Christmas Rush

Last week, I met my recently added and enforced word count target with aplomb. I made it so effortlessly that I considered raising the target immediately, thinking that I could speed up the progress and buy myself more time for editing. I am glad that I didn't, for two reasons.
The first reason is that I would have struggled to meet the target this week, and most likely next week too. It would have been a huge blow to my confidence if I couldn't hit my self-imposed goals on only the second week of trying. I blame Christmas, of course, as it has leeched time from me like a benevolent parasite.
The second reason is that, in order to try and hit the targets, I may have slipped in my own standards just to fill the pages. I think I would prefer to write the way I want to write, instead of adding unnecessary descriptions and dialogues to beef up the passages in the story.
So, the target still stands at 1000 words each week. As writing is just a hobby for me, I think it is an acceptable amount to aim for. It is generally only one or two sessions of writing, which should be achievable, and this week I have made it by the skin of my teeth. Just over an hour to spare, and I really should be getting to bed so that I am rested for tomorrow's arduous endeavours at work (last day before the Christmas break).
27,000 words is an achievement for me. I know it pales in comparison with many, many others, but I know that I can keep going. I have to get this on paper (albeit digitally) and persevere until it is finished. I should have 28,000 before the end of the year, if I manage to keep to the target of Christmas... wish me luck!

Word Count

First week of writing targets and I have succeeded. It feels good,  although I can't escape the nagging feeling that I have made it too easy for myself. Maybe I should increase the target? Perhaps it is something I can revisit in the new year, and base the decision on how I get on.

Writing Targets

I am writing a story. I have the tale, of an anti-hero and his hidden destiny, locked in my bonce. There are several there, in fact, all struggling to escape and make their way to paper somewhere. Over the past 18 months, I have been attempting to free one of these stories, and so far I have 25,000 words of it.

The trouble is that I don't have the time to write. I am not an author, freelance writer, journalist or jobless bum. I work full time, have a baby and an overwhelming urge to do nothing but rest when the rare occasion to do so emerges. I enjoy the writing, but getting enough time to zone in on it and get some done is difficult. 25K is good going, in my mind, but it is about 1/3 of the story. And this is just the first draft - there will doubtless be a few versions once the whole yarn has been unravelled.

So, I have decided to set myself writing targets. It seems to be a good idea, and the writers that I follow on Twitter and blogs all do it. They often choose to do 1,000 words a day, and whereas that is probably an acceptable workload for someone who gets paid to do it, I think I would struggle with that sort of output on a daily basis. My overall aim is 75,000 words, so I have 50,000 left. I think I could do 1,000 a week, which means the first draft would be finished by this time next year (allowing for holidays!).
I will start with this week - I have to get to 26,000 words by Sunday evening! The target is set, the gauntlet thrown. I have some work to do...