Day 108
Right now, apart from The Terrapin's Trail, I have four novels I'd like to write, and they can't be more different from one another. Am I being crazy thinking outside of my genre (which is literary love story)? One is a fantasy, another is science fiction, followed by a thriller, and finally back to literary.
500 words, 34000 words total
257 days and 151500 words to go
Every day I'm getting closer to my goal of finishing The Terrapin's Trail. Still, I have a long way to go before getting it in submission-ready form. So, when can I start writing the other four? When will I finish?
If I stick to my 500-a-word-per-day plan, I could write 182500 words a year, which would be about two novels (and no, I won't be writing another "epic" any time soon). So, ideally, I could finish writing these four novels in about two years, and hopefully, by then, I would be able to get The Terrapin's Trail published. That sounds like a really good plan.
But of course, a plan is only a plan if I don't put it into action. So far, I'm making headways with the WIP. And I strive on meeting goals. If I set my mind to it, I can accomplish anything.
I'm also happy that I've successfully enlisted a friend to be my whip-master. Sounds kinky, doesn't it? What it means is that instead of trying to meet these writing goals by myself (I have been struggling with the 500-word challenge lately, but I'm back on track now), all isolated, I now have an external source to keep me in check. I have liability now, and a real deadline. This week I was able to hand in 2500 words -- a bit short of the 3500-word goal. But it's a start.
500 words, 34000 words total
257 days and 151500 words to go
Comments
My short stories are all over the place (have you read my collection yet? Huh huh huh? :) ) but I have yet to branch out with my novels. But give me time.
Chabon wrote The Yiddish Policemen's Union, which won the 2008 Hugo and Nebula awards. I haven't read it, but I think it qualifies. He also wrote "The Martian Agent, A Planetary Romance," which isn't strictly science fiction but rather steampunk. I found it quite captivating.