I’m blowing the dust off of this blog to use it as a way to keep on track of my writing. I did NaNoWriMo last November and got in something over 50,000 words. In the eight months since then, I’ve gotten in something like 9,000. I haven’t entirely slacked off on writing, which in some ways is the problem. For five of those months I was focusing more on writing short stories for Crossed Genres than the novel. After I got one published with them, I was jazzed to have a market and would try to squeeze something out every time they revealed their new genre.

My recurring analogy is Walter Mosley’s comparison between writing and “gathering smoke.” Writing is a delicate thing, and easily lost if you don’t cultivate it every day. Eight months of barely pecking away at this year’s novel (The Court of the Red King) has left me feeling like I’m trying to cozy up to a stranger.

My goal is to finish the novel before November, hopefully with enough time to make at least one pass through for a first round of revision. I’m estimating that it will weigh in at 80-100,000. Each day, behind a cut, I’ll post my current word count, a forecast on when I can squeeze in writing and also reflect on how I failed to get writing done. It may end up being tedious. You’ve been warned.

Current Word Count: 59,425

Ten Day Forecast:

Today – Have to go to a work-related dinner thing with the girlfriend. Unlikely to write.
Tomorrow – Evening mostly free. Should be able to write.
Saturday – Should be able to write in the morning. Afternoon/evening is booked.
Sunday – Entire day booked to the gills. Unlikely to write.
Monday – Dinner with friends in the evening. Unlikely to write.
Tuesday – Appointment in the early evening, can write afterwards.
Wednesday – Evening free to write.
Thursday – Type and gripe, so maybe get some writing in.
Friday – Ummm… evening free?
Saturday – Free in the morning. Need to prep for a game on Sunday, though.