Today's haul…

Today I got an early start and nailed two chapters, bringing the total word count up to 33,549. The two chapters built on each other and also are beginning a transitional phase for the novel. It’s almost like restarting the story, and for our hero’s circumstances it really is. The emotional through-line, however, continues (albeit with kinks).

Yes, I am well aware that 5K+ words in one day is 10% of the Nanowrimo goal. My hitting this might discourage some folks, but that’s really kind of silly.

I do this for a living. If this was National Cabinet Building Month would you be surprised that a working carpenter was halfway done his project before you’d started. Heck, Norm Abrams of This Old House finishes whole pieces of furniture before I can get a splinter out of my finger.

I am also very quick when the work is going well. Each writer has his own speed and here’s the key. Writing isn’t about speed, it’s about endurance. You win when you get to the end.

This is a first person novel and they tend to be a faster project for me. This will by no means be the fastest book I’ve ever written, but it definitely won’t be the slowest, either. The difficult part about it will be keeping the momentum running for the next twenty thousand words (roughly eight chapters). Transitions tend to be where things bog down, which explains a lot about second novels in most trilogies.

And, nope, I don’t think this book has a sequel. It’s looking like a one-off, which is cool. Now, there could be prequels and anciliary tales, which would be fun. I figure that’s fodder for podcasts.