Still on It

Blog No. 358

I don’t want to keep harping on my whole, writing every day in September, thing, but September is over and I think it deserves some kind of wrap-up. My initial goal was to write every day and get the first draft of the third novella, Broadcast Wasteland, finished. I managed to write all but one day (due to illness, so I’m giving myself a pass) but the first draft isn’t done. I’m going to keep working on it every day until it’s finished. With some luck and effort, I should be finished by the end of the week (or at least the weekend).

I’m pretty happy with how the experiment turned out. I was able to write nearly every day (even when I really didn’t want to) and I managed 30805 or so for the 30 days. That’s a huge chunk towards a novella intended to be under 40 000 words. Currently, I’m at 34 105 with another half dozen chapters to go (I assume). There are a bunch of areas that can used some deep cuts, so my goal of around 35 000 total isn’t too far off. I really hope I finish at the end of the week, but Tuesday night was a tough one (with CPR/First aid all day and a short shift at the Day Job after that). A quick 500 words at home still counts, though.

As soon as the first draft is done, I’m taking a step back for a week or so to work on the things that I ignored over September, then I’m jumping into editing. I know I have a lot of time before April, but I think this story needs it and a few more passes are usually beneficial for most projects. The thing is, now that I’m at the end of the story, things are starting to get complicated (as complicated as a novella can be). The pace naturally slows as the ending looms. It’s harder to tell yourself that you can just get to something later, or that it will all work out in the end. It so happens that you have to make it work out.

Either way, I’m calling this experiment a success. It’s a fantastic push for the novella and for my writing as a whole. You guys, I wrote more than 1000 words a day for 30 days (plus what I can manage this week). Hopefully it will be even smoother the next time I try it. In the mean time, I’ve proven to myself (yet again) that I can go out in the evenings, after a long day at work, and knock out some solid progress. I also proved that if I can just get out the door, I’ll get something done (and something is always better than nothing). After this novella is over, I won’t keep up the daily writing. I’m honestly starting to feel the strain. It’s nice to be able to just skip a day when you spent eight hours in training (for the second day in a row) and then went to work for four more. Hopefully, though, I’ll have some good Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evening sessions more often than not.