Writing Journal 8.5.2018: I start getting a little more active as the “Sunday” portion of my summer vacation dawns

Hi, everyone.

Things slumped a bit at the beginning of the week, but some good revising sessions at the end of it made the numbers an improvement over last week. The numbers in question:

+422 words written.

Days writing: 1 out of 7.

Days revising: 3 out of 7 for 300 total minutes.

Daily Writing Goals Met (500+ words or 30 minutes of revisions): 4 out of 7 days.

So, that was… encouraging, at least. Forward rather than backward momentum is always good, right?

Just to update, I am on the third draft of my work in progress (WIP) The American Nine (check the older posts if you don’t know what I’m talking about). I feel good about taking some earlier advice about raising the stakes for my main character. This process feeling like it has been far easier than what I thought it would be, considering he is 17-18 at the time of the book and is still trying to grow and find his confidence. It has only taken some additional or altered descriptions to recast the character. I’ve also managed to trim down the WIP so far from 94,000 words-plus in the second draft to 92,000 words-plus currently. The first draft was slightly over 97,000 words. Cutting your drafts is a good thing.

I’ll get back to writing new stuff maybe after that third draft is finished. Maybe not. Maybe it will be before then.

As it is the first week of August, I am now in the “Sunday” portion of my summer vacation, if summer could be defined as one long weekend. I’m starting to trade emails with new colleagues and supervisors at my new district and making plans for initial in-services within the next two weeks. Just like on a Sunday, I’m not working, but I’m starting to think about work once again. I’m interested in the challenge.

What that work means is that I might not make mid-week posts all the time (like I didn’t do last week, ha ha), but I will keep up with the writing both here and in the writing shop of my mind. Writing helped me decompress from the day and get me into my optimal frame of mind. I’ve rarely felt better than when I’ve accomplished something new writing, and I hope that will never change.

That’s it for now; there’ll be more later.