February 2016

I haven't had too much time to write in this blog, but for a great reason: I've been writing, instead! I finished two short stories in the past few weeks, and I've worked consistently. Because of that, I haven't wanted to stop my mojo and post here.

Which brings me to a conundrum: I initially started this blog so that I would write more consistently, the whole point being that I had to write every day so that I could post the number of words written every day.

But now I'm way beyond that. I don't need this blog anymore to get my writing done. And as it hasn't been a stop for other writers to post their word count, I'm wondering if it serves a purpose at all anymore.

Maybe I'll post here once a month, or once every few weeks, instead. Or maybe I'll just delete the blog altogether. We'll see.

At any rate:

The word count for those two short stories, plus my WIP, for the last few weeks:

Approximately 20K-25K, at a guess. Not bad for me, for the past five weeks or so.

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.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Spent about three hours re-writing, editing, and polishing (such as it is) 29 poems I'd written in various guises over the past 17 years.  I wanted to see which ones were good enough to send out.

More than I thought, is the answer.

About 2,456 total words, my word count says.  With all of the writing, re-writing, editing and polishing, I'll say...

Approximately 1,200 words.

And I've got some good poems to send out, too.

Week ending Sunday, March 29, 2015

Today I finalized 617 words of a so-far three-page poem that I think could be something special. 

I've always liked writing poems and I've been paid for a couple, but I've only sent out those two.  But as I've been researching markets for my stuff--which is what I've been doing most of the week, besides working at home at my job that pays The Man--I've seen a ton of places to send out my many poems.  I won't send them all out, maybe, but...

Well, not much this week, so I'm sure I'll get my butt kicked again.  Very, very frustrating week.

1,000 words earlier this week + 617 words of this poem + about 350 words, just a couple of pages of the next chapter of my almost-finished book.  ::sigh::

So let's just call it an even 2,000 words again this week.  I thought there'd be more.

Next week there will be.

Tuesday March 24, 2015

Spent most of the afternoon and night writing and sending out query letters to different publications.  I had a backlog of pieces to send out, so I had a business day of research and writing.  Very stressful.

Approximately one thousand (1,000) words.

But at least it's done.

Now, back to the actual writing...

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!

February 28, 2015

I've found, to my dismay, that I'm more of a weekend writer when the career is in full swing during the week.  Like it was this week, when it seemed I had 27 heads and 300 arms, and it all still wasn't enough to do what I had to do.  But at least I'm still writing.

Chapter 46.  2,023 words.

This chapter I'd feared for a week, but when I sat my butt down, it was smooth-sailing, very visual, and fun.  I don't know why I get anxious, still, but I do.  Maybe it's a good thing--shows I care, right?

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.

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.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Four pages, 827 words, all of Chapter 24 of WIP.

A kick ass chapter.  Took a few hours, which felt like a few minutes.

1,258 words of what I think is one of my best blogs, ever, at this link: http://stevenebelanger.blogspot.com/2014/02/same-parents-second-faith-healing-death.html.  Oops, now that I look at it, I see I wrote and published this on the 19th.  Oh, well.

Yes, I know that's shameless self-advertising.  And, yes, long blog entries of a good quality count as writing.

And writing over 2,000 words in one day, when I've been struggling to write anything at all, is nothing to sneeze at.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Okay, now that the shoveling is done and I'm trying to get everything back to normal, here we go.  I've missed being away, and don't think that I've been idle.  I haven't been writing as much, or as often, as I'd like, but I haven't been standing still, either.

Six handwritten pages, about 1,000 or so words, of another novel.  Straight out of the blue, tying up some loose ends and paving all of the disparate things over.

Felt wonderful and exhilarating.

I'm back.  ::crosses fingers::

Hangin' In There

It might not seem like it, but I'm hangin' in there, with writing, with life, with everything.  Though it's taken a little bit out of me lately, I'm still plugging away.  Not thousands of words per day, or even a thousand words per day; nor, sometimes, a large enough accumulation of words to comment about here, but I'm putting one foot in front of the other.

Since last post, I've worked on:

--a review

--a short story

--a chapter for a different novel

--a memoir

--other assorted pieces

--other blogs.

So if you've logged in and thought: "Well, that was a good idea that hasn't gone well," have no fear.  I've been sluggin' through.  I've got a vacation coming up soon, so I should be here more often.  The goal, every day.

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?

Sunday November 24, 2013

Chapter 21 of the current novel-in-progress.

Two pages.  (My chapters lately are short.)

454 words.  (Not bad as I fight through this head cold.)

Not too many words the last few days, but I'm writing each day.

Even just two completed pages per day gets a 300-page manuscript done in 150 days--or five months.

I'll take that.

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.