September 2020 Writing Update

Well it’s about that time for a writing update. I’ll be honest, I haven’t done much. With the semester back in full swing, I’ve had so much less free time than usual. My nights are back to grading and answering emails.

I decided I won’t be aiming for that 50,000 word goal for NaNoWriMo. I may still sign up so I can get the motivation emails and track my writing for the month of November, but there is no way I could draft 50,000 words and still maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I’ve been plotting and outlining my project for whatever form of NaNoWriMo I will do. It’s a bit harder than I thought it would be. I have a solid idea in my head, but filling in the scenes is challenging. I think this is why I have always just started fast drafting and then outlining after I’ve written about 25,000 words.

I reworked and re-outlined the draft I wrote for Camp NaNoWriMo. It’s a bit heartbreaking to me to have reached 65,000 words only to realize I have a new direction I want to go with, but that’s drafting! I’m filling in missing scenes and details so hopefully by the end, I won’t have to totally redraft. I have no clue when that project will be read by the public. I want to try traditional and/or indie publishing, so I need to edit a bunch and query.

For both of my projects, I have my Aeon Timelines on hold. At the stages I am at, I want to complete my drafts and then plot everything on Aeon to make sure it makes sense. Then I will change any necessary details to ensure the timeline is realistic.

Other than that, writing has been slow. It would be awesome if writing novels could just be a full time job, but that’s not sustainable so I find time when I can. I hope the next writing update show a bit more progress, but just know that I’m still going!