I did pretty well this past week. I decided not to turn on my computer in the morning until I have finished writing, so it won't be a big distraction. I bought a brand spanking new spiral, wide ruled notebook to use and set out to hand write the rest of my story, instead of typing it directly into word. Discovery: It worked much better, because as I wrote and thought of something I needed to research, just jotted down a note to myself on the side and continued writing. If I had been typing in word, I would have minimized it and gone online to find out the information before continuing on. Which of course, takes away from my writing time and also turns into... wait for it... a big distraction. It is amazing what you can accomplish without distractions - especially self made ones.
My goals from last week were to write every day for a set period of time, finish two chapters and make writing a habit and part of the daily routine.
I managed to write 4 out of the 7 days. After breakfast I would sit down at the kitchen table before Father got up for the day and while James occupied himself playing his Wii game and write until I got tired. Which usually turned out to be after an hour or so. I found a really great Papermate pen, which I call my fat pen (this one) which keeps my hand from hurting and makes it easier to write for a longer period of time. I completed one unfinished scene and about two thirds of the 2nd scene. I still need to do some research on forensics information on stolen cars, fingerprint comparison software, etc. just so I have the terminology right.
I was slightly concerned about the number of chapters, but decided not to worry about that until the edit. I just finished reading Terri Blackstock's Line of Duty and it was 378 pages and 101 chapters and I have come across several other books that have chapters of varying lengths and number.
Statistics wise - I wrote 2188 words over the period of 4 days for a total word count of 74,980. I am averaging 547 words per day and hopefully as time goes by I will be able to write a bit more each day and increase those numbers. But at this point, I'm going to worry less about numbers and more about the story. My goal for the next week is to complete the 2nd scene and two other unfinished chapters.
Work in Progress Wednesday is brought to you today by the letter W and by Kate of The Lovers, The Dreamers, and Me.
It sounds like the writing by hand method is really working for you. I had to laugh when I read about your special pen you use, I get very nitpicky about my pens when writing by hand as well. However, despite the internet distractions I think I will have to stick with typing for now. It is just faster for me.
ReplyDeleteGood for you. The progress feels good, I can tell by this post. You sound up-beat and it sounds like you've found your rhythm or are in the process of finding it.
ReplyDeleteGo you! I think writers worry too much about page and word count. It's one way to measure progress, but a story is as long as it takes to write that story. Keep going. There are all kinds of secret, behind the scenes publishing factors I could share with you about how long a book actually is vs. how long it appears to be in publishing.
ReplyDeleteIs WIP Wednesdays your original meme, or are their others participating? Sounds interesting.
:)
Thanks everybody.
ReplyDeleteKate - I'm finding that handwriting is working well for me. Then when I type it up, adding to what I had written.
Margot - I am feeling more positive and feel like I'm making progress. Thanks for being a positive cheerleader for me.
Karen - Kate just started this a couple weeks ago. There are a few other people who have joined in. If you would like to join in, please do. Her link is in the post and my side bar. Secrets! Please do share, I would love to hear about them.
Awesome job! But if I tried to write long hand I'd go insane. Those hand muscles for writing with a pen are long gone. I type about 70-80 words a minute, so I'd never get a thing accomplished if I had to stop and erase a mistake and not just hit the backspace! I envy you for having that kind of discipline!
ReplyDeleteRobin,
ReplyDeleteI usually try to get 4 or 5 days a week too, but I often fall short. At least, I write 3 days a week, with a good four hours on Saturday dedicated to writing. I'm thankful for that. Cheers to writing who work full-time and still can get some writing in most days.