I do something kind of odd when I'm drafting my novel(s). I'm a bit, ah, anal about my wordcounts, and that's my measuring-stick for a successful day. If I get at least 1,000 words, it's a good writing day (when I'm jamming out the first draft, that is). At that pace, I'll write 365,000 words a year, the equivalent of three good-sized novels.

Of course, that doesn't take into account the "thinking" process (which I've been doing on this novel for the past week or so, making notes and revising previous chapters so everything makes sense) and revising and editing and all that fun stuff. I actually prefer the revising stages sometimes, because when I'm drafting there's always the worry of running out of gas.

To be honest, I enjoy pretty much the WHOLE process of novel-writing, from the idea generation and outlining to the wild rush of drafting and changing shit on the fly to the pleasure of revising and smoothing over the rough edges of my choppy first-draft prose. I'd love to add the processes of reading galleys of my soon-to-be-published novel and going on international book tours to that list someday. Someday...

Anyway. I was telling about what I do at the end of each writing session. This novel, like most of my novels, is broken up into three main sections, so I have three Word files that make up the novel. I'm working on "WC3.doc" mostly these days, the last section of the book. So when I get my words in for the day, I go to a new file, copy and paste the contents of the third file along with the first and second files, and I sit back to watch the pages add up. Then I do the lovely Word Count. Ahh... So nice. Today I hit 87,800 words, 409 pages.

Maybe it's something only other writers would understand, I dunno... ;)

I'm getting to the point now that I'm thinking about the novel in my free time, which is cool. That's all part of the process, and makes writing it a whole hell of a lot easier. I spent two hours thinking about the novel this morning as I put together my 350 newspapers (three sections, all of 'em big -- ouch) from 3:30-5:30 a.m., standing outside the Highlander in the cool October air. Very nice. Made the time go by quite quickly. Helped me figure out some plot issues with the novel. I'm getting closer and closer to figuring it all out (thanks to some excellent suggestions by Scott).

Actually, I may have to put the NaNoWriMo thing on hold a few days and devote next weekend to finishing the draft of the Wannoshay novel. I can cheat a bit, since I have 4,500 words already on the romance/ghost novel, so I have 3 days' slack time on NaNo (if you do 1,667 words a day for NaNo, you'll hit 50k by the end of November). So... that'll give me Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, if I need 'em.

Sheesh. I'm babbling. That's the latest and greatest. Now I need to sleep. Later!

Today's Words:
1,400

Novel Words:
87,800

Now Playing:
"Back Porch Music," WUNC

Now Reading:
A story by Scott; The Mount, Carol Emshwiller

Today's Quote:
The Wannoshay from the camps turned up suddenly in early June, bursting up from the ground around the mother ship. Using the escaped Wannoshay -- including Awoyana and his fellows in Nebraska -- as messengers and organizers, they had moved to Iowa City, using Blur to get there faster on foot. They set up camp both underground in their new tunnels as well as above ground in shacks made of scrap wood, cardboard, and tarps. The field in front of the mother ship was soon overflowing with aliens, who insisted they had come to help prepare for the Late Ones. Even with all their massed military, the humans could do nothing to stop them without bloodshed, so they simply agreed to cooperate with them and hoped for the best.