day 31, 2114

Yay! finished with 50046, plus the stuff i wrote in April, makes my total come to: 54399.

Off tomorrow most likely, and apparently I don't work Fridays (or at least in the summer?) but editing will start this weekend at the latest.

This time, I didn't cry. But I feel satisfied.

I also don't feel anywhere near as drained as the last time.

day 30, 3577

Oops. forgot to post yesterday.

about 2k tomorrow and draft is done!

day 28, session 3, 2015

probably should be 3 & 4 because I wrote in to 1k increments.

a lot easier with a problem and a 1k word count.

edited to add: current total 41263.

3k words per day while working? mwah ha ha ha.

Yeah it'll be interesting to see if I can pull this one off.

day 28, session 2, 2151

Almost to 40k. 3 days. 10k. Let's see if I can hit another 2k tonight at least. I'd much prefer to be at 45k this evening but that may be a bit much to ask.

Currently I have the next 4,000 words roughly plotted. That will take me to the last quarter of the story and the end.

Since I plan to edit this in September, I really need it finished.

day 28, session 1, 2048

Was a bit hard to write for the past few days, although I did try for it. One of the hard things about it is making sure you write every single day, no matter what. It is difficult to know what excuses are invalid (almost all of them) and when you are just tormenting yourself by even trying.

I did end up writing a couple hundred words in the off time. I did sit most days. That is good.

When I first started exercising again, I used to bribe myself with the sauna: Okay, you have to go to the gym, but you don't have to exercise. You can just sit in the sauna. Once exercise became habit, I no longer need the bribe.

I need to figure out a writing bribe. The important thing is to work on it daily; the unimportant thing, for most of the time at least, is getting 2k words written. Eventually, you will just feel unmoored if you don't.

At least, that's what one hopes.

day 23, 1343

Ugh. Not enough. Too much mucking about on the Interwebz.

Didn't help that the scene ended early as well.

Still. They're on the Atlantic. That has to be good right? They're on their way! ten days to Trieste!

day 22, 1800

Was really hard not to blow off writing for research today.

Who knew Trieste was so interesting?

It's still writing a lot faster. I just need more info on the steamship - so much on third class and first, so little on second class passage.

day 21, 2179

We're back to adventure.

When I started this story, I somehow wanted to end it in the Himalayas. Even thought I felt it was kind of absurd.

Well they spent far too much time in Brooklyn, but at least I should get them to Istanbul soon enough. Maybe they'll make it all the way to Nepal. Who knows?

day 20, part one, 1692

The part one is hopeful thinking.

Need a break now though. Not getting more behind, but could use another makeup session before sleep.

Kinda wanting to go to Egan's though. It's a beautiful night for the deck.

day 19, 2499

It's unlikely I'll get to write Monday, let's see how far I can get this weekend on this.

Not sure what my next direction is. Need to sleep on it, before I continue with the new chapter. Have a vague idea.

day 18, 1771

For some reason, I write really really fast to Godspeed you black emperor.

As in: 1750 words in about 45 minutes.

Weird.

Now I'm worried I'll get sick of it.

day 16, 1718

barely squeaking in before midnight!

day 15, 1673

I'd probably get more writing done if my writing sessions didn't start with 30 minutes of noodling on the internet....

Would have liked a couple hundred more words today, but this is fine. Probably should try to catch up before I skip another day [or have another light day].

day 14, 2736

Two sessions. Still behind the count, but hit 20k at least.

day 13 part one: 1417

Only afternoon session. Apparently I really needed sleep.

Probably will have to do session two by hand, won't write up til after midnight, but just in case i get more done....

Mmm, theremin.
music: Godspeed you black emperor!

day 12, 0

So Fridays apparently don't work for me.

Or maybe it's pep talks?

day 11, 739

This week - for non-writing reasons - has not been good. It happens.

I was really excited about what i was going to write tonight - there was a great start, i really wanted to see where the story went. But I was drained. Tired. Just not up to it. I didn't want to sit down at all, I wanted to curl up and read, or watch something stupid on netflix.

But writers write. That's what you do. You write. There are no mental health days.

And sure, I may have not really written the scene - this should have been another 1k words, at least, but the last 250 was really just a bullet list of the sequence of events more than anything resembling story.

But I wrote.

day 10, 1756

ooh! plot twist! I love it when I just make up plot twists!

day 9, 1743

We get to the middle. Which to me is the muddle. So far, okay. We are moving.

edited to add: now only 1100 down. Was a bit over 2k down on Friday, so not bad.

Day 8, 1777

Plot thing is really helping.

Now if I could just work on that pesky self-editing problem.

Day 7, 1866 words

Read some stuff on story structure that has really helped me stage my scenes. Took a couple days to process though. Today was a lot easier to write-I suspect it will continue to pay off more and more.

I like the plot whisperer stuff but I find it too intricate for the first draft--I just want enough that leaves it open-ended, but gives me somewhere to go to find the next scene.

day 6, part the second: 817

all hand written (train again!) and transcribed. Probably should have pushed another 800 tonight, but I'm content to have made goal for today, and added some more make up to Tuesday.

also, it's going a bit more smoothly.
edited to add:

music: Devotchka, Charlotte Mittnacht

day 6, part the first: 1243

ooh this one has been pulling teeth today! Had wanted to reach my day goal this morning, so that anything on the train or tonight would be catchup for Friday or Tuesday. But I'm still 400 down and I need to get ready. Must put butt in seat again for 20 minutes before I leave. Maybe knock out a description or two.

day 5: 0

Had to work late.

Bah, humbug.

day 4: 1727

yet another point of view character. Lots o' backstory.

It's fun but as usual, I have no idea where it will lead.

Having fun with really overblown prose.

day 3: 1867

some tonight, some longhand during the day.

longhand is slow. Slower than I remembered even.

day 1: 1833 words; day 2: 562 words

Today (day 2) is notable because:
- I wrote even though I was busy and wasn't home til late;
- I wrote in longhand on the train. Gave me a good sense of how much I can do handwritten.