Yep. I’m going for it.

I finished my original challenge last night–1,000 words per day, every day for a month. It sounds like a lot, and I suppose it is. Completing the challenge probably would have been more exciting if it had been the top of the mountain, not Base Camp #1. Even though I’ve never done anything like this before—an entire month of writing 1,000 words of my novel every day, not missing a single day—the fact is that I’m not quite a third of the way through the first draft.

On the other hand, I like the fact that I’m approaching this book in this fashion. I especially like the way the story crops up in my brain at various times, albeit sometimes inconvenient ones. Tonight, for example, I went to see Wicked. (Apologies for any spoilers ahead.) Toward the end, there’s a very emotional song by the two leads, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (the Good Witch). I was caught up in the song as best I could be (they really needed to turn down the volume on the accompaniment a bit so that all the words would be easier to catch) when I had an idea for a precipitating event for the climax of my own book. Still watching the stage, I fished my purple notebook out of my purse and scrawled a quick note in the darkness. (Just double-checked to ensure that it’s legible, as I’ve had occasions where I half-awaken and write myself a note in the middle of the night and then I can’t read it in the morning.)

I wish I felt more confident that I can keep this momentum going for 69 more days. One day at a time, I tell myself. One foot in front of the other. Eat the elephant one bite at a time. (Insert any other clichés you can think of here.) Bottom line: just do today’s 1,000 words, and don’t think about what comes next. I once read that you should always stop writing in the middle of a scene so you know exactly where you’re picking up the next day. Certainly, it’s easier than starting from scratch (although that’s what I did tonight).  

So, here goes. Wish me luck.