Oct 14, 2024
I’m not sure why but this morning felt like a slog. I got my 1,000+ words, but only just made it before I had to stop and get on with other things. Tomorrow will probably be better.
On the editing side of things: I am thinking about kicking it all off in November. I’m not sure exactly how that’s going to work, but I think I need to find a similar approach to what I’m doing with first draft stuff.
It’s not that I don’t want to edit, but something else always seems to get in the way.
The simplest thing would be to make a daily commitment to an amount of time, and maybe increase that gradually, as I am doing with reading.
At the end of the day, I got my words done, so I am counting that as a win.
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Words written today: 1,037
Words written total: 16,493
Plus / Minus target: +1,493
Currently writing: The Last Outpost
Currently publishing: Sisterhood
Latest release: n/a
Oct 13, 2024
Not as much as I would have liked, but enough to keep my daily average up and push me a bit further ahead.
What I need to do is apply the same level of commitment to the editing and publishing side of things, because I am not making much progress there.
The difficulty is that I can treat writing first drafts every day as an ongoing habit. There is not much complexity involved with ‘get up, feed the cats, make coffee, write 1,000+ words.’ But as soon as I move to the multi-step process of publishing a story, which I can’t do everyday, it becomes a project that I have to manage.
As far as I can see, there is no way around this, other than to just get on with things, so that is what I am going to focus on this coming week.
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Words written today: 1,078
Words written total: 15,456
Plus / Minus target: +1,456
Currently writing: The Last Outpost
Currently publishing: Sisterhood
Latest release: n/a
Oct 12, 2024
Today wasn’t so easy, and I guess that means I’m hitting the 40% mark of The Last Outpost. It’s not as bad as with Sisterhood, which I guess means that this exposure therapy is working.
It might also have something to do with the fact I’m writing in a different location for a while. Typing in my office at 6am was waking people up. I don’t mind working at the kitchen table, but it feels different and that could have an impact on the writing.
I finally started editing Sisterhood this morning. Not sure how long that’s going to take. So far I like what I’ve read and have only made some minor changes.
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Words written today: 1,133
Words written total: 14,378
Plus / Minus target: +1,378
Currently writing: The Last Outpost
Currently publishing: Sisterhood
Latest release: n/a
Oct 11, 2024
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
Oct 10, 2024
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
Oct 9, 2024
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
Oct 8, 2024
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
Oct 7, 2024
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
Oct 6, 2024
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
Oct 5, 2024
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
