Stats:
Average Daily Wordcount: 3,240
Week Total Wordcount: 22,682
Words to go:
Month: 39,130
Year: 955,796
In week 2, I finished a romance novella. That means I have officially finished 1 project (or at least a 1st draft of a project) during Milwordy, which makes this challenge feel like a success already. I haven’t been able to finish a single thing since 2018—not a novel, not a novella, not a short story. I haven’t even come close. This is major for me.
Of course, the novella is going to need a lot of work still to bring it up to a standard where I might actually allow someone else’s eyes on it, so it’s not really “finished” per se. However, beyond not having finished a draft in a long time, this particular novella was something I had in my head in college.
I graduated college in 2009.
Eleven years and in all that time, this particular project has only been a glimmer in my eye. I had put it away for so long that I actually kind of forgot about it. I mean, it was always in the back of my mind, but in a kind of “Hey! Remember that one story? Yeah…I’m never touching that again” kind of way.
To put the plot down on paper, even if it needs a lot of revision, is a massive win.
So, I guess what I’ve learned in my second week of Milwordy is that I’m still capable of finishing things. Also, there are some ideas that need a long time to percolate; I’m glad I didn’t write this back in college. As a writer, I don’t think I was ready for it.
Another important thing I’ve learned, or perhaps relearned: When I have structure to my goals, and a solid time frame, I’m much better at getting my writing done. A big part of succeeding in this challenge so far has just been about the push to get those words in. That seems obvious, I guess, but I often wake up in the morning, not quite sure what I’m going to write and convinced that I won’t be able to write anything at all. Yet, because I have a goal to meet, somehow I always find the words anyway.
I’ve also learned that social media, can eat up a LOT of time. I’ve had personal social media accounts on various platforms before, but I’m well-known among my family and friends for never updating or even being present on those platforms. I’ve been trying more with this because I’m really hoping to join the online writing community. I don’t know many people in the real world who write, and no one who likes to write the types of things that I do. I think talking to people who understand both the joys and pains of writing will help keep me on track. Plus, getting to see what other writers have to say about genres I love, keeps my own passion burning.
But it is also a serious time-suck, and I’m still not as active as a lot of other people, especially on Twitter.
Anyway, what did you learn this week? Even if it’s not related to writing, I’d love to hear about it!
Rambling Robin 