Happy Friday, friends! It’s time for another writing update! August was a semi-good month for writing and I’m happy with my progress. November (and NaNoWriMo) is getting closer and closer, and I’m so ready to spend the whole month immersed in my novel. For now, these tiny pockets of time to write 1,000-2,000 words a week are all I can handle.
August 5-11
- Word count: 1,810
This was a very good writing week for me! I wrote a little under 1,000 words during my writing date and then wrote another 800 or so on my own to make my word count goal for the week. I really enjoyed writing this week, too. I know my novel is going to need sooooo much work during the editing process and that can be overwhelming to think about, but I’m trying to only focus on writing this shitty first draft so it can be DONE. That’s my only goal right now.
August 12-18
- Word count: 1,512
- Things researched: small bookstores, bookstore interiors
Another great writing week for me and I wrote all 1,500 words during my writing date! (I’ve been struggling to get to 1,000 words during my writing dates so it was exciting to realize I can buckle down and get it done!) It was another solid week of writing, too, where I felt good about what I was writing and it all seemed to come rather easily for me. It’s odd to get two weeks in a row like this, so that feels really good.
I spend a lot of time in my head, wondering if I should even continue with this dream. Am I just fooling myself? Can I really write a full novel? One that is well-developed and makes sense? These thoughts come sporadically, but not only during the tough weeks when writing feels like such a struggle. They can also come when things are flowing well and the writing comes easily. The constant doubts are just part of the process.
August 19-25
- Word count: 0
No writing date this weekend! And no writing outside of the writing date happened. It was a very busy week and was the weekend I spent in Orlando for the BSB concert, so any free time I had, I devoted to reading or napping. 🙂 Plus, I had hit a spot in my novel where I needed to come up with the next few scenes of the plot and I just wasn’t in the right headspace to think about what came next and how to move the story forward.
August 26 – September 1
- Word count: 0
Another goose egg in the word count, but it’s all because I spent my writing date working on the next few scenes of the plot. (This is my new technique: only writing a few scenes of plot at a time rather than the whole thing at once. I’ve tried writing the whole plot at once and it always blows up in my face. It’s been much better to do it this way, to write the scenes as I’m getting to know the characters and their motivations.) I was struggling with what to do with my male hero, as I needed his internal conflict to start showing itself and moving the plot forward. And I needed to figure out exactly how my two characters were finally going to have their “moment.” I emerged from my writing date with a really great plan for both things and feeling super confident about my novel going forward. That’s always a really good thing!
September 2-8
- Word count: 1,029
- Things researched: different Windows operating systems, small cabin in Georgia, porch railing
Back at it! I am happy that I was able to write 1,000 words during my writing date. I had planned to write another 500 words while watching football on Sunday afternoon, but I opted to be lazy instead. Still, I’m happy that I was able to bang this out after two weeks off. The writing came fairly easily for me (a theme for August!) and I’m excited about where the story is going. I’m finally past the more introductory scenes and getting into the “meat” of the story, so more action is happening and it’s thrilling! I can’t wait to see how this story evolves the more I write!
