Among the minefield that was 2020, I did a LOT of writing. Let’s get into it.
Drawing from the Well
As I said in Part 1, the Well was in high gear in ’20. Today, however, we cover the output. So how much did I really get done?
Well, when we started 2020, I was 260 scenes into the first draft of Book 2. It was an exciting time. Drafting is one of my favorite parts of the process because I’ve finished the outlining, thus pouring loads of pure creativity into the process, and have progressed to mashing out word count. I was in a great cycle of rising each morning, spending two sets of 30-minute blocks drafting, and then starting the rest of my day.
So where did we go from there?
Well, I ended the first quarter with a complete first draft, punctuated by a 7700-word day at the end of a 21k week. It was great. And I was so proud of myself.
Then I got to try out my new editing process, complete with checklist.
Wait.
No.
That’s when COVID-19 hit the states HARD. Everything shut down. Everyone was scared. The kids came home. The employees came home. Everyone started holding their breath.
It was manic.
So what did I do? I kept writing.
Picking up my printed manuscript from Office Depot was the most rewarding feeling ever.
And then I started diving into the original draft from literally 5-6 years earlier and the draft I had just finished. It was a lot to read, but finishing both with notes completed the first two items on the Checklist. Hooray!
From there, I started working through LOADS of edits. May saw me working through the first 9 chapters. And then I didn’t touch it for a month. I lost all motivation whatsoever. It happens. So I came back in July and worked through the beginning of September. And then promptly lost motivation again. Then October finished the second draft. This expanded the manuscript by 8400 words.
At that point, my brain was back in high gear. I dove into the third draft, drawing things down by only 300 words but definitely cleaning them up. Then I pumped the manuscript through ProWritingAid, which is absolutely fantastic, and contracted the word count by another 2000 words.
After that, I intended to put the manuscript through EditOutLoud, but it just won’t do it. So that puts us in a state where the book is at a state of doneness that is ready for a professional editor.
That means I wrote almost the entire second book of my series in 2020. Take that you spirit-crushing year. I did it. And now, we’re working on the world-building portions of Book 3…with ART
What’s the takeaway then? Creativity is a beautiful thing. It’s fickle, but it can come around at the most helpful periods, like during a global pandemic. Creativity got me through 2020 and allowed me to look back at that difficult year and point out that I have something to show for it. It wasn’t always easy and it didn’t always happen, but maintaining my focus on it made this happen.
Next time, we’ll get personal and close out this series about 2020.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG