Reaching my goal and moving forward

SO...I set myself a goal to complete 20,000 the other day...
AND I DID IT!  Yay, Jessica!
That puts me 1/4 of the way through where I think I need to be to produce a publishable YA Fantasy novel.  O far, so good, but I feel as if I am hindering myself with doubt at this point.  I think I may be afraid to finish.  What happens after that?  What if no one wants to publish my book, and I am left with that looming decision on whether to keep at it or just throw it on Amazon as an e-book?  That would be the last thing I want to do.  Honestly, I know that hand held books are becoming obsolete, but all I want to do is walk into one of the few remaining book stores and see Fluttera on the shelf.  I have to stop worrying about that for now, and remember that I have to have a finished product first.  I guess that is why most people who start novels, never finish them.  I do not want to be one of those people.  I guess the thing to do is stop writing this post and get to writing the next 20,000 words. 

Progress At Last!

I managed to finish Chapter 13 today, which I am excited about, but I am more excited about the fact that I have finally come up with a complete storyline.  I know every scene, minus the gritty details, of how the book will go.  I have figured out a conflict and how to resolve it.  All I have to do for crying out loud is write it!  I am so anxious!  I am just under 19,000 words and my chapters are anywhere from 1000-1500 words long.  By the time I am done, I may have 50 chapters.  I don't know if that is considered ridiculous or not, but I don't care.  It is my book after all.  I know it may be wishful thinking, but I think I can squeeze out a chapter in one to two days now if I can manage to keep damn Netflix off.  It is my downfall.  That puts my timeline anywhere from 45 to 60 days...if I don't take too many days off.  Since the kids are back in school from Christmas break. I think I will be fine.  I have found my motivation, and I am ready to get this thing done!

On Hiatus

It has been extremely too long since I updated this blog because it has been that long since I have written a single word in my book.  I don't know if I lost focus because I started working or I was just too tired, but in reality, I know, there is no excuse.  I know that if I want to actually write my book, I have to suck up every ounce of determination I have, and just do it.  I have recently gotten back some of my motivation, and have managed to squeak out a meager 350 words this week.  I did finish chapter 12 and have moved on to 13.  I am at a transitional part of the book and it requires me to come up with a new land with many details and new dialogue.  I find it hard to muster up any sort of creativity at the moment; therefore, I feel stuck.  What a crappy place to be, but I am living in it.  If I can manage to pull through it this week, maybe the next few chapters will come easier...maybe not.  Either way, at this very minute, I know I am trying.  Prayers at this juncture are appreciated.

Trudging Forward

I cannot believe it has been a week since my last post!  I have finished through chapter 11 and I am maybe a third of the way through 12.  It seems like no matter how much I write, I am moving at a snail's pace.  I am hoping that after I finish the first draft completely, the reward of writing 'The End' will make all this suffering worth it.  I am so anxious to some reviews of my writing that I keep pondering whether to publish some chapters online, but I feel in my gut that it would be a mistake.  I don't even have any followers on my blog at this point! (except my daughter)  Oh well...I will trudge on and hope that the end result is as great a read as I anticipate.

Working Backwards

I was getting caught up it little details of the story this week, and it made my brain hurt!  Although I am slowly chugging along, I decided that I wanted the end of the novel to be my driving force for the storyline.  Today I decided to go ahead and write the final scene of the book.  It's very short, so I will have to add to the beginning of it, but I am, overall, very satisfied.  I have also written down a few scenarios that I know need to be included in the book.  I think I may try to write them in their entirety, and fill in the gaps.  I don't think this is common novel writing practice, but I'm new at this, so I'm making up the rules as I go.  It may pan out; it may not.  I'll let you know. 

Why Am I So Slow?

I feel like I am writing at a snail's pace!  In actuality, I am not doing terrible; it's all about perception.  When I was in high school, we had to write drafts for our English papers.  I was the annoying student who never wanted to turn in a paper with errors.  Nine out of ten times, my first draft was perfect, and I didn't have to do another.  I think I am having that problem with my novel writing.  I want everything to be perfect on the first draft...impossible!  When I think of new ideas or plot twists, I keep going back and adding them.  I think what I should be doing is writing without stopping, and making notes about the new ideas so I can add them later.  I'm pretty sure that's how Stephen King writes, but don't take my word for it.  I guess if I'm ever going to get through the entire novel, I need to stop trying to be perfect and just let it flow.

Trying To Push Through

I have finished Chapter 10, and I am currently working through Chapter 11.  It's a chapter with a ton of dialogue that is hard to keep going.  In this chapter, Lorelei and Maks meet a few new people.  Introductions are hard for me to write, especially when there are numerous ones to get through.  I'm going to try my hardest to push through it today and check another chapter off my list.