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dan weasley · 02-15-2006 04:54:50

This might not be what everyone considers a form of success, but to me, it really is.

Last night my first novel in a series of 5 novels reached the 41,000 words mark.

This is significant to me, because its been over 3 years since i have written more than 20,000 words. Most of the time the novel would die off at that point, with me reaching an insurmountable writers block that made me just want to drop the entire thing.

So for me to hit 41k of words, and still be going strong, it's a great sign of success A milestone, so to speak. The next one will be when I have finished writing it.

*raises a glass to all present* Cheers my friends!

Selah Cooper-Holl · 02-15-2006 05:08:37

Congratulations are definately in order Dan. Let me be the first - BRAVO!
Good job! YES!

Keep the momentum going and do keep us apprised of the increasing word count.

Oh and here's a disheartening note - MY word count is going backwards as I eliminate my verbosity and redundancies. Not to mention cliche's and hackneyed expressions. Our own fab reveiwers are making me tighten up everything and I am seeing how it really does improve the writing but the spreadsheet suffers.

lisa · 02-15-2006 05:31:08

That's great! Keep going, keep going! Let us know when you hit 50K! or the end of the story, whichever comes first. Ever since I participated in National Novel Writing Month, I actually keep a little bar graph of my word count as incentive to measure my wordcount progress. (silly) but it works like a gold star for a kindergartener for me. So here's to positive reinforcement for quantity!

Lesley C. Weston · 02-15-2006 05:49:38

Good on You! It sounds like a very meaningful breakthrough, Dan. I'm rooting for you.

Elle Lockwood · 02-15-2006 07:17:01

Hey, Dan,

Write on! The accountability on this site is huge. I am always screaming at my writers to hurry up and give me another chapter! Even at my laziest, I never read six novels at a time! OUCH! Now I am reading, reviewing, writing, encouraging, hanging out in the forum occasionally, AND still managing my activities of daily living (ADLs, we call them in the med biz).

Congratulations!

able anders · 02-15-2006 15:30:24

Great job Dan!
I just surpassed the 30k mark and not writing nearly fast enough to keep Elle off my back for being a slow poke:)

dan weasley · 02-16-2006 05:27:25

Thanks everyone for your encouragement. Its been pretty awesome - I have no idea, each time I sit down to write, what is supposed to come next....

Then I slip on the headphones, kick in a little 'Disturbed', and read the last sentence I wrote. 2 hours later I wake up, with another 3 or 4 thousand words done. Its like taking dictation from my muse man, I just watch it unfold in front of me, almost like I reading the story, rather than writing it. I have never in my life had something flow so easily.

Selah Cooper-Holl · 02-16-2006 05:40:23

O.K. great. But on that day it doesn't work out like that don't get all discouraged. Have a backup plan. Remember when you were going to school in the early years? How you got your things ready the night before? Maybe mom helped pick out what you were going to wear and you had it all laid out on a chair and your bookbag was right there and you had your science project on the hall table so you wouldn't forget it?

That is what I recommend you do for your writing child, who you call your muse. Have a plan. When you are done for the day and you are tired and all written out make some notes about what you are going to work on tommorrow. Just a thought or two about something that may or may not happen to a character or possibly a portion of a physical description of a character or something, anything so when you get up you can walk in, put your music on and start right in.

In the meantime, good for you again. Just keep writing.

reb_elle · 02-16-2006 05:50:12

Bigenormous congrats, Dan, on reaching that 41k wordcount! Is a wonderful achievement that i can only aspire to. I've been told that once you reach a critical mass of words, it picks up momentum & gets quicker & quicker.

barry n davidson · 02-16-2006 06:02:27

dan weasley wrote:
Thanks everyone for your encouragement. Its been pretty awesome - I have no idea, each time I sit down to write, what is supposed to come next....

Then I slip on the headphones, kick in a little 'Disturbed', and read the last sentence I wrote. 2 hours later I wake up, with another 3 or 4 thousand words done. Its like taking dictation from my muse man, I just watch it unfold in front of me, almost like I reading the story, rather than writing it. I have never in my life had something flow so easily.

You're in the ZONE Dan. It is more like watching a movie in your head. They're real, and you're just along for the ride. Congrats!

#1 02-15-2006 04:54:50

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dan weasley wrote:

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