Week Ending Sunday, April 26, 2015

Chapter 53.

949 words.

More to come today, but it's 2:41 a.m., so I should probably sleep.

...Okay, did that.

Chapter 54.

2,105 words.

So over 3,000 for this day so far.

I hope to finish Chapter 55 tonight.

So exhausted I'm making silly mistakes and the words aren't coming like they do.  I even made some saving errors, which is really bad.  But...


For the week (drumroll, please):


Chapter 49 = 689 words.

Chapter 50 = 372 words.

Chapter 51 = 3,002 words.

Chapter 52 = 803 words.

Query letters = 224 words.

Chapter 53 = 949 words.

Chapter 54 = 2,105 words.

Chapter 55 = 396 words.

Chapter 56 = 509 words.

Chapter 57 = 79 words.


9,128 words!  YES!!!  I can't tell you how great this feels.  And it even felt great doing it.


And now vacation ends.  I really, really hope I can produce even half this much during a workweek.

Week Ending Sunday, April 19th, 2015

Let's see...

--An honest-to-God letter sent out today to someone I don't frequently communicate with, but who's been an important influence upon me.  My sixth-grade teacher, if you can believe it.  I'm still at least minorly-acquainted with my sixth-grade teacher, my tenth-grade homeroom teacher, my eleventh-grade writing teacher, and my twelfth-grade Spanish teacher.  What can I say?  Teachers rock!

--Query letters, chapter fragments and small pieces of essays and poems.

--All of this since just yesterday, because a major project was due for work Friday, and it took up my week.  But now I'm on vacation, so stand back!!!

I'll estimate...about 1,500 words.  This will at least quadruple for next Sunday.

Week Ending Sunday, April 12, 2015

Work this week had to mostly intrude...

With the words from earlier this week, and the last couple of days, I'll estimate at about 2,500 words, same as last week.

But the work is good and the end of my novel-in-progress is in sight.

And I go on vacation this Friday evening.

The goal is to finish this novel manuscript by the end of this upcoming vacation.

I believe I can do it.

Week Ending March 22, 2015

One poem today: 246 words.

1,345 words on Wednesday.

1,345 + 246 = 1,591.

Assorted almost-sent query letters would round it up to 2,000 words for the week.

Not very good, but considering the week I had, especially at work...

I'm not feeling bad about it.

One finished short story, and one finished poem, and a few finished query letters.

Really not bad for the week I had, and I've done much worse than this.

I'll do better.  I must do better.

But I'll definitely take 2,000 words for this week, and those finished pieces.

March 18, 2015

Spent 7 hours editing, re-editing, and partially re-writing a short story.  But I turned an okay one into a really good one, I think, with a much better Voice and flow.  I'd always been a bit disappointed in this one, and now I'm not.

3,350 words, at first.

Then, 3,240 words.

Finally, 2,690 words.

When you take out that many words, but still show and say the same thing, it's got to be better.

Since the ultimate goal here is to produce marketable writing, I'll make a guesstimate about the number of new words for today, and then send out the story.

I'll say...half of the final total.

So...1,345 words.

I hope to announce, soon, on another blog, http://stevespublishedwork.blogspot.com/, that this story has sold somewhere.  Wish it luck!

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

716 words on a blog and a short story.  Non-novel, but productive, things happening.  Had to make a major decision or two about the novel, which took awhile, and I took a few notes about it.  But a corner was turned and I'll hit it hard tomorrow.

Did other work for other writings, including some research about a blog that will offer these (already published and the rights have reverted back to me) works for sale.  Also researched other promotional items, like bookmarks and such.  And I found out how I can get a lot of them for free--or, almost free.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Just under 1,000 words for a short story and a couple of other non-novel things.  Back to work to pay The Man and the writing was a little slow because I was a wee bit exhausted.  I didn't do much, but I did it.

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.

Friday, February 21, 2014

1,178 words so far of Chapter 25 of WIP.  Working very hard not to make it an info-dump chapter, or just straight exposition, or just a straight-up flashback.  So far, so good.  And there are a few really important decisions I have to make in this chapter, which often takes more time than actually writing it.  Some chapters are easier than others.  But I'm very happy with this one.

Hopefully there'll be more to come tonight.  I can feel it, but I don't want to blow a fuse.  And life has to happen, too.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

It's been almost a month since my last report, but not because I haven't been writing.  In fact, lately:

--I wrote a book review for a mystery website (more information to come) and went through a few drafts, for a total of about 2,100 words.

--I re-wrote a short story and sent it out.  Total of about 4,800 words.

--And I've written a few more chapters.  Total of about 7,000 words.

Not writing as much as I would've liked, but I'm not stressing it (like I usually do) because there's been lots of illness, lots of work at the main job, and a few other freelance things that made some money.

So I'm hanging in there and doing it--just not as often as I'd like.

But isn't that always the case, for almost every writer?

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.