undiscovered countries
February was another good month for me. My goal was 20K words, but I got over 28K. And I finished the first draft of Ghostlight, complete at almost 49K words. I expect I’ll add more to it when I edit, and bump its wordcount to over 50K.
The big March goal is to get 25K words on the sequel, working title Ghouldark.
That should keep me busy!
How about you? How are your projects going?
A new month.
Time to turn another page of the calendar. Fill up its blank squares with the commitments we already have. Rejoice in the free days sandwiched between the busy days. Ponder over how to spread things out so everyone gets a chance to balance active times with quiet times.
Time for me to plan out the month’s writing. Last month, I wrote over 25K. Can I make it to 30K this month? On one hand, beta readers will also return Flux to me with their feedback. On the other hand, there’s also the fall break from school.
I think it over and decide to say Yes! to a 30K month.
I tinker with my daily weights in WriteTrack as I set up the challenge. I want double days on Saturdays and half days on Sundays. I think, if I frontload enough, I can take Sundays off from Flare entirely–and use them to work on fairy tale prompts instead.
I decide to hit the ground running this evening. After a late start–I felt like a general marshaling her troops all day until about four o’ clock–I come up with almost 2500 words.
It’s a good start, better than I’d hoped.
**
I love October, but today was not an auspicious morning. I huddled on the couch, cold, with rain falling outside, the sky grey and the ground soggy. It was hard to think about WIPs and words, while scanning the news for the latest updates on Hurricane Joaquin. My mind went to much more practical things, like canned food and bottled water and mental counting of candles and flashlights.
But at the end of the day, I have many more words and the hurricane appears to be veering away into the Atlantic. I am grateful for both of these.
**
The words. Ah, the words. The last few chapters have been all about reuniting, homecoming, facing the past and the regrets, and looking to the future. Good chapters that strengthen bonds, build alliances, reveal new facets.
It’s only a brief respite. I know what’s coming. That smudge on the horizon is a massive storm.
**
I love October. It comes from spending over a decade in Vermont (or just across the border, in New Hampshire). It’s my favorite month. When I look out the window and see maple leaves turn a muted orange or feel that autumnal combination of chill wind and warm sun, I am homesick all over again for New England. I remember–oh so vividly–piles of pumpkins and apples at the farm stand, scarlet sumac in all its glory, wood smoke rising from a neighbor’s chimney.
I have yet to appreciate and love fall in Virginia the same way.
**
Three more minutes till October 1st turns to October 2nd. I’m up late, but I enjoy these solitary hours, closed up in my study with music and words. My mind turns to fairy tale prompts again. Cinderella/birthday cake is ready to be written, Little Mermaid/gyrocopter almost there. I will think on them tonight, as I wait to fall asleep.
I will wake up to Friday, which as Weekend Eve, brings its own joyous end-of-week burst of energy. See you in the new day.
This month I have already written 26,302 words, which is a goodly chunk over my 25K goal. And I still have 7 more writing days to go!
Flare now sits at a hefty 51,990 words. I’m now in the second act, wherein my heroes have regrouped to make a push at solving their rather massive problem. They think they have a good plan–they’re even feeling cautiously optimistic for once–but they have no idea what I have in store for them.
Cue the maniacal laughter.
My rule is: what could go wrong, does.
**
In other news, I cleaned my desk.
Why is this a big deal? Well, I realized I was subconsciously avoiding my writing space. I’d pause at the study, frown at the clutter, then keep walking past. I’d write on the couch, my bed, or the kitchen table. Now I’m a big proponent of Have Laptop, Will Write Anywhere, but there’s something to be said about having a space of one’s own, with notes and pens and scrap paper within reach.
And all it took to reclaim the space was five minutes of stacking and putting away. I’m happier and the words flow better.
**
In other other news, the daughter had her very first riding lesson.
So it begins.
**
And that’s my midweek. How’s yours treating you?
Long-time readers of this blog may remember me enthusing over M.C.A. Hogarth’s business-of-art columns, with cartoon jaguars illustrating the various principles. Hogarth expanded these into a web comic, and recently collected six months’ worth of strips into a print volume.
So, if you want to be both educated and entertained, head on over to Amazon, B&N, or Createspace and get your copy! The delightful Three Jaguars will make you think, smile, laugh, and yes, even get a little teary-eyed.
Looking for bargains for your reading habit? I’m participating in a promotion run by Vivify Books. Check out free or 99-cent indie books in all genres here. Or, just the fantasy ones, if that’s your main cup of tea.
Sale runs from September 1st-7th.
Last–but not least–is a plug for WriteTrack, my husband’s nifty wordcount tracking tool. It’s free to use, and he recently updated it with a fresh, new look. I’m using it to keep me on track with my 25K-word goal for the month.
The best thing about this tool? You can tell it which days you’ll be out of town or only able to write a little, and it’ll handle all the calculations to give you the daily word goal you need to stay on course.
Your turn! Got a book to recommend, or a site you think I should check out? Tell me in the comments.
