I’ve stumbled onto some really exciting ideas and developments. Let’s have a little chat about them.
Drawing from the Well
Fifth Eighth
Chapter 48/91
Scene 297/508 – 58.4%
Word Count: 76,403 (+4,118) – 58.27%
This is a huge uptick in word count in just a week. Is it 7,000 word for 7 days yet? No, but I’m very much trending in the right direction. I’ll get more into the specifics below but I started using writing sprints to kickstart/supercharge my writing. As you can see, it’s having an effect.
So what am I actually writing. The Fifth Eighth is everything from the end of the Midpoint through the Second Pinch Point. Right now, I’m between those two pivotal moments in what K.M. Weiland calls the Action segment. The MC has risen from his mirror moment confronting what he could become and is now finally transitioning from reaction to action within and upon the plot.
What does this mean for the actual story. Well, I’m not going to share spoilers but several characters are realizing things about themselves or their situations and doing something about it. I finished the chapter I had been working on for weeks from Urela’s perspective (she’s a new character; you’ll meet her in Book 2) and finally got to write a chapter from Calm’s perspective which I finished this morning. I want her chapter to have simpler prose with shorter sentences. That’s something I’ll work on in editing. For now, I’m just letting my natural diction and cadence come through to get the story on the page. I’ve got one chapter left from Meibor’s perspective before I dive into the Second Pinch Point. Meibor’s chapter is going to be fun, as his tend to be, but I’m so stoked to dive into the Second Pinch. I have some “magical cookie” chapters planned, as Sooz would put it.
Filling the Well
Walkaway: 86%
Prince of Gods: 72%
I think this is the first post this year where I haven’t finished at least one book between posts. Hang on. Let me check.
Well, that was easy. I’ve only had two posts this year. So, yes, the above is an accurate statement. I’ve always found the push-pull relationship between my writing and my reading interesting. I guess it just goes to show that what I tell my kids is true: You can’t take in and output information at the same time. You have to do one at a time.
Now, am I upset or disappointed by my progress? No! It’s only been a week since my last post and I’m close to finishing Walkaway so by the time I post again, I’ll be there. And Walkaway is fascinating. The Normal World that Doctorow has us accept is already a wild futuristic era of what he calls “post-scarcity” where basic human needs have unlimited potential to be fulfilled. So what’s the draw? That is where it gets interesting. At this point in the novel, it’s become almost a multi-generational story of the struggle between the have’s and the have-not’s where what one “has” has morphed over the decades almost just for the sake of the struggle itself. I’m being intentionally vague because to explain it is to reveal some of the big surprises and I’m not about that.
Prince of Gods is a much simpler and, somehow, equally human story even though its about literal demigods. As the prequel/primer for the Society of Wishes series, it’s crazy how interesting it is. It’s definitely a unique take on multitheistic religious ideas but turned to a living story. I’m curious where this will go and how that sets up Society of Wishes. I guess time will tell.
As always, I’m making much faster progress with what I’m listening to on audiobook rather than my Kindle since I can listen while I work. I could whistle too but that’s not really relevant here.
Well Chat
So what’s this rapid progress and excitement all about? Why am I running when I should be writing?
Well, I’m not. That was misdirection. 😉
So this all started with this video from Sarra Cannon covering seven tips to help you finish your novel. Some of it was no-brainer kind of stuff to me but three tips jumped out.
- It’s ok to suck.
- Set a deadline.
- Use the pomodoro method to create sprints.
So let’s start with the first of these three (and those are ordered by me; Sarra’s order is different – we have different purposes). I’ve heard variations on this before and was mostly embodying the idea of “just get it on the page” already. Sarra’s tip here took this to another level, though. Even though my focus was to get words on the page there was still a part of me that wanted tight prose or the right prose or the like. The idea that “it’s ok to suck” lalowed me to just write however I felt like writing and get the story down on digital paper. It’s freeing in a way I was not expecting.
Beyond that, it got a little harder. I’ve never set a deadline for writing before. I don’t have a traditional contract. I haven’t even self-published yet to have fans that are looking for my books. So I’ve never put pressure on myself to create the freedom to write what I want.
It’s a load of hooey.
I have always worked best under a deadline, especially with pressure. So two days ago, I put out publicly on Twitter and Facebook that I was imposing a ninety-day deadline on myself. So by June 7, I intend to be done with the first draft of Book 2. That averages out to 627 words a day. I came on this by, again, taking Sarra’s advice. I estimated that I was 50,000 words from the end of the draft. I took my 1,000-words-a-day goal and cut it in half. That put me at 100 days which simultaneously felt good and weird. 90 felt like a nice round number, right at three months, so I set my deadline there. After three days, I’m way ahead of pace with 3,908 words (pace is 1,881). Just having the deadline is motivating me to get up earlier and get writing.
That brings me to the third point: sprinting. This is the real tool in my belt that is getting this done. In her video, Sarra talks about the pomodoro method of sprinting where you focus exclusively on one task for a set period of time with a timer on. When the timer is up, you stop. Pencils down. Take a short break and then return for the next sprint. I heard about this method years ago but never tried it so I decided it was time to give it a whirl. She talked about 25-minute sprints with 5-minute breaks. I liked that. It puts each cycle at 30 minutes, thus two per hour. I like that math. So I tried it and was blown away at my productivity. Even last night my sprint got interrupted three different times and I still wrote over 800 words.
These sprints have me averaging around 700 words per sprint which means I only need ONE sprint per day to hit my goal for my deadline. I’ve gotten two sprints in per day the last two days and intend to keep that up today. The momentum is building and so are my mental writing muscles. That average of 700 was where I started. It’s going up. This morning I wrote almost 900 words in one sprint. It’s so empowering!
Should you hold yourself to so many words per sprint if you’re going to try this? No. Absolutely not. You just focus and write. Or build. Or work out. Whatever it is, the pomodoro method works. Do your best and let the rhythm and momentum take you to places that seem out of reach. Let your success multiply by managing each little bite. That’s my current method and I finally feel like I’m getting my mojo back.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG