Courtesy APOD, NASA
I’m giving myself a star — actually, a few billion stars — for today. 3350 words.
I’ve been trying word sprints, which are similar to wind sprints (athletes should recognize that term). I set the timer for 30 minutes, write until the timer beeps, and then give myself a break of no more than an hour while I think about what to write next.
The writing isn’t smooth or without pauses, but I’m not allowed to get up from my computer, answer the phone (which keeps ringing! drat those robo-calls!), or look up a word in the dictionary. This is writing focused purely on idea — on watching it develop on the page as the words seem to magically appear. It’s like developing a photograph, the only difference being the photographer knows what to expect.
I’m at a point in my novel where I know what will happen in a few pages, but I have no idea what the few pages that take me there will look like. When I started this morning, I thought “a few” pages meant 3-4. By the end of the day, they were 10, and I still hadn’t reached the point where I know what’s going to happen.
I have to assume I’ll get there eventually. I just don’t know yet by what route.
Lizzie Ross 
Impressive work, Lizzie. And I do like your choice of image — the NASA pics of all those galaxies unimaginable light years away never ceases to astound me and leave me floudering for words.
Hopefully you won’t be floundering for words this month!
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Thanks, Calmgrove. APOD is the page that comes up first when I log on to the internet. Daily inspiration! It has not yet made me babble, so I’ll keep risking the awesome views.
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Good luck with your novel.
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Thank you, Simon! I’m saving your Scotland posts to read in December — my reward for this month of writing.
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Great idea!
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I know! It’s amazing how much I can write once I actually start writing!
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