Apparently, Olivia feels I require supervision

Day Twelve is now in the bank, albeit a day late. I have two more days to this challenge.

Obviously, I won’t finish the book in two days. I was naïve to think it was possible. But I’m a whole lot closer than I was two weeks ago.

Some of what remains is simply about making choices: will a character do A or B? I’ve written both versions. It’s time to choose. See which version is more lifelike, more resonant, more emotional. See which offers the best options for conflict and resolution. See which advances the story and which is merely a tangent.

Photo credit: milivigerova on Pixabay

A much better day today. For one thing, I just finished, and it’s not even 11:40 p.m. So, relatively early night.

Second—and more importantly—I made actual progress. I did some editing, which went back to the ever-important question, Did I cut more than I wrote? But in the end, I ended up 1,000 words ahead of where I started, which is definitely a win.

Yes, the clock was accurate.

See that clock? That’s when I started writing for Day 10.

I didn’t write 1,000 words. I worked on my book for around forty-five minutes before I called it a night. But I did write.

To back up: Monday was a busy day. Working around a follow-up appointment with the surgeon’s office (they say all is well!), then researching and writing three motions that need to be filed today (didn’t finish until about half an hour ago), interrupted by a board meeting (on Zoom, thank heaven), after which I fed the cats and microwaved leftovers for my own dinner as I resumed work on the motions.

Photo by Vladislav Muslakov on Unsplash

One thousand words. On the nose.

No two ways about it: the only reason I wrote tonight was this challenge–that, and the support of the people who are following along with me. Because I’m so exhausted I can hardly stay awake.

I’m not certain whether or not it’s a good thing, this writing while barely conscious.

I suppose it is, because (a) the words are being written, (b) the scenes are being crafted, and (c) it’s imposing discipline. Without the challenge and your support, I’d likely get to the end of this week without knowing how things are going to play out between two hard-headed characters. Instead, I have a pretty good idea of where it’s all going, even if what I’m creating at this point falls short of any polished draft.

Nodding off here, so I’ll bid you adieu.

My supervisor, Ned

It occurred to me last night that I could get ahead on the challenge by writing more than 1,000 words per day. Then I reminded myself that the purpose of the challenge is not only to accumulate 14,000 words, but to develop a writing practice. A habit, if you will. Like brushing your teeth or washing your face. The point is to come back to it day after day until it’s an integral part of you, something you wouldn’t think of skipping.