The Finish the Damn Book Challenge

Wow. But that is an OCCASION. I wouldn't write a word for weeks if someone was getting married, let alone a son. wow. Congratulations to the couple.

Hoping to hit 80k tomorrow. Squeaking out an average of 1.2k a day since 1st January, which is a lot for me. But I'm beyond desperate to get this down and written before we have to move house.

Looking like the total count will be closer to 95k though, so not anywhere near done! But the worst of the first draft is over, at least. I think. Famous last words.

I managed 16 words last night: The problem I've been having lately is that I had to write 3-4,000 words a day for a client on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and it's worn me out. I have a full week ahead, too.

Congrats to those with progress! I seem to have fallen off the past few days. With the wedding and just being stuck, I think. I have the next scene I want to write, but I haven't been able to put fingers to the keyboard yet. Last night, I worked with world building, because I think I'm looking for more background or substance to be able to move to the next step. Hopefully, I'll start writing tonight, after I do a bit more thinking. Of course, then there's next week, when I'll be on vacation, so nothing will be written then. But I have an app for my phone for writing, so I'm hoping to have ideas as I'm on vacation and be jotting down short notes. Then when I get back, I'll have many more things to write and hopefully get into a nice routine.

I pulled off about 500 words last night at the Casino.

Nice progress, Dave!

Well, as I continued to think through the world building, I started pulling on threads, and the whole thing came unravelled. My answers to the question why just didn't make sense. But I put my nose down and pushed through. By the end, I came up with some things that made more sense. Now, I need to work those through, and then I think I can continue with the "story" I already had going. Now, there is a purpose and support to it. With vacation next week, I'll just hold off writing, so I don't lose that line of thought and just continue to develop the ideas and world building. By the time I return next Friday, I should be ready to write again. I'll see you then!

80k yesterday, which always feels like a milestone regardless of book's final length.

Hopefully be ready in time for Query Kombat this year.

Okay. Hm. I really need to finish this. So. Goal time.

Working Title: None (Really need a title ; ^
Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy
Outline Completed: Yes

My goal is to finish writing one chapter a week until it's done. Just finished writing Chapter 4 yesterday. So I have until midnight next Saturday to finish Chapter 5.

Finished the last bullet point for this round of worldbuilding! (just in time for camp nanowrimo)
Now I have to figure out how to integrate what into the plot. The worldbuilding may have generated several plot bunnies that I'll have to inspect to see if they belong in this story or their own.

After that, Stage Two begins. aka ReWrite the Damn Book

I'll set some goals for that once I sort the plot bunnies.

I'm now at 75343 words. Since my last check in here that gives me an average of 139 words per day. A little bit closer to being done.

I'm 34,200 words in on my current WIP, doing 4,000 words a day.

maggiee19 said:

I'm 34,200 words in on my current WIP, doing 4,000 words a day.

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4k a day is impressive! I'm lucky to get half of that with my kid trying to help! lol I'm glad it's going so well for you and I hope you're having fun with it!

Just finishing the first edit which has been fairly minimal - the idea was pretty coherent in the first place and the plot was strong. Hasn't needed much structural work but lots of polishing has been done.

It's ready to go, I think. But where?

The book is a satire on leadership/ambition/bad environmentalism with a secret sci-fi flavour like Ben Elton, Vonnegut, or Douglas Adams without the silliness. I don't think any publisher in Australia will be interested (there are no sci-fi publishers here) so I think I'll try to get an English agent.

Cracked through 9,000 words yesterday.

Now working on three scenes at once. It feels weird because usually I write my drafts in order, but this time I started the first scene of chapter two, jumped forward to do some character stuff that was pulling me in the second scene, jumped back to do more of the first scene, and have now jumped back to add a new scene on the tale end of chapter one.

WIP 1 - from 83,000 words to 90,000 words Monday
WIP 2 - from 21,000 words to 30,000 words Monday
today - 33,500 words WIP 2
WIP 3 on hold since Sunday.

Got to exactly 10,000 words tonight. Finished two scenes.

45,000 words on WIP 1 today
90,000 words on WIP 2
WIP 3 and 4 on hold

I'm currently at 16,210. Somehow I feel like I'm way behind the mark? Then again, most of my first drafts are barely 60k...

folclor said:

I'm currently at 16,210. Somehow I feel like I'm way behind the mark? Then again, most of my first drafts are barely 60k...

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For what it's worth, I'm currently sitting at 10,609, so you're way ahead of me.

2797 words done since I last checked in, for a total of 78,140 words. I guess an average of 186 word a day is good for me. I'm guessing I have another 20,000-25,000 to go.

I don't know a better place to put this without starting a new thread and I don't think it warrants a new thread.

I want to voice my thanks to my critique group, and critiquers everywhere. It might be that one comment, that one review that sparks a shower of, "Damn, that's it! That's the answer!" I figured out how to end my book because of a single comment by the wise sage that runs my critique group.

My protagonist is trapped by people who could kill her. The critique comment: "This is the end of the book, things should be wrapping up."

My answer was, it wasn't the Hunger Games, she wasn't going to kick ass and get away because that wasn't the story. But truth be told, I hadn't yet figured out how she was going to get out of the situation.

Then I went home and sat on it. "Needs to be wrapping up...." Of course! Eureka! I had half the story wrapping up, but not the other half. D'uh! That needs to happen too. Yes! Now I know just how to end my book!

Typing handwritten WIP: (done) 89,000 words
WIP 1: 100,000 words
WIP 2: 65,000 words.
WIP 3: 90,000 words

Still need some work on a couple middle chapters but the ending came out great.

Of course the critique group Wed. will no doubt have issues.

But I always learn something from them.

Handwritten WIP: 94,000 words
WIP 2: 71,000 words.

40K now!

Keep going everybody!