Was working on the current book today (only a few more chapters to go to finish the draft! Whoohoo!) and on a whim highlighted all the text of this one and the previous three within Scrivener to do a total word count. Went 'whoaaa' at the result of 507k. I know many authors here have a lot more than that, but still - only a few years ago the thought of even finishing one book was horribly daunting and felt ever out of reach. Passing 500k really feels like a milestone.
To all the aspiring writers out there, just know it can be done! Even if you've been procrastinating for over a decade (like I did!) it's absolutely possible. I guess for me the 'trick' was to start writing in a tone/manner which made it fun, a bit of throwing in the towel with a 'eh, let's just see what happens if I write a first chapter' without taking it too seriously. And then before I knew it that first book was drafted. Later ones took longer it's true, but those were admittedly more complex - and hopefully deeper in meaning and scope. But they wouldn't have happened without the 'oh what the hell' attitude that kicked off #1.
So good luck out there and keep at it! And I also totally recommend Scrivener, it's been an absolute blessing to work with. I keep all the books in a single 'project' for instant access to any chapter for needed reference, without that it'd be impossible to keep track of everything!
- Erisian :)
Comments
There comes a point when...
... the characters are already thinking, talking, and acting on their own. All you have to do is describe it.
-- Daphne Xu
Ever do that highlight thing
And your cat jumps on the keyboard and wipes it all out? Not fun. Thank FSM for alt-z on a pc or cmd-z on a mac (I think, not usually using a mac any more)
Kitties!
I've been fortunate that the cats we've had have been good about not jumping on keyboards, but we are getting two new kittens on Wednesday so risk factor may be about to increase!! (They're adorable and any writing distractions from them are sure to be worth it!)
One of my cats
enjoys sitting on the keyboard - it certainly gets my attention, especially if I'm working on my course or writing. She also seems to enjoy seeing how much fur she can spread over the carpets (or my clothing) after I've just put the vacuum cleaner away.
Angharad