I sat down and ended for about an hour last night before bed, and made a little progress. I hate to admit that the thought of restarting my writing streak crossed my mind.

Today looks good, and I feel optimistic. There’s a good chance I can edit through at least the majority of what’s left in Died for You. I don’t, however, have tomorrow available, nor Tuesday. Otherwise? I’m looking at Wednesday, as long as no surprises come along.

Let’s revisit writing a book a week. I thought, perhaps, I could focus on the amount of free days I had to churn out books of various lengths. However, this doesn’t allow me sufficient time to rewrite/edit. I’m not the guy who writes a perfect first draft. And though I hate to admit it, the rough draft, for me, is just getting the story realized. The second draft is much better, and a third to clean it up. I mix the second and third drafts together, going back and rereading as I go. It’s not the best method, but it’s about all I can stand.

So how can I do a book a week? I’m thinking I’ve got to focus on shorter works per week, which is fine, and one long book per month. I’ve considered this approach before, and maybe it makes more sense. I also would like to go back and write under some of my other pen names, but I’m not going to until I can accomplish at least one month of writing a book a week.

So… here’s the idea… targeting October –

• One book a week, for three weeks. Length to vary between 15k to 25k.
• One novel a month, to be finished (with full attention) the last week of the month. The key to succeeding with the novel is to be writing it all month long.
• Edit each short work the week after its completion.
• Edit the novel throughout the entire next month.

This will allow me to release a novel a month, with a month to edit. The novellas will release every week, except for the week the novel is released.

This would give me a minimum word count of 27,000 words a week, and 108,000 words a month (weekly: 12,000 novel + 15,000 short story), with maybe another weekly 1k-2k for editing additions.

I’ll try to create a calendar before October starts.

• Days 48 Word Count: 499
• Day 48 Editing: 2,030
• Current Works in Progress Word Count: Died for You: 74,399 (editing completed through 54,753)

ACCUMULATED STATS –

• Writing Streak Average Word Count per Day: 783
• Current Writing Streak: 3 (Best Writing Streak: 38 days)
• Writing Streak Word Count: 2,348 (Best writing Streak Word Count: 66,279)
• September: 28,278
• September Ave. Word Count: 943
• YTD: 202,977
• Ave. Word Count YTD: 748

Day 47 was a good editing day, I made it through another 16,000 words. That leaves me with about 25k to go. There’s another character I need to flesh out, but I’m very close to working on the last Act.

But here I am on Saturday. It’s a tough day to find time to write/edit, but I’ll try to get 30 minutes to an hour in this afternoon.

So will Died for You be done by Sunday evening? I’m making the assumption that I won’t contribute much today, so that puts all the pressure on Sunday. Getting through first draft writing is a little slow, often because I do heavy rewrites. If I’m also free on Monday (and stretch out an extra day), 25k doesn’t sound too bad.

After Died for You is released in paperback, the pressure will slow down for a bit. In October I’ll be able to make a new game plan. Obviously the book a week every week did not happen, not yet. I’m thinking though, that maybe I’ll attempt some fun Halloween themes for my writing and this blog. It seems as though I’ve got plenty of Horror material to play with, doesn’t it?

• Days 47 Word Count: 819
• Day 47 Editing: 16,472
• Current Works in Progress Word Count: Died for You: 74,274 (editing completed through 52,723); Sci-Fi: 23,239

ACCUMULATED STATS –

• Writing Streak Average Word Count per Day: 925
• Current Writing Streak: 2 (Best Writing Streak: 38 days)
• Writing Streak Word Count: 1,849 (Best writing Streak Word Count: 66,279)
• September: 27,779
• September Ave. Word Count: 926
• YTD: 202,478
• Ave. Word Count YTD: 748

Well, I think I’ve got the new writing streak started again. Almost all of the data for the last six days happened yesterday.

Also, you’ll notice that the total edited word count for Died for You dropped. That’s because I started over at the beginning, adding in the new ideas. They’re not horribly significant, but they are small details that make the book that much tighter.

Indie Author Day 2017 is coming up in approximately 3 weeks. It’s my goal to have Died for You in paperback and selling at this event. That’s a difficult deadline, especially since I don’t have it out digitally yet. So today I’m going for broke, to get through this second draft. I want it done and to my proofreaders by Sunday night.

By the way, have you checked with your library to see if they are participating in Indie Author Day? There’s lots of good info that comes from this, and last year was fantastic. If you are in Southern Idaho, you should definitely participate at the Buhl Public Libary on October 14th.

• Days 41-46 Word Count: 1,050
• Day 41-46 Editing: 36,950
• Current Works in Progress Word Count: Died for You: 73,564 (editing completed through 36,251); Sci-Fi: 23,239

ACCUMULATED STATS –

• Writing Streak Average Word Count per Day: 1,030
• Current Writing Streak: 1 (Best Writing Streak: 38 days)
• Writing Streak Word Count: 1,030 (Best writing Streak Word Count: 66,279)
• September: 25,910
• September Ave. Word Count: 1,284
• YTD: 201,659
• Ave. Word Count YTD: 748

Well, I ended up taking off more days than I ever intended. My schedule suddenly filled up. Not that any of that is important, because I could have made time to write, but I didn’t feel like it. I don’t think it’s being burned out, but I think more I’m a little under the weather and fighting off a cold.

But! taking time off reignites the muse, and I’ve got details that I’m adding to my book that I intended to have released this week. So, it’s going to take a little longer to incorporate the new material.

So I’m not going to update my writing streak because there’s not much to add. Hopefully, when I return to blogging tomorrow, I’ll have an improved update, and I’ll have my streak rekindled. I hate to say it, but I think the few days off were good for my mind (i.e. imagination). I needed to stop thinking about it, which ironically, gave me more ideas.

If you’ve had a chance to read my interview on Rebecca R. Cahill’s blog, you’ve seen my new book is a Zombie Horror Romance called Died for You. I’ll do a separate blog post to introduce the book later.

I also just received my paperbacks of Spilling Blood Season 3! I’ll take a pic later. MORE stuff for my to-do list. I was staying active on Instagram too, but I’ve let it slip during the same break.

In other news, I discovered a new tabletop RPG, Fate. I haven’t bought a new game since 5th Ed. D&D, so it’s a big deal. When I was a teen, I spent a lot of money on tabletop games, not so much anymore. The creativity of Fate won me over, but now I’ve got to take the time to learn it. I downloaded their Core rulebook from their website, and I purchased their War of Ashes Campaign setting.

I brought my writing streak to an end.

To further make sure it was dead, I took the next day off too.

Ending a streak is a bump in the road. It throws off the entire urge to keep going. It leaves you wanting to take more days off, likely linked to the horrible depression of failure.

It’s not failure. I’m still showing up to write, and life was bound to happen. That’s why it is only a streak. There’s nothing life or death to it, it just drops how impressive the writing has been up to that point.

But why did this happen?

Well… on Thursday, Aimee and I went on a trip to Boise to participate in a yoga class and see Michael Franti and Spearhead in concert. The yoga class was part of the experience, with Michael showing up to participate at the end.

See? We even got a photo with him! 

On Friday, Aimee and I spent the entire day running around Boise and doing touristy stuff. I thought about getting up and doing the 4 am writing thing, it just didn’t sound appealing. And that’s when the streak died.

I worked for the Post Office on Saturday, and then used the second half of the day to chill.

But now it’s Sunday. Time to revisit my book. Which is soooo close!

I’ll announce my new book tomorrow.

Want to know what it is today? Then you need to visit Rebecca R Cahill’s Author Talks Blog! Yes, it’s an entire interview with me! If you read to the end, you can be one of the first to see this WIP I’ve been talking about for so long!

Go read it now!

• Days 38-40 Word Count: 0
• Day 38-40 Editing: 699
• Current Works in Progress Word Count: Romance/Horror: 72,659 (editing completed through 48,950); Sci-Fi: 23,239

ACCUMULATED STATS –

• Writing Streak Average Word Count per Day: 1,744
• Current Writing Streak: 0 (Best Writing Streak: 38 days)
• Writing Streak Word Count: 66,279 (Best writing Streak Word Count: 66,279)
• September: 25,910
• September Ave. Word Count: 1,619
• YTD: 200,609
• Ave. Word Count YTD: 759

So before you judge me, I edited one chapter… thus the low word count. And I mostly trimmed words. I did write a five-page guest interview for another blog, though. I’m thinking I’m a guy of too many details. If I counted blogging words, you would be impressed.

And get ready for my new book announcement! I’m revealing it in the guest interview!!!

And I’m only 40 Word doc pages away from completion. Next week is looking really, really good for its release.

• Day 36 Word Count: 7
• Day 36 Editing: 1,465
• Current Works in Progress Word Count: Romance/Horror: 72,453 (editing completed through 46,776); Sci-Fi: 23,239

ACCUMULATED STATS –

• Writing Streak Average Word Count per Day: 1,785
• Current Writing Streak: 36 days
• Writing Streak Word Count: 66,042
• September: 25,673
• September Ave. Word Count: 2,139
• YTD: 200,372
• Ave. Word Count YTD: 770

Day 35 had a significant word count compared to the previous editing days because I rewrote two chapters. Not only did I make it through 11.5k words, I added over 2k. Of course, that means I also deleted around 2k.

I also passed the “200,000 words written for 2017” milestone. Yay me!!!

I’ve edited past the halfway mark in my next novel, so that’s also exciting.

I’m also starting to think that I need to reexamine my productivity. Maybe after this week.

I’ll be in Boise this Thursday and Friday. Friday’s update might be postponed.

• Day 35 Word Count: 2,116
• Day 35 Editing: 11,584
• Current Works in Progress Word Count: Romance/Horror: 72,439 (editing completed through 45,311); Sci-Fi: 23,239

ACCUMULATED STATS –

• Writing Streak Average Word Count per Day: 1,834
• Current Writing Streak: 35 days
• Writing Streak Word Count: 66,035
• September: 25,666
• September Ave. Word Count: 2,333
• YTD: 200,365
• Ave. Word Count YTD: 773

I had a little bit of editing time before we left on our Sunday adventures, editing through a couple of chapters. On a positive note, I am now 47% through the book. And though yesterday didn’t give me much time, today does. I intend to knock the book out today and tomorrow. 😀

Yesterday’s adventure was hanging out all day at Shoshone Falls. There wasn’t much water going over the falls like there was in Spring, so we spent most of our time walking the trails and such.

My favorite picture from yesterday.

Oh, hey! Week 5 is done! It doesn’t look as good, thanks to switching into editing mode. It’s best to get through this process as fast as possible, methinks.

STATS FOR WEEK 5 –

• Word count: 11,971 (down 4,398 over last week, because of editing)
• Average Word Count per Day: 1,710 (down 628 per day over last week)

• Day 34 Word Count: 177
• Day 34 Editing: 3,935
• Current Works in Progress Word Count: Romance/Horror: 71,673 (editing completed through 33,727); Sci-Fi: 23,239

ACCUMULATED STATS –

• Writing Streak Average Word Count per Day: 1,826
• Current Writing Streak: 34 days
• Writing Streak Word Count: 63,919
• September: 23,550
• September Ave. Word Count: 2,355
• YTD: 198,249
• Ave. Word Count YTD: 767

I sat down and made a goal to get through 1 chapter of editing, and that’s what I did. I had almost 0 free time yesterday, so this is me showing up. Today, I’m going to try and move through editing quickly, but I’ll take what I can get.

Today is adventure day, so after the family awakens, we’re going to head out into the Great Idaho Wilderness-Desert.

I’ve got some new inspiration for writing, which may hold the answers to some of my sticky points. I’m considering adding some more Bohemian themes to my stories.

Also, I want to do more with Instagram. I’ve been wanting to do more with Instagram for a very long time.

• Day 34 Word Count: 44
• Day 34 Editing: 1,297
• Current Works in Progress Word Count: Romance/Horror: 71,502 (editing completed through 29,792); Sci-Fi: 23,239

ACCUMULATED STATS –

Writing Streak:

• Average Word Count per Day: 1,875
• Current Writing Streak: 34 days
• Writing Streak Word Count: 63,742
• September: 23,373
• September Ave. Word Count: 2,597
• YTD: 198,072
• Ave. Word Count YTD: 770