Consistency

As I write this it is -15F outside with a wind howling hard enough to snap maple. I’ve read about trees exploding when it gets cold enough. Not that cold here I think.

I don’t mind the cold. Rather like it actually. It is weather with character. A pleasant day brings a pleasant smile, it’s nice. You don’t stare out in awe at ‘nice’. But a wicked good blizzard, that makes you feel alive!

Inconsistent weather makes for a nice backdrop to writing. When I first started writing it’d go in bursts. One day would be two thousand words and I’d not put down another word for two months. That was a hard habit to break.

Now I write 1,000 words every single day. Holiday or not. Birthday or not. Rain or shine. For me this is just as serious as a job. More so in fact.

I try to get ahead of my schedule so if I need a day off I can take it. Work, or family, or even fishing strikes. So a few days where I get an extra 100 words translates to less I’m in the hole. But 1,000 words has been a nice pace. I find I can think ahead 1,000 words worth of story.

I’d love to get 10,000 words a day. I know I could, technically it’s not a problem. I type about 1,000 words in half an hour. This pace is when I’m really rolling on a scene I’m excited to write. But time is the issue. I work full time, have a toddler, and need time to recoup.

Big day today, I broke 70,000 words on the sequel. It’s coming along beautifully. By the end of January the draft should be done. Then I’ll hit the edits. After that it goes to my editor. I’ll keep you posted!

70,000 Words – 1,140 Today