This past week in writing was very similar to the week before in that I didn't have a ton of writing time. However, in what time I did have, the Lord answered some prayers and allowed me to piece together some parts from the rough draft into this one, and look at the goal I just reached!
Yep. Journey of Choice is currently a 60,000 word novel. But the story isn't finished yet! Which means I may be pushing 70-80,000 words (for the record, 60k is the longest piece I've ever written; the current longest published piece I have is "Journey to Love" which is around 25,700 words--historical fiction must be easier to add those words to than imagined fiction ;) ).
I still covet your prayers. I'm finding it challenging to piece together Nat's story with the historical timeline of the Civil War. I know how I want the story to end, but with the events of the war, it means that I either have to skip years or end mid-war. I don't know what is the best answer for that, so I'd appreciate prayers!
For fun, I totaled up my August word count. I have 6,485 on my calculator, but I think I forgot to journal a couple of days--plus, I did a lot of editing, so more than 6,000 words were added to the draft in August, just in editing form, not in new-word form.
This week, I had to look up an original newspaper for reference. Library of Congress is becoming one of my favorite go-to sources for original documents. You have to dig some, but they're there and they're free!
Anyway, back to my paper, I finally found the month I needed and scrolled in to read.
Uh... I don't speak German (though I am toying with a story idea in which the characters speak a mix of German/English)!! So the search began again. This time, I found something in my language. ;)
Since I mainly write in the afternoons, I've taken to having coffee while writing. I'm actually not an obsessive coffee-drinker and must-have-that-caffeine person (because... caffeine really messes with my system [an odd family trait], so I drink primarily decaf), but I do like the flavor and having something less sugary to "snack" on while I write.
I'm currently trying out some new International Delights creamer flavors. This week was white chocolate mocha (which, wasn't super impressive to me, though it's decent).
Now, for some chatting!
For Writers
- How many words did you write in August?
- Did you reach any significant goals?
- What is the longest piece you've ever written? (if it's published, feel free to share links so I can hop by and ooh over your cover and all)
- What is your favorite writing tool?
For Everyone
- Are you a coffee drinker?
- Do you like International Delights creamers? If so, what is your favorite?
- What goal did you have for August (any project)? Did you reach it?
I drink coffee without fail every morning. I do not usually use creamer unless Mama made it, but I do like flavored coffee. My favorite is cherry.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a way to keep track of how many words I write, but I feel like I accomplished a satisfying amount this past month.
Congratulations on your writing accomplishments. I can't wait to read the book. I really enjoy the War Between the States era.
In Christ,
Kayla
Cannot wait to read this book! Love long novels!
ReplyDelete1.)Like you I'm editing so I'm not sure how many words I've written this past month.
2. ) I revised a novella, did copy edits on another, received my first mock up for a cover and got a lot of work done on my WIP. Plus I received my 3rd printing of my 1st book, The Land of Cotton!
3.) 100k is my longest, but it's a rough draft of my 4th Civil War book. But it's still in editing stages. the longest book I've published is 80k, my second book, Our Heritage to Save.
7.) Out of order I know;) Editing my current work in progress. I didn't get it finished but made good progress!
4.) My Emotion Thesaurus! love it!
5.) I love coffee, but like you I'm a decaf girl. Caffeine speeds my heart rate, a family trait as well and tend to feel wonky if I drink too much caffeine. So I stay away;P
6.) Peppermint Mocha!
I'm a tea person, although I drink coffee at Church. I'm a reader, not a writer so no word count. Congratulations on your word count! Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Amanda. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteMost definitely a coffee drinker. I have a writers mug at my desk at all times. LOL But I only use milk in mine.
And I don't set writing goals for myself. I write all the time, and just let it come out naturally. When it's done, it's done.
I do not drink coffee. I cannot stand the taste or smell. Tea is my drink. My both sisters love coffee as did my late parents,though my mom did drink tea also. I can't wait to read your next book. We all love Civil War stories. We have a lot of books with that theme. I write in my diary every day. I couldn't say how much words I have written, since I have never counted.I will pray for you to find a way to finish the book to your satisfaction. I know you will do a great job. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn
@ Kayla - spoken like a true Southerner. ;) I don't know that I've tried cherry coffee. Cherry isn't always my favorite flavor, but I'm willing to try anything once. ;) I'm so happy that you've been able to accomplish a lot this past month! Bravo! Thanks for your encouragement! :) I hope to be able to share it beginning of next year!
ReplyDelete@ Ryana - Sounds like you've gotten some great work done in August! I don't remember if it was you or another writer friend I mentioned this to, but we're opposite. ;) Usually, my rough draft is skinny and needs to be plumped up. :) Yeah... sounds like caffeine affects you almost like it does me. :P And YES on peppermint mocha! That one's yummy!
@ Paula - I do enjoy some teas. Usually the non-fruity ones (black teas... yeah, I know, I know, they're closest to coffee...). Aw, thanks! :)
@ Sharon - thank you so much!! :) I had gotten to where I could do just milk in my coffee. I don't like mine ultra sweet, but a little to cut the bitter is great. :) That's great that you can write without goals. :) I used to write that way. :) I guess I also like to give myself challenges--hence the 60k goal. :)
@ Marilyn - I know a few people like you who prefer tea. :) I really appreciate your enthusiasm about "Journey of Choice." It encourages me. :) Great job, journaling daily. I have a hard time just keeping up with my little "line-a-day" (actually more like a paragraph) journal. :)
I feel for you about the story- and historical-timeline. I arranged a five-volume book series about World War I, each book being one year of the war. In the second book, a son got married. In the second, his expecting wife came to stay with her in-laws. In the third, he is MIA. In the fourth, she dies and the baby. I was very pleased with these romantic things, when my second sister (an excellent critic, though I don't always appreciate her logic) pointed out that Alencia could hardly be expecting for three years. Yeah. With 8 sibs (all younger than me), you'd think I'd know by now that it only takes 9 months of you're not an elephant. Down go all my beautiful romantic plans. I'm still trying to figure out how to patch them up haha. And make it historically accurate. *rolling eyes •_•*
ReplyDeleteNow for the questions.
- How many words did you write in August?
I wrote approx. 8,600 words for a short (cough, cough) story contest. Plus about 1,000 words in a second short story for the same contest.
- Did you reach any significant goals?
Well, I wrote a story that I've wanted to for awhile! ;P Now I have a fascinating idea to tie together three novella ideas into a series. :D :D
- What is the longest piece you've ever written?
I wrote over 15,100 during NaNoWriMo 2016. Yes, it's a mess. And no, it's not visible. ;P I did make a cover for it though. I'll send it to you through an email. I think you'd like it. :)
- Are you a coffee drinker?
Not at all.
- What goal did you have for August (any project)? Did you reach it?
I wanted to read a lot of books for my 100 Books Challenge, but due to the contest I didn't read as many as I'd like. I've got to catch up in September and October. ;P
~Katja L.
Ah! Piecing together from rough drafts. Painful and exciting at the same time, isn't it? Do I keep? Do I chop? What exactly did I want to say again? =P
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on reaching 60,000! I love that progress bar on Scrivener. It has often kept me writing much longer than I would have, especially since I like to leave it on evenish numbers (for instance, if I was at 2,686, I'd say, 'Ah, well, fourteen more words and I'll be at 2700" and by the time I reached 2700 I'd be in a middle of a thought and keep going.). Works quite well for upping the word count, especially when I start out feeling like only a couple hundred words' worth of writing.
One other feature I really like on Scrivener is the "Full Screen" mode. Under the tab "View" you can mouse over "Full Screen Backdrop", select "Choose" and pick a picture that matches the mood of your story. Then when you enter Full screen (the two arrows going away from each other in the black box on the toolbar) you can have that picture in the background of your WIP instead of all the usual Scrivener things. Just in case you didn't know. ;)
Have you decided where you're going to end it yet? I've been praying for you to have God's wisdom as you write this story. =)
How many words did I write? Well, multiple projects, but a total of 19,810. August was a really good month for me. I'm attributing part of that to my new (almost favorite, maybe favorite) writing tool.
Yes, I finished a project! Yayyy! Now I have to go back and edit all 50,000+ words of it. ;)
Longest piece I've written is the one I've just finished, which is 74,644. Now, if I'd tallied the total before I finished it, I probably would have squeezed three hundred fifty six more words in to make it an even 75,000. =P Oh, well. A lot of that should be shaved off anyway. =)
Oh, yes. My favorite writing tool. Nothing beats a pen and a nice notebook for inspiration, but for actually producing quality and quantity. Scrivener. Or the AlphaSmart NEO. I'll have to say the NEO is my favorite right now, since it helped me get an amazing (for me) amount written last month, an amount I wouldn't have been able to achieve if I had relied on pen and notebok or laptop. Take it anywhere! And the battery life is astounding. Even with all the use I gave it this month (I didn't use it for all of my word count, but most of it), the battery life is still over 7/8ths. =D Uploading it to the laptop is sort of funny--you can watch it be typed into your program (Scrivener, Word, anything) right before your eyes.
Coffee? Occasionally. Creamer? Goat's milk & stevia. Sometimes coconut oil too. =P For tea, right now my favority is ginger turmeric. And it's really healthy for ya too! =D Odd note here: before I drank coffee, none of my main characters in my stories ever did. Imagine a Western without coffee drinkers... =D
Happy writing in September! (Is it really over half gone? Too fast...)
In Joy,
Liberty Bluebelle
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." II Corinthians 3:17
@ Katja - Oh wow... haha! :) Yeah, a three years' pregnancy is like... impossible. ;) Sisters are great for pointing out things that slip our mind. :)
ReplyDeleteGood for you with 8k+ words! :) Hey, 8,000 is still a short story. ;) It's just not flash fiction.
Sweet for the ideas! :) I'm happy for you. :)
I got your email with the cover (sorry I haven't replied yet!). Thanks so much for sending it to me. :) I know all about those "nope, it's not visible" stories. ;)
Writing and reading can sometimes be a tough balance to figure out. :) :) You can get it, though! :)
@ Liberty - wow and email comment. ;) ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd YES on the piecing from rough drafts! :)
Yep... progress bars sure do help a lot! :) And I've seen the "full screen" mode. I haven't used it yet...but I may. ;) I didn't know that about the background. I can see myself using that tweak. :D
Thank you for your prayers!! God has definitely answered them. :) Even though I didn't reply to this immediately, it really blessed me the day that you commented. :)
Wow... hurray for almost 20k words!! That is wonderful!
Oh hey... our novels are almost twin-length!! :) Mine's just a few hundred words less. :o That's pretty cool! Unlike you, though, I think my story needs a little bit more added. I kind of dropped a few characters toward the end that one of my "writing helpers" pointed out. So I need a scene or two added. ;)
I've heard of the NEO. :) That is incredible about the battery!
Laugh. Out. Loud. Yeah... a western without coffee just doesn't seem to fit (nor a Civil War story... seriously... that was THE drink of the 1800's!).
Thanks so much for commenting! :)