A first for me: tracking my writing

I've never been one to note how many words I write, how many pages, etc., but this year I thought I'd try something different.

Last year I used a calendar to just note when I wrote. I just crossed off a day on the calendar if I wrote that day. If I mucked around and didn't do much, I put one line through the day. On a good day, it was a big X on that day.

This year I'm doing the same thing, but jotting notes, too. For example, Research, or Set up, or Too Busy. Then I'm noting when I start a milestone in the book (Chapter 4 started). I'm going to do this for my next few books so I can see if there's a pattern there. Do I always stall out at Chapter 6? Do I get a good jump then sag in the middle?

Stay tuned. It's another year and yet another writing experiment!

J L
(30 books and counting)

A time for everything ...

My writing process is this: I write a first draft of a book in about 2-3 months. Then I set it aside for a few months while I start a new book. Then I'll come back to it and do editing. I look for repetitive words, throwaway words ("and" "then" "up" "down"), I look at sentence length and paragraph size and what I call Mechanics.

Then I read the book. I mean, I actually read it. After a month or two I've totally forgotten it, so it's like reading a new story with fresh eyes. I read it and work out inconsistencies, plot gaps, and weak points. Once that edit is over, I ship it off to my beta reader for her review.

I haven't felt very creative lately. In fact, I've been sort of at loose ends. I've had to spend a lot of energy on Legal Nonsense, and it sapped my creative side. But I finally got a break, and I sat down at the keyboard ... and realized I don't have a book in progress. I have a few I could start. I have another story I could work on. But I don't have that One Focus Book right now.

What an odd feeling. The first time in maybe 6 years I didn't have a focus. What to do?

I did Mechanics. I dragged out that book I had finished back in the late summer and I started on mechanics. And you know what? That action got me back into the flow of writing.

So don't gripe about the grunt-work of writing. Sometimes it's JUST what the doctor ordered!

Another 3 month book ...

You know, whenever I write a book, I'm amazed by how loooooonnnngggg the process seems. I start writing it and I pick at it, and I work on it, and I procrastinate, and I put off, then eventually I knuckle down and get the thing done.

And when I look back I realize it took me 3 months. Yep, that's what I average per book: 3 months from start to finish. I tend to self-edit as I go, so that's 3 months total, plus or minus a few weeks.

Why does this seem so long to me? I've finally figured that out: usually that 3 months spans a season, or maybe two. Example: my latest WIP was started in early June. I wrapped it up in early September. It spanned the whole summer. Maybe *that's* why it seems so long?

I'm not sure, but I'm glad it's done -- or nearly so. The ending of that one gave me fits, but I think I finally the right way to wrap it up. I'll know more in a few months when I go back and re-read it and make sure it all makes sense!

And to celebrate, I scheduled another book for publication. Gilt released earlier this week (on Amazon to start with, wider distribution in a month or two).

This is a book about guilt -- and about gilt, as in, the things we hide from each other, and the more importantly, the things we hide from ourselves. I did the first draft of this book in 2005. When I picked it up again in 2011, I said, "well, I like the characters, but this plot needs work."

And work it I did. This was another 3-month book, one that spanned the autumn months last year.

I'm enjoying the flexibility of scheduling my own releases. I plan one more for this year, then we'll see what next year brings ... I have 3 ready to go, but I think I might take a break and only release 2 next year. We'll see how fast I can type!