March 8, 2015

Been sick with severe inflammation, seemingly everywhere.  I know I'm supposed to write when I'm sick.  I know, I know...

Chapter 47.  Very short chapter.  439 words.

BTW, should blog entries count?  If they do, I've done a few thousand more words in the past few days.

February 15, 2015

Well, it's been almost a year.  I've written a lot since then: four or five short stories, almost twenty chapters of my WIP, countless other things...but it still felt a bit slow to me, and I languished at this like I feel I have at my writing, though people tell me I'm being more productive than I think I am.

Common, life-long curse.

I've been on a roll lately, though, and writers are loathe to break whatever's working well.  But I came across this blog again, and I felt I needed to either use it or lose it.  I'm not ready, for some reason, to lose it, so...

Chapter 42.  880 words.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

1,900 words.  Chapter 26 is done.  Really proud of myself, because tonight's writing came out very, very painfully, and slowly.  This was the kind of night that I usually let go because I didn't have the perseverance to stick with it even though it wasn't going to be my best.  But I don't have the time for some perfectionism anymore.  If it doesn't come out as my best, I'll make it that way when I go back again and again and edit it.

And that's what I did.

Vacation's over.  Back to work tomorrow.  I need to have the perseverance to write tomorrow, even if I come home from work and I'm beat.  I've got to do it anyway.  It's got to get done.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Well, again, it's been a little while.  Tough time of the year to write consistently.  Still not feeling great, and job situation now hopefully resolved.

Am I expecting the impossible, or shouldn't I be able to write consistently every day?  I feel very guilty and almost ashamed when I don't.  Which doesn't help when I try to sit down and write next time...

When I finally sit down and get going, there's rarely a problem.

2,412 words. 

9 pages. 

Chapter 23 is done.

Not Forgotten and Catching Fire

Last few days I've been sick, behind on work, preparing for guests, traveling everywhere on Thanksgiving Day and Night, and amidst company from out-of-state.  Temporarily off-track, but the good news is that I'm antsy about it.  I'll write more later today and I'll edit this soon.

Catching Fire was very good.  Review to come on main blog.

Monday, November 25, 2013

A little late today; lots going on.

Still not feeling well, and the holiday stress has started.  Gotta love the holidays.

990 words of Chapter 22, which is still not done.

Finally, a longer chapter than usual lately.

May we all write well, and often.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Struggling through an obviously-oncoming cold:

Chapter 20 of novel.

670 words.

Three finished pages.  Short chapter.

Not much, but not bad, through congesting sinuses and sinus pressure, especially behind my cheeks, my eyes and my forehead.  Hopefully I'm all right by Thanksgiving.

Feel free to leave your word count or page count below.

May we all write well, and often.

Introduction and Explanation

Hello, my name is Steve Belanger.  I have a job I like that is a huge part of me, and that pays The Man.  I'm very fortunate to have a job I like.  I know many people are not so blessed.

I'm also a writer.  I've had short stories and poems published (and paid for) in magazines and in books.  But I struggle to produce every day, as I'm sure many writers do.  The day gets away from you.  Stresses from work or home get into your psyche and you can't produce.  You know you have to anyway, but you can't.

Lately I've been in a rut.  I wrote and finished a short story in two days recently, but overall my production has been inconsistent and low.  And I have so much to do: one novel-in-progress, about one third done.  A few more waiting impatiently in the wings.  A memoir.  A nonfiction work.  Some short stories.

These things don't write themselves.  And I haven't been writing them consistently, either.

So what I've decided to do is very simple.  I figure it'll impel me to write everyday--even a little bit is better than nothing, right?--and I figure that it may even benefit other inconsistently-producing writers as well.

The premise is very simple.  Starting today, or tomorrow, I'll simply publish my word count.  I may mention a page count.  I might mention I've just finished a short story, or a novel chapter.  I probably won't mention any titles because I don't want to take the chance and slip, so that someone would consider that writing "published."

And I want you to join in.  Just post a comment that lists your word count, or page count, or summary of work done, like "finished chapter three" or "completed six-page short story."  You get the idea.  Maybe this will compel you to write every day as well.  If not, if it's just me, that's okay, too.  After all, if I may be so bold, I initially thought of this for me, anyway. 

If this works, I'll keep it going.  If it doesn't, I won't.  But I think it's worth a try.  Join in if you agree.