After entering today’s words, and calculating the total, I find I’m slightly behind where I need to be at this point. I added 1,333 words to the count, bringing the total number of words up to 5,725. This averages out to about 817 words per day; the target was 834 words per day.
The session felt both tedious and productive. I’ve stayed from my original outline, not to much, but I’m fairly certain when I go to edit this part of the finished product, I will end up cutting or rewriting much of what I’ve produced in the last few days. Knowing this makes me feel a little like I’ve wasted time and effort. I have to remember that at this stage of the game, wasting words will help me find the right words to tell the story.
There is a lesson here; most of the stray from my outline is rooted in a lack of research regarding life aboard a 17th century pirate ship. I wrote something really good based on what I thought that kind of life would be like, rather than what it actually was like. What I needed to do was research first, then build my story around that research. I’m thinking now, I may be able to use the unresearched portion somewhere else, maybe even a different story.
I’m also thinking of engaging in a critical review of my outline, and identifying those areas which need a little more research. It is this combination of research regarding what is, and imaginative extrapolation from thst research which will bring the story to life in a believable way. It will give me the knowledge I need to make good creative choices. While this may add to the work load, I believe it will pay off in the long run.
Cadence McKinnon 