Finished up early today. That way, I’ve got more time for other things, like this coding interview I’m doing next Tuesday. (Don’t worry, I’m expecting the worst out of that.) Anyway, we’re most of the way through Chapter 3 now, and today’s writing was more setup. That’s how it is sometimes. I know this story’s shorter, so I do have to pick up the pace soon, but it’s coming. I can feel it.
Today’s word count: 1,999
Total word count: 16,249
Daily average: 1,805
Projected total: 54,163
Moving into Chapter 3 now, which is our first introduction to the #2 POV for this story. It also features a place well-known to readers of Chronicles of the Otherworld, specifically Written in Black and White and Situational Awareness. Of course, four millennia of change renders it essentially unrecognizable, but that’s how it goes when you’re writing something like this.
Today’s word count: 2,006
Total word count: 14,250
Daily average: 1,781
Projected total: 53,437
That’s more like it. Finished Chapter 2, finally. Tomorrow, I’ll introduce the secondary POV character, and then I can start looking for a way to tie these two threads together. Figuring out how they connect to the “mainline” story of Otherworld is, of course, a task for much, much later.
Today’s word count: 2,202
Total word count: 12,244
Daily average: 1,749
Projected total: 52,474
I don’t know if you noticed, but there’s something big going on today. So I didn’t write that much. Really, all I did today was catch up on what I missed yesterday. Still in Chapter 2, still working on it.
Today’s word count: 1,149
Total word count: 10,042
Daily average: 1,673
Projected total: 50,210
Not much today, I’m afraid. This is what happens when you’re out all day running errands. Well, and sleeping all morning, even though you went to bed at 11 PM last night. Can’t be helped, not without risking my health, which I’m avoiding this year.
Today’s word count: 815
Total word count: 8,893
Daily average: 1,778
Projected total: 53,358
Not feeling all that great today, but that’s not going to stop me from writing at least something. And I did get a fairly decent day out of it, although it took me longer than expected. So I’m into Chapter 2, and this part’s all about connecting the dots. One nice thing about writing this particular story is that I can throw in references to Otherworld whenever I feel like it. (Okay, I’ve done that in The Beast Within, too, but that’s different.)
Anyway, I’m done for now. I hope I’ll feel better tomorrow. And that I’ll get that job I applied for, but one miracle at a time, right?
Today’s word count: 1,993
Total word count: 8,078
Daily average: 2,019
Projected total: 60,585
Three days, one chapter. A far cry from the frantic pace of last year, I know. But that’s okay. I’m happy, I’m healthy, and I’m still doing a good job.
Seasons Change takes place 4400 years before Out of the Past, just so you know. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some similarities. In my head, I’m already drawing analogies between these characters and the familiar ones from the Otherworld series. Once I release this story, you’ll probably pick those up in about 5 minutes, tops.
Today’s word count: 2,173
Total word count: 6,085
Daily average: 2,028
Projected total: 60,850
So weird to be pacing myself while writing a novel, but here we are. I’m taking this slow, or at least slower than usual. So I’m still in Chapter 1, but a bit further through it. And now I’ve got time to do other things. Like, say, playing RimWorld.
Today’s word count: 1,914
Total word count: 3,852
Daily average: 1,926
Projected total: 57,780
It’s going to be weird not doing the crazy late-night scheduling this year. And it’s going to be weird juggling this and a potential job, but I’ll make it through.
So, let’s get this party started. Seasons Change. Chapter 1. So far, there’s not much to say. It’s an introduction to the main character, who just happens to be one of the few named in the main Otherworld series, despite over 4000 years of time difference. We’ll see where it goes.
Today’s word count: 1,937
Projected word count: 58,110
Remember, I’m taking it a little easier this year. The Soulstone Sorcerer brought me perilously close to a breakdown, and I’d rather not repeat that. So expect a lot more days with 2000 words rather than 5000 this time around. Maybe I’ll splurge a little on the weekends, but who knows? I sure don’t.
It’s that time of the year again. Kids are dressing up, the leaves are turning, the weather’s getting colder—it must be Halloween. And you know what that means. November is almost here, so it’s time to write a new novel!
This year’s entry is tentatively titled Seasons Change (how appropriate). I have done some pre-planning through the month of October. In the spirit of the competition, however, I haven’t started writing just yet. That can wait till tomorrow.
As for the story, well, I don’t know exactly where it’s going to go at the moment, but I can tell you where it falls in the universe of my writing. Seasons Change is the first in what I’m calling the “Othersides”. These are set in the Otherworld setting (Chronicles of the Otherworld, etc.), but have no direct connection to that ongoing story. Thus, I don’t need to do as much worldbuilding as for an original setting, but I can plausibly claim I haven’t done any work on the story yet.
Now, I’m targeting about 55-60K words for this novel. Given what I did with The Soulstone Sorcerer last year, you might be thinking, “Well, he’ll be done with that in about two weeks.”
Probably not. See, this November brings with it an added degree of difficulty. I’m looking for a “real” job at the moment. If I get one, expect my available writing time—and my daily average—to plummet. Add in the things I have to do around the house, the mental stress of the midterms, and an increasingly special woman who doesn’t like me writing, and…this one’s a lot harder.
Still, I think I can pull it off. And if I do, it’ll mark 7 years in a row that I’ve written either 50000 words or a complete novel in the month of November. For reference, here are the others:
This year, Novel Month is a real challenge, but I’m not giving up. I’ll be here, and I’ll also be posting my daily progress on the fediverse. If you use Mastodon, Pleroma, or any compatible platform, follow me: @mikey@toot.love.