Sunday, July 10, 2016

Making Writing A Habit I Can't Kick - Day 2 - Reflection

Here's today's update...much earlier than yesterdays, which makes me happy...and I'm actually excited.

1. How much did I write?
2,023 words

Word count for the day and how long did it take me?
Word count for the day of actual scenes and not notes is 1,960 words. I did a total of 2,023 words in 2 hours and 20 minutes.

2. What is the current word count of my Work In Progress (WIP)?
WIP word count, including yesterday's writing is 2,248 words.

3. How do I feel about what/how I did today in the writing session?
I feel like I want to get back to it. That itch under my skin that makes me want to delve deeper into the story and start digging the details out of my characters is beginning to prickle. I haven't felt it in a very long time and I'm actually enjoying it. I like the anticipation and the curiosity bubbling up inside me that has me wondering "what next?" I've missed that feeling, that sensation of elemental magic that every encounter with my characters used to bring about.
I want it to stay.

4. Compare/Contrast today's session to yesterdays.
Was it easier/harder?
Today's session was easier than yesterdays, possibly because I decided to start my writing by creating a rough outline for the scenes that need to happen in the book. The fun part about doing that is that, often, when I'm making notes, the scene just evolves on the screen in front of me and I go along for the ride.

Did I enjoy it?
LOL, Damn straight I enjoyed it! I f'ing loved it. I decided to use a pomodoro app to time my writing sessions (25 minutes writing, 5 minute break). Only I didn't take the breaks. many times I didn't even remember to start the next session until I was several minutes into writing. I like the app because it gives me a limit for my frustration. If I hadn't gotten anything out of the session, I was free to take 5 minutes away from the computer to do something else. I didn't take that option, but that doesn't mean it won't happen on another day or another writing session.

5. What am I looking forward to in tomorrow's session?
That depends. Tomorrow is going to be a little more difficult since I'm supposed to be doing some errands and completing some work for the day job tomorrow. Will depend on when I get up and get moving in the morning and how late I stay up tonight. 
It'll be interesting to run a quick experiment to see if the early hours are still my best writing time. When I was first published and was writing all the time, I tended to use the early morning hours, before I had to go to work (usually between 4 am and 6 am), to write. If I can still do that, it would be great.
My goal is to get the full 80-90,000 word rough draft done in the 8 week challenge. To do that I need to write a total of between 1,468 and 1,607 words each day. (That's 1,468 - 1,607 words every day for 56 days) Completely doable based on today's results, but I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch.
I'll keep you posted.

My favorite line from today's writing:
And the time of dangling Becka Swinfield like a carrot before him was over.

Sunday, July 10th. 16:38 (4:38 pm EST)

Post Script! July 10th, 23:58 (11:58 pm EST)
Added another 648 words added after a plodding 2 more hours.

4 comments:

  1. Woot! The challenge is working its magic! Absolutely loved today's results!
    Now that you've got word counts for Rogue Master increasing, do you think it's time to update the word count meter on the site? Just curious if seeing that visual graphic will help or hinder as a motivating factor.

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    Replies
    1. yes, I updated the word count meter...will let you know if the visual works for me.

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  2. And yes, that part about the meters... took it to heart for myself and posted some on my webpage as well to keep me on track. Not expecting myself to update it daily, but at the end of each week... that sounds doable.

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