As you may recall, I mentioned in a previous post that I hoped to write 250,000 words in 2013. Spread over the year, that comes out to 20,834 words a month. So how did I do in January?
I just barely made the word count. 20,858 to be exact.
January was a brutal month. Bitter cold, extended illness, my day job and my sideline work as an editor... All that left very little room to write. I think I managed one complete short story, a couple of flash fiction pieces, and beginnings for two possible novels. I am sure that spreading my writing so thin also was counter-productive.
The problem is, without a nice batch of time to devote to writing, it is very hard for me to get in the flow of whatever world I am trying to create. It is much easier to write the start of something than it is to slog through the middle. So that is why I have so many disparate pieces.
Going forward, I may actually break tradition and start working from an outline. At least that way I won't have to try to figure out what is happening next or who should be involved. I'll probably still write the occasional flash piece. Even if I never create one that is publication worthy, at least it will gets words down and prime the pump.
And now February is under way. Yesterday was a goose egg. Work just overran my schedule. Today has gone a bit better. Hopefully tomorrow will as well. Because without my fast start in January (4300 words in 3 days,and no missed days the first week) I would have fallen far short of my goal. So I have some mileage to make up.
Which means it's back to work for me.
