present” of the prologue and the “past” of the main narrative. I still don’t know how I’m going to work that. Maybe turkey will help.

Previous word count: 80,020
This session’s word count: 4,145
Total word count: 84,165
Daily average: 3,659

Well, that was unexpected.

I don’t just mean my word count for the day, or the fact that I finished Chapter 17 and started on 18. No, I’m talking about the direction the story took. I certainly didn’t expect the story to go that way, but it did. Once the words start coming, I can’t really stop them, despite my best efforts. So Shade had his big confrontation, and it went nothing like how I’d imagined it. That’s how it goes sometimes. Best laid plans, you know?

Previous word count: 75,193
This session’s word count: 4,837
Total word count: 80,020
Daily average: 3,637

You know, it’s hard to write a book without power. See, I write on a computer. Specifically, it’s a desktop, which means it doesn’t have a battery backup. If the power goes out, so does my capability for writing. (And today’s outage lasted an hour and a half, so a UPS wouldn’t be much use.)

Anyway, despite all that, I wrote about half of Chapter 17. I’ve set up the central conflict already, but this brings it almost to a head. And then there’s still the matter of that last quest Shade has to do, the one that will shape his entire future. Mysterious, isn’t it?

Sadly, this will be the end of my “chapter a day” streak. It was fun while it lasted, and I never thought I’d be able to run it to 8. The daily average also drops back below 3600, endangering my “stretch goal” of 100,000 words in a month. Blame EPB.

Previous word count: 72,541
This session’s word count: 2,652
Total word count: 75,193
Daily average: 3,581