Day 122: Volume 2 is done!
Edited to add: Sorry, I forgot to post this yesterday so it's going up late on Thursday.
Unfortunately I got a late start today because I overslept. I hate it when I do that! But since I cooked yesterday, we'll have leftovers today and I'll have a little more time to write.
I'm going to try for shorter sprints today to try to increase my writing pace, since I seem to write a little faster with shorter time periods. I will try to shift between desks rather than taking breaks in order to ease the stress on my ankles from my standing desk, although today my ankles feel pretty good so I'll see how things go.
I also came up with an idea to make the self-editing easier to do. Since I loathe it so much, I will usually either procrastinate doing it or I won't do a very good job on it. But what if I did it in 4thewords.com?
I can copy and paste the chapters into files in 4thewords, then start a battle with a monster with a long word count and generous time limit, like Tambo, which is 2000 words in 5 hours. I can start self-editing, and essentially use any words I add to battle the monster, but any words I delete won't count against me. This might make me more excited to self-edit, since I can battle a monster at the same time. (Because it's all about the monsters!)
However, I would need to make sure I leave enough time and then finish battling the monster by working on writing words in my current manuscript, since I doubt I'll add 2000 words in self-editing, even in 5 hours. That means I need to do the self-editing while I'm writing a manuscript.
I had originally intended to do the editing for volume 1 in the series after I finished volume 2. I can probably still do that, and do the editing while I'm writing volume 3. I just hope I don't get confused since I'll be editing a book set before the book I'll be currently writing.
However, there is a slight wrench in my plans. I still need to plot and write my Reader Magnet story and my funnel book story, which I wanted to release around the same time as volume 1. I could actually release them afterward, but some of the events in the reader magnet are referenced in volumes 1 and 2, so I think I need to write it soon so that I can edit the two volumes consistently.
So after finishing volume 2, I will probably have to take a side trip and work on those two stories. I'm not entirely sure how quickly I'll be able to write those two stories, since I don't always write short stories very fast. I'm not sure why.
The fun part is that I get to do my brainstorming in 4thewords! And use those brainstorming words to defeat monsters!!!
***
Oh my gosh the book is done! And I'm super happy with the ending!
I wasn't quite as successful doing shorter sprints today. I did try switching to my kotatsu sitting desk, but my back was giving me problems today and so it wasn't very comfortable. I worked at my standing desk, then I took my laptop outside and sat in a deck chair. It was actually super comfy, but since I was too lazy to go back inside, I stayed out writing for an hour instead of switching desks again.
On the plus side, my ankles feel better for the extended sitting session and my writing pace wasn't too bad!
I only got about 4 hours of writing done, but then I finished the book!
I can still do a couple more hours of work, so I think I'm going to set things up so I can start writing volume 3 tomorrow. But I will also set things up to start self-editing volume 1 at the same time. And tonight maybe I'll do some brainstorming for my reader magnet and funnel book, since I have to get both of those done as soon as possible.
***
I set everything up to start self-editing volume 1 on 4thewords. I think I will try to start tomorrow, even though there are some things I'll have to add from the reader magnet, which I haven't written yet.
I really, really hope that doing the editing on 4thewords will help me to overcome my reluctance to get it done! If it works, maybe I can make a messy first draft and self-edit in 4thewords. The main reason I've been editing-as-I-go is because I'm so awful about self-editing and will procrastinate like nobody's business. If I can eliminate that hurdle, then I can write a messy first draft again like I used to.
I also did a bit of brainstorming on the reader magnet short story. I am going to try to write it and also my funnel book before I start work on volume 3.
Writing outside worked well today, so I will continue to switch between my workstations. It will hopefully enable me to rest my ankles but since I won't be taking an actual break, I'll be less likely to waste time.
I also did some other housekeeping things, such as setting up a new spreadsheet to track my wordcount for my new projects and cleaning up the old one. When I get some time, I'll look at my writing stats to see if I can spot any trends.
Writing: Time spent: 5 hours, 4 minutes
Writing: Total number of words: 4060 words
Writing: Average speed: 1252 words per hour
Time spent doing other writing-related business: 1 hour, 33 minutes
My takeaway for today: Switching workstations might enable me to both rest my ankles and avoid the temptation of wasting time during a break.
Unfortunately I got a late start today because I overslept. I hate it when I do that! But since I cooked yesterday, we'll have leftovers today and I'll have a little more time to write.
I'm going to try for shorter sprints today to try to increase my writing pace, since I seem to write a little faster with shorter time periods. I will try to shift between desks rather than taking breaks in order to ease the stress on my ankles from my standing desk, although today my ankles feel pretty good so I'll see how things go.
I also came up with an idea to make the self-editing easier to do. Since I loathe it so much, I will usually either procrastinate doing it or I won't do a very good job on it. But what if I did it in 4thewords.com?
I can copy and paste the chapters into files in 4thewords, then start a battle with a monster with a long word count and generous time limit, like Tambo, which is 2000 words in 5 hours. I can start self-editing, and essentially use any words I add to battle the monster, but any words I delete won't count against me. This might make me more excited to self-edit, since I can battle a monster at the same time. (Because it's all about the monsters!)
However, I would need to make sure I leave enough time and then finish battling the monster by working on writing words in my current manuscript, since I doubt I'll add 2000 words in self-editing, even in 5 hours. That means I need to do the self-editing while I'm writing a manuscript.
I had originally intended to do the editing for volume 1 in the series after I finished volume 2. I can probably still do that, and do the editing while I'm writing volume 3. I just hope I don't get confused since I'll be editing a book set before the book I'll be currently writing.
However, there is a slight wrench in my plans. I still need to plot and write my Reader Magnet story and my funnel book story, which I wanted to release around the same time as volume 1. I could actually release them afterward, but some of the events in the reader magnet are referenced in volumes 1 and 2, so I think I need to write it soon so that I can edit the two volumes consistently.
So after finishing volume 2, I will probably have to take a side trip and work on those two stories. I'm not entirely sure how quickly I'll be able to write those two stories, since I don't always write short stories very fast. I'm not sure why.
The fun part is that I get to do my brainstorming in 4thewords! And use those brainstorming words to defeat monsters!!!
***
Oh my gosh the book is done! And I'm super happy with the ending!
I wasn't quite as successful doing shorter sprints today. I did try switching to my kotatsu sitting desk, but my back was giving me problems today and so it wasn't very comfortable. I worked at my standing desk, then I took my laptop outside and sat in a deck chair. It was actually super comfy, but since I was too lazy to go back inside, I stayed out writing for an hour instead of switching desks again.
On the plus side, my ankles feel better for the extended sitting session and my writing pace wasn't too bad!
I only got about 4 hours of writing done, but then I finished the book!
I can still do a couple more hours of work, so I think I'm going to set things up so I can start writing volume 3 tomorrow. But I will also set things up to start self-editing volume 1 at the same time. And tonight maybe I'll do some brainstorming for my reader magnet and funnel book, since I have to get both of those done as soon as possible.
***
I set everything up to start self-editing volume 1 on 4thewords. I think I will try to start tomorrow, even though there are some things I'll have to add from the reader magnet, which I haven't written yet.
I really, really hope that doing the editing on 4thewords will help me to overcome my reluctance to get it done! If it works, maybe I can make a messy first draft and self-edit in 4thewords. The main reason I've been editing-as-I-go is because I'm so awful about self-editing and will procrastinate like nobody's business. If I can eliminate that hurdle, then I can write a messy first draft again like I used to.
I also did a bit of brainstorming on the reader magnet short story. I am going to try to write it and also my funnel book before I start work on volume 3.
Writing outside worked well today, so I will continue to switch between my workstations. It will hopefully enable me to rest my ankles but since I won't be taking an actual break, I'll be less likely to waste time.
I also did some other housekeeping things, such as setting up a new spreadsheet to track my wordcount for my new projects and cleaning up the old one. When I get some time, I'll look at my writing stats to see if I can spot any trends.
Writing: Time spent: 5 hours, 4 minutes
Writing: Total number of words: 4060 words
Writing: Average speed: 1252 words per hour
Time spent doing other writing-related business: 1 hour, 33 minutes
My takeaway for today: Switching workstations might enable me to both rest my ankles and avoid the temptation of wasting time during a break.
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