No time to do a longer post today. My numbers are below.
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Words written today: 1,055
Words written total: 13,245
Plus / Minus target: +1,245
Currently writing: The Last Outpost
Currently publishing: Sisterhood
Latest release: n/a
My plan going into all the stories this year is that they should be in the 5,000 word region. The first draft of Sisterhood ended up being longer than that and The Last Outpost looks like it might be even longer. And I’m asking myself if that’s a problem.
The whole point of this process is to finish stories and does it really matter whether it’s 52 x 5,000 word stories or 26 x 10,000 word stories? I don’t think so. Even if some of them end up verging on the novella length.
If I was thinking about sales and marketing (which I’m not) then I might even say it’s advantageous to write longer stories. But I’m not thinking about marketing or sales, so I won’t.
The important thing is that I am averaging 1,000 words per day, and that I am finishing everything I start. Which so far I am.
I ended up writing at the kitchen table this morning and the change of location felt strange at first, but once I was writing I got used to it. I’m happy with what I wrote and looking forward to finding out where it goes next.
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Words written today: 1,132
Words written total: 12,190
Plus / Minus target: +1,190
Currently writing: The Last Outpost
Currently publishing: Sisterhood
Latest release: n/a
The Last Outpost is slower going than Sisterhood, but I’m enjoying it a lot more. Not completely sure where it’s going, but I have a rough idea and that might be helping.
Today I officially crossed the threshold to having being a day ahead of schedule. That has happened a bit slower than I was expecting, but it’s nice to know that if something comes up one morning, and I can’t write, I won’t lose my daily average or have to catch up later.
Tomorrow I am going to be starting the post-production process on Sisterhood and it’s going to be interesting to see what it’s really like when I look at it critically. I don’t think it’s really possible to judge a story while you’re writing it, and I know it’s a mistake to try. I’m hoping I can turn the story around quickly so it’s available to buy by the time The Last Outpost is ready to be edited and I am onto the next first draft.
Feeling a lot more possitive about everything today and enjoying things again.
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Words written today: 1,062
Words written total: 11,058
Plus / Minus target: +1,058
Currently writing: The Last Outpost
Currently publishing: Sisterhood
Latest release: n/a
Started the second story of the challenge today, and it went well. It Starts on a spaceship at some point in the future, so completely different to Sisterhood. Which I like. The main character is also quite different. At the moment it feels like it’s going to be a bit shorter as well, which might get me back on track for writing a story every week.
Tuesdays are always busy so going to keep this short. Almost a full day ahead of my goal for word count.
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Words written today: 1,141
Words written total: 9,996
Plus / Minus target: +996
Currently writing: The Last Outpost
Currently publishing: Sisterhood
Latest release: n/a
It took a little longer than expected, but the first draft of the first story is now done. Tomorrow I will be starting a new story and I am looking forward to that.
I would say that Sisterhood had been a real learning experience for me. There were some mistakes that I made that I hope I can avoid in future stories. I went into this one completely blind, and that might not be the best way to do it for me.
In the past I have usually planned what I am going to write, and I think there are definite advantages to that. Even if I don’t end up sticking to the plan, having one can be useful. So I think I am going to try that for the next story. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, just a sense of what the ending is going to be, but having that will, I think, make a big difference.
The publishing of Sisterhood will start on Thursday. I am not sure how long that’s going to take, but probably not long. That’s when I will work on the cover and things like that.
Tomorrow then, it’s a new story and at this point I have no idea what that is going to be. Looking forward to finding out later when I sit down and try to come up with a plan.
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Words written today: 1,067
Words written total: 8,855
Plus / Minus target: 855
Currently writing: Sisterhood
Currently publishing: n/a
Latest release: n/a
I really thought I was going to finish up my first story this morning, but I didn’t quite manage it. I am pretty sure it will be done tomorrow and I will likely move onto the next story tomorrow as well. That then leads to me adding a publishing process to my afternoons on some days of the week.
Today we are going out to a Lego exhibition so I probably won’t get any time to write later on, but you never know; if I get time to write some more later I will post again with updated figures.
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Words written today: 1,046
Words written total: 7,788
Plus / Minus target: +788
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Currently writing: Sisterhood
Currently publishing: n/a
Latest release: n/a
Went to start writing this morning and found my computer stuck in a software update. Fortunately I have access to my writing on my phone so I ended up writing half my morning words that way. It was surprisingly comfortable to work on my phone, although it’s not something I want to make a habit of.
I ended up having to troubleshoot my computer because the update got stuck. Then I had to take a break to make breakfast for Oscar and watch a video of a new computer game he wanted to show me. So by the time I got back to writing I didn’t feel up for doing much more. I still ended up with an additional 101 words for the day, and that all helps.
I think I should finish the story tomorrow, it feels as if it’s near the end now. Then it’s onto the next one.
Going to spend the morning doing some decorating, which I really don’t enjoy but want to get done.
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Words written today: 1,101
Words written total: 6,742
Plus / Minus target: 742
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Currently writing: Sisterhood
Currently publishing: n/a
Latest release: n/a
Last night and this morning I got into the state of mind where everything I have written this week seems stupid and I was trying to think of ways I could quit the story and still continue the challenge.
If I’m honest, I’m surprised it has come so quickly, but this is the point where in the past couple of years I have stopped. Maybe it came sooner because I’m writing something short and the point isn’t related to the amount of time I’ve spent working on the story, but to the percentage of the story I have written?
I was pretty close to stopping, but then I realised that this was the whole point of this challenge: to reach that point over and over again in quick succession and keep going anyway, like I used to. In doing so, I hope to take away the power of that feeling.
It helps that it is a short story because there are only a few days where I have to deal with feeling like I’m wasting my time on a rubbish story. In a couple of days I will be working on something new.
In that sense, I count today as a big success and when I finish the story tomorrow or Sunday I will be very pleased.
I’m 641 words ahead of schedule now. So averaging 134 words extra per day. Tomorrow is Saturday, so time won’t be as tight and I might get some additional words, but we shall see. As long as I get my 1,000 words I’m happy.
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Words written today: 1,103
Words written total: 5,641
Plus / Minus target: +641
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Currently writing: Sisterhood
Currently publishing: n/a
Latest release: n/a
A crazy day at work today but I got my writing done in the morning so pleased with that. I also have a working title for the first short story.
The interesting thing with titles is that they really help to focus the story. There are a few strands now coming together thanks to the working title, which may very well turn out to be the final title.
Other than that, not a lot to report. I’m now half a day ahead of where I need to be.
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Words written today: 1,106
Words written total: 4,538
Plus / Minus target: +538
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Currently writing: Sisterhood
Currently publishing: n/a
Latest release: n/a
The story continues. I did my usual routine of waking up, making coffee and getting on with the writing. The words are coming quicker now but it didn’t feel as comfortable as yesterday.
I’m not sure how much difference that makes to the quality though. When I have gone back and read stuff I have never been able to distinguish between the parts that flowed easily and those that were a struggle. The quality of the output doesn’t seem to reflect the difficulty of the input.
Getting a decent amount ahead now and maybe I will build up more than nine days lead between now and the end of the year. Or maybe I will have to cash some in between now and then.
I’m thinking a lot about A.I. generated content at the moment and there may be a longer post on the subject when I’ve got my thoughts in order. But one thing that has stuck with me today is how chat services might influence the way users think.
It is well documented that YouTube and Facebook algorithms lead people to some pretty dark places, and those are relatively easy to detect. You can point at a video and say ‘this is extreme’ but can you do the same with A.I. generated text, images and videos?
Believing that A.I. models have no inherent biases is naieve but I don’t hear anyone talking about the possibilities of these things brainwashing huge segments of society.
I’m still thinking about the matter but this is enough to confirm that bipassing A.I. in my own life is the right choice to make.
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Words written today: 1,206
Words written total: 3,432
Plus / Minus target: +432
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Currently writing: TBC
Currently publishing: n/a
Latest release: n/a