# A novel in a week: final wordcount, what I did right and what I did wrong



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

The week is (finally) over! Here's a bit of a summary of my experience and what I would do differently next time:

*Goal:* Lock myself in a hotel room and write 50,000-70,000 words in the space of a week.
*Final word count:* 54,130 (story complete - 52k done across the first six days)
*Days I hit 10k:* 4

*Was this week worth it?* Definitely yes. It's the most productive I've been in a very long time. Heck, ever.
*
Would I do this again?* Another definitely yes. I'm trying to find space in my calendar for another trip soon.

*What would I do differently?* I'd stay a little longer - say, ten days - and have a couple of no-work days in the middle. So, three days of writing followed by one day of relaxing, repeated. I think my brain really needed it.

I'd also choose my project a bit more carefully. I picked this story because I'd had it in my head for a long time, but it was quieter and more thoughtful than what I normally write, and that turned out to be a challenge. Next time, I'd go with something more action-based. I find them easier to write.

*How was the actual writing, quality-wise?* I knew I wasn't going to create a Pulitzer-winning masterpiece. I was expecting to start each day with 2-3 thousand 'respectable' words but have the quality drop after that.

In reality, I was really surprised. There's not much of a quality difference between the first sprints and the last sprints of each day. This is shaking my beliefs about my abilities; I honestly thought 3k per day was as much as I could manage without producing trash. Apparently that was an artificial limit.

Overall, the story is a little messier than what I normally create. But not by much, and certainly not as much as I was expecting. Most of the issues are things like word echoes (repeating a word withing a couple of paragraphs) and phrasing that could be reworked. I don't think I'll need to do much in terms of adding new content or deleting paragraphs.

Nb: I doubt I could have managed this even a year ago. I tallied up how many words I've written since starting self-publishing and found I'd passed the million word mark with this story. The practice is definitely helping. I'm not saying I'm a good writer - sweet mercy, I am decidedly not - but I'm getting better at being not completely awful.

*Factors that contributed to the successful days:*
- Varied location. On the days I hit 10k, I always went out for lunch and wrote at the shops for 2-3 hours.
- Knowing what was coming next. Not just by plotting it, but by visualising the scene playing out.
- Moral support and accountability. There were a couple of days where I wanted to say, "Heck it, 7k is close enough, call it quits." But I loved seeing how excited you guys got when I hit my mark (and dreaded having to explain why I didn't) so I powered on.
- Looking after myself. This is a bit of a "duh" thing to say, but getting up on time and having an early breakfast had a big impact on my energy levels through the rest of the day.

*Factors that contributed to the less-successful days:*
- Headaches. They were total bummers.
- That 30-40% mark was a nightmare to get past. If I did this again, I'd take a day off at that point just to rejuvenate my brain a bit.
- Plot unravelling. I don't know if it's possible to avoid this completely, but next time I'd take another day or two to think the story through before I start the writing.

A final thought... a few people in this thread have said "I couldn't ever write that much in a day". Don't underestimate yourself. I used to say "I could never write that much", too. I continued to think it right up until I ended that first day with ten thousand words written. I surprised myself. Maybe, with the right story and the right situation, you could surprise yourself as well. =)

______________________

(Original post)

I average a novel every 2.5 months. I want to be faster. MUCH faster. Even if it kills me, gosh darnit.

Am I physically capable of creating a book in a short, concentrated burst of writing madness? I earn about $160 per 1,000 published words, so I can afford to spend a bit on this experiment if it increases my productivity.

*The plan:*

I've booked into a motel for eight nights. That gives me seven full days of uninterrupted writing time. I aim to vomit 70,000 mediocre words onto a computer screen by the end of that week. But, knowing that I am a fallible human with a tendency to over-commit, I'll accept anything above 50,000 words as a success.

*Things in my favour:*

I have a tight plot. Normally I just list major events with liberal question marks scattered in between, but this time I've planned the book chapter-by-chapter.

I have a series of rewards to motivate myself. (below)

And I'm posting this thread to keep myself accountable. You have my permission (and encouragement) to call me a lazy potato if I don't reach my goals.

*Odds against me:*

The most I've ever written in a day is 6.5k. And I only managed that once.

Migraines can be a problem if I stare at a computer screen for too long. I'll be staying hyper-hydrated and taking regular breaks to ward them off, but if one strikes, there's nothing I can do except sleep until it's gone.

I don't want to produce complete trash just to make my quotas. If I can write a book in a week but it takes two months to edit, it's not saving me time. So I'll be holding my writing to a standard. Not a high one. Just a standard.

*Rewards:*

Here are the carrots I get for reaching milestones:

10k: Dinner out with the family
20k: A massage. One of the fancy ones with special oils and heated rocks and stuff.
30k: Buy a new game. Waste up to a week playing it.
50k (benchmark): New laptop. This one is glitchy as all heck but it technically works so I haven't been able to justify replacing it.
60k: Hire a housecleaner for three months to save me from myself.
70k: Go on a tour of Australia's most haunted locations. (<-- I want this so bad)

I checked into the motel, but the challenge won't start until tomorrow. I'll spend my time until then tweaking the plot / relaxing / saying goodbye to the outside world.

If anyone else wants to join in, I'd love to have company! Set your own goals and rewards and we can wade through the madness together.

I'll update with a wordcount at the end of each day and possibly a few times in between as my mind slowly unravels.


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## K&#039;Sennia Visitor (Jan 14, 2014)

Wow!!!! Good luck with your goal!!!!!

I created an accountability Facebook group, if you wanted to join. I'd be happy to help you with any extra motivation you might need, maybe just knowing someone out there is watching and rooting for you?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/176893396127237/

I'll watch and root from here, too, if you don't want to join, of course. 

I'm trying to write and finish my first novel, but I don't have a crazy deadline like yours. I still have to create my outline, which I do tomorrow. I have to watch horror movies tonight to help inspire me, first.

Actually finishing is my biggest weakness, so that's the biggest thing, since I never have before. I just do lots of daily micro goals and in the end it all adds up to finishing the bigger goal.

I won't be a lazy potato, if you won't!

You can do this!!!!

I love your rewards system, too, that was a good idea.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

The $160 per 1,000 published words made me pause.

Good luck!


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

I never set out with a number of words in mind, but once or twice I've had the whole story in my head and I needed to get it all out of my head and onto the page. I found myself typing without any thought for the characters emotions, the structure, anything. In fact I had no idea what I was writing, but when I read it through the next day, I was quite pleased with myself even though I didn't remember a single word I had written! Give it a go, why not?


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Queen_of_Shorts said:


> Wow!!!! Good luck with your goal!!!!!


Thank you so much!! I don't have a Facebook account, but I really appreciate the encouragement! Do you write horror, too?



geronl said:


> The $160 per 1,000 published words made me pause.
> 
> Good luck!


It makes me pause too, hahaha. That's what a novel in my main genre will earn per 1,000 words during the first six months of publication. I've been incredibly fortunate. I also want to kick myself every day I don't write!



Doglover said:


> I never set out with a number of words in mind, but once or twice I've had the whole story in my head and I needed to get it all out of my head and onto the page. I found myself typing without any thought for the characters emotions, the structure, anything. In fact I had no idea what I was writing, but when I read it through the next day, I was quite pleased with myself even though I didn't remember a single word I had written! Give it a go, why not?


I love it when stories flow that easily. It almost never happens for me, but when it does, it's like magic. [nobbc][/nobbc]


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## Lauren P. (Jul 3, 2014)

Good luck, Kate!

Are you planning on dictating your novel or typing it?


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

Lauren P. said:


> Good luck, Kate!
> 
> Are you planning on dictating your novel or typing it?


I could never dictate my work. I like to keep it secret, between me and the keyboard, and I would feel stupid saying it out loud.


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## Tess McCallum (Jan 3, 2017)

Er, I just wanna write 1,000 words this coming Sunday when I will have a whole day free  

But good luck to you Kate. I hope it goes well for you.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Lauren P. said:


> Good luck, Kate!
> 
> Are you planning on dictating your novel or typing it?


Typing for this trip! Dictation would be much faster, but I haven't had time to set up the program and train it... or to train myself not to feel embarrassed speaking a story out loud. 



Tess McCallum said:


> Er, I just wanna write 1,000 words this coming Sunday when I will have a whole day free
> 
> But good luck to you Kate. I hope it goes well for you.


Thanks Tess! We've all got our own speed we work best at. It used to take me 7 months to write a novella! And even now some authors (cough, Amanda Lee, cough) put me to shame by taking my "crazy goal" and beating it five days a week, haha.


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## K&#039;Sennia Visitor (Jan 14, 2014)

Kate. said:


> Thank you so much!! I don't have a Facebook account, but I really appreciate the encouragement! Do you write horror, too?


 You're Welcome.  If we indies can't support each other, who will?

And yep, this is my first real try at genuine horror. I'm writing a story about a haunted lake. The tentative title is "Dead Things Under the Water."


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Queen_of_Shorts said:


> You're Welcome.  If we indies can't support each other, who will?
> 
> And yep, this is my first real try at genuine horror. I'm writing a story about a haunted lake. The tentative title is "Dead Things Under the Water."


Oooh, that sounds good! Send me a link when it's live and I'll pick up a copy!


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## K&#039;Sennia Visitor (Jan 14, 2014)

Kate. said:


> Oooh, that sounds good! Send me a link when it's live and I'll pick up a copy!


 I shall do that! Just favorited your profile, so I don't forget. *teehee*

PM me a link to yours when you're done, also!


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## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

Good luck! I won't join in, since I've recently made the conscious decision to start writing more slowly,  but I'll be very interested to see how you get on.


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2017)

Kate. said:


> If anyone else wants to join in, I'd love to have company!


What's the address of the motel?

Just kidding 

Wishing you well with your project.

Will


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

I believe the most haunted location in Australia is the nurses' quarter of the Cootamundra Hospital. My daughter lived there for three months. By herself. We're not much into believing in hauntings, but apparently taps come on by themselves and water leaks through the entire building.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Lydniz said:


> Good luck! I won't join in, since I've recently made the conscious decision to start writing more slowly,  but I'll be very interested to see how you get on.


Thank you! If you don't mind me asking, what made you choose to write slower? Is it to get a cleaner first draft? (Editing is the bane of my existence and I can only pray that I'm not creating a monster with this project.)



Will Edwards said:


> What's the address of the motel?
> 
> Just kidding
> 
> ...


Haha, I don't think you want to stay here! It's about as budget as budget gets. [nobbc][/nobbc] There's a nice bright streetlight right outside my window to blind me keep me company at night.



Patty Jansen said:


> I believe the most haunted location in Australia is the nurses' quarter of the Cootamundra Hospital. My daughter lived there for three months. By herself. We're not much into believing in hauntings, but apparently taps come on by themselves and water leaks through the entire building.


Ooooh, that sounds amazing! I mean, obviously not amazing for the people living there... but I'm adding it to my list of destinations to visit. [nobbc][/nobbc]

It's edging up to 11pm and I'm off to bed. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty nervous about tomorrow. I decided to change the story's ending last-minute and that involves scrapping nearly a third of my plot. It's the right choice, but it's leaving me way less prepared than I was hoping to be.  At the same time, I'm so excited to start this thing. It's been rattling around in my head for too long and it needs to be set free.


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## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

Kate. said:


> Thank you! If you don't mind me asking, what made you choose to write slower? Is it to get a cleaner first draft? (Editing is the bane of my existence and I can only pray that I'm not creating a monster with this project.)


Mostly because I cranked out thirteen (or possibly more, I'm losing count) novels in three years and it burned me out. The last one I did felt a bit rushed, because, as I realise now, I was more concerned with keeping to a schedule than putting out the best work I could. I don't want to be working so fast that I don't have time to improve. Also, I'm knackered.


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## T E Scott Writer (Jul 27, 2016)

How exciting, best of luck!


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## AlexaGrave (Jun 11, 2015)

Good luck!  

I hope one day I can afford to do something like this because lately the kids among everything else have me so scattered, so when I sit down to write I can't focus (no how badly I have the itch to write)!


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## Berries (Feb 5, 2015)

I'll definitely be watching this thread with interest. I think if I had a hotel room to myself without the kid and hubby I would get very little writing done. Probably just sleep for the first two days


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Writing in a hotel makes me think of...








Good luck! Bookmarking this thread!


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## kathrynoh (Oct 17, 2012)

I spend some time at a hotel when I was in Phnom Penh last year, just writing not even leaving the place. It really works especially if you can get room service and not have to think about food. An extra bonus for me was having a pool so I could take quick swimming breaks. A few laps of breast stroke really counteracts all that hunching at the computer 

Good luck with it.


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## Anarchist (Apr 22, 2015)

If you _really_ want to finish your novel in a week, I suggest the following:

1. find an accountability "partner"

2. place $1,000 into an escrow account.

3a. instruct your partner to donate the $1,000 to your most hated charity/organization if you fail to finish on time.

3b. instruct your partner to release the funds back to you if you *do* finish on time.


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## SC (Jan 6, 2017)

Good luck! I'll be interested to hear how far you get.

As for migraines, do you have a migraine medication? I have one that usually gets rid of the migraine in a couple hours. If you don't have meds for that, you should probably talk to your doctor.

There's a hotel with author themes that I've been hearing about. Sounds like an interesting place to do this kind of thing.


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## Mercedes Vox (Jul 22, 2014)

NOTHING TO SEE HERE.


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## SC (Jan 6, 2017)

Mercedes Vox said:


> I'm pretty sure this is the place: http://www.sylviabeachhotel.com/


Yep, that's the one. Apparently it's super quaint. Could be a good writing getaway location.


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## Mari Oliver (Feb 12, 2016)

Best of luck to you, Kate! I'm doing something similar. My husband and son are out of town, so for the next 8 days I'm writing as much as I can before fizzing out. It's a new novel, and today I'm almost finished with the outline. I have to outline otherwise writing fast doesn't happen for me. My target word count is 5k daily. I'm not as fast as where I'd like to be so this is good practice. So, I hope you're able to get plenty accomplished and have fun!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Thank you for the kind replies, everyone! I'm going to try to respond between sprints, so please forgive me if I'm slow!



Lydniz said:


> Mostly because I cranked out thirteen (or possibly more, I'm losing count) novels in three years and it burned me out. The last one I did felt a bit rushed, because, as I realise now, I was more concerned with keeping to a schedule than putting out the best work I could. I don't want to be working so fast that I don't have time to improve. Also, I'm knackered.


That makes total sense. Burnout is awful. I hope taking some pressure off helps.



T E Scott Writer said:


> How exciting, best of luck!


Thank you!



AlexaGrave said:


> Good luck!
> 
> I hope one day I can afford to do something like this because lately the kids among everything else have me so scattered, so when I sit down to write I can't focus (no how badly I have the itch to write)!


I don't have kids, but I can definitely empathize. I can't write at home for more than a few minutes without being interrupted. I've found writing in cafes work wonders for my productivity. The hotel is a step up from that. So far it seems to be working. =)

Two sprints down, 1,000 words into this story. I'm happy with my speed. If I can maintain it I should be able to reach my daily goal in five hours. Fatigue's going to be the real killer. I was hoping to write outside today, but it's raining.

Five minute break is up. Back to the grindstone.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Berries said:


> I'll definitely be watching this thread with interest. I think if I had a hotel room to myself without the kid and hubby I would get very little writing done. Probably just sleep for the first two days


Hahaha, let me tell you, it's pretty tempting! There's also a TV (we can't get reception at home) and I'm having to make myself promise not to touch it until I meet my daily goal.



Alan Petersen said:


> Writing in a hotel makes me think of...
> 
> 
> 
> Good luck! Bookmarking this thread!


If you think that's not going to happen by Day 5, you've underestimated me. 



kathrynoh said:


> I spend some time at a hotel when I was in Phnom Penh last year, just writing not even leaving the place. It really works especially if you can get room service and not have to think about food. An extra bonus for me was having a pool so I could take quick swimming breaks. A few laps of breast stroke really counteracts all that hunching at the computer
> 
> Good luck with it.


Ohh, now I'm thinking I should have spent a bit more to find a place with a pool. This motel is clean and nice, but it really is budget. No microwave, no wardrobe, and the bathroom's so small that I bump the sink while taking a shower. If this week works out I'll definitely invest in something a bit nicer next time.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Anarchist said:


> If you _really_ want to finish your novel in a week, I suggest the following:
> 
> 1. find an accountability "partner"
> 
> ...


Oooooh boy. Ohh boy. 3a is the killer. Losing the money would hurt, but to a charity you don't support? Brutal. 



Shawna Canon said:


> Good luck! I'll be interested to hear how far you get.
> 
> As for migraines, do you have a migraine medication? I have one that usually gets rid of the migraine in a couple hours. If you don't have meds for that, you should probably talk to your doctor.
> 
> There's a hotel with author themes that I've been hearing about. Sounds like an interesting place to do this kind of thing.


Thank you! No prescription medication, but I take an ibuprofen if it's a bad migraine. It reduces the pain, but doesn't get rid of the fogginess that comes with it, unfortunately. =(



Mercedes Vox said:


> I'm pretty sure this is the place: http://www.sylviabeachhotel.com/
> 
> Good luck with your challenge, OP Kate!


That looks really nice! Maybe we could organise a Kboards writers retreat there one day?



Vintage Mari said:


> Best of luck to you, Kate! I'm doing something similar. My husband and son are out of town, so for the next 8 days I'm writing as much as I can before fizzing out. It's a new novel, and today I'm almost finished with the outline. I have to outline otherwise writing fast doesn't happen for me. My target word count is 5k daily. I'm not as fast as where I'd like to be so this is good practice. So, I hope you're able to get plenty accomplished and have fun!


Good luck!! I hope it's a super productive week for you. =) I'd love to hear how you do, if you want to update us!

I've finished four 15-minute sprints. Now I'm taking a longer break and enjoying such luxuries as visiting the bathroom and making a new cup of tea.

1,900 words in the first hour and a half. (1 hr writing, half hour in breaks). I'm pretty happy with that. Sprinting is faster than my usual 1k per hour rate. The words will need some tidying and pruning later, but they're not completely awful, at least. My only complaint is that the breaks go so fast!


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## Tess McCallum (Jan 3, 2017)

Patty Jansen said:


> I believe the most haunted location in Australia is the nurses' quarter of the Cootamundra Hospital. My daughter lived there for three months. By herself. We're not much into believing in hauntings, but apparently taps come on by themselves and water leaks through the entire building.


The old Fremantle Prison near where I live do night time ghost tours. I've heard its pretty creepy . Creepy enough during the day, especially around the gallows.


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## Guy Riessen (Mar 27, 2016)

Doglover said:


> I could never dictate my work. I like to keep it secret, between me and the keyboard, and I would feel stupid saying it out loud.


Lol this is so me...and my keyboard


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## Pacman (Dec 18, 2016)

Hi fellow Aussie 

I write using Scrivener and will sometimes churn out 10,000 in a day of nasty hard work when I have to. My process is chapters - I set my goal to write 4000 word chapters and when I'm only at 2000 words I won't leave it until it's at where it should be, between 3000 and 5000. If I can write more I then split it into 2 chapters and add as needed. This process of chapters works for me and perhaps it might help you - maybe. Caveat - we're all different, as soon as you find your style that works use it.

Good luck Kate, keep us updated.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Just finished my second set of sprints. It's midday, I've been working for three hours and have a sliver over 4,000 words written. I'm pretty happy with that! If I can keep it up I should be done before six, which means I can relax in the evening.

Fatigue is starting to set in, though. 4,000 is the highest I can manage on a normal writing day. I'm heading out for lunch and will take my laptop to see if a new environment helps revitalise me a bit.



Tess McCallum said:


> The old Fremantle Prison near where I live do night time ghost tours. I've heard its pretty creepy . Creepy enough during the day, especially around the gallows.


That sounds perfect! Thanks for the tip - I've added it to my list!



Pacman said:


> Hi fellow Aussie
> 
> I write using Scrivener and will sometimes churn out 10,000 in a day of nasty hard work when I have to. My process is chapters - I set my goal to write 4000 word chapters and when I'm only at 2000 words I won't leave it until it's at where it should be, between 3000 and 5000. If I can write more I then split it into 2 chapters and add as needed. This process of chapters works for me and perhaps it might help you - maybe. Caveat - we're all different, as soon as you find your style that works use it.
> 
> Good luck Kate, keep us updated.


Thank you! The chapters method is a great trick. Sometimes I try to end in the middle of a chapter because it can be easier to pick it up the next day, but the completionist in me always likes finishing at the end of a chapter when possible. =)


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## Chrissy (Mar 31, 2014)

Kate. said:


> Just finished my second set of sprints. It's midday, I've been working for three hours and have a sliver over 4,000 words written. I'm pretty happy with that! If I can keep it up I should be done before six, which means I can relax in the evening.
> 
> *Fatigue is starting to set in, though.* 4,000 is the highest I can manage on a normal writing day. I'm heading out for lunch and will take my laptop to see if a new environment helps revitalise me a bit.


Don't be afraid to take a short (30-45 min) power nap. Dean Wesley Smith does it all the time when writing long stints.


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## John Etzil (Nov 15, 2016)

Kate. said:


> Hahaha, let me tell you, it's pretty tempting! There's also a TV (we can't get reception at home) and I'm having to make myself promise not to touch it until I meet my daily goal.
> If you think that's not going to happen by Day 5, you've underestimated me.
> Ohh, now I'm thinking I should have spent a bit more to find a place with a pool. This motel is clean and nice, but it really is budget. No microwave, no wardrobe, and the bathroom's so small that I bump the sink while taking a shower. If this week works out I'll definitely invest in something a bit nicer next time.


Shower? You have time for that? And I thought that you were a real writer... 

All kidding aside, keep up the good work!


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## ......~...... (Jul 4, 2015)

I want to get 50,000 words written by the end of the month, so I'll use this thread as inspiration if you don't mind! Good luck!


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## Yayoi (Apr 26, 2016)

So Kate, how do you do this? Do you type, write longhand or use dictation?


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

4pm and another longer break. I flagged a bit during lunch; the cafe was just too noisy to concentrate, and without using the sprints my average words per hour dropped. I'm back at the hotel now with 6,500 words done. I might be able to finish by 6 if I keep pushing, but I'm getting tired and my brain is screaming, haha.

At the same time, it's a thrill to see the story progress so quickly. Having a detailed plot helps SO MUCH.



Chrissy said:


> Don't be afraid to take a short (30-45 min) power nap. Dean Wesley Smith does it all the time when writing long stints.


That's a great idea! A power nap might be what I need to lift this fog.



John Etzil said:


> Shower? You have time for that? And I thought that you were a real writer...
> 
> All kidding aside, keep up the good work!


Showers are reserved as rewards when I hit my writing target.  I may start to smell pretty bad by the end of the week!



NeedWant said:


> I want to get 50,000 words written by the end of the month, so I'll use this thread as inspiration if you don't mind! Good luck!


Go for it! And good luck with your goal!!



Yayoi said:


> So Kate, how do you do this? Do you type, write longhand or use dictation?


I type. Dictation would probably be faster but I haven't been able to get comfortable with it yet. And I wouldn't dare write it longhand; my writing is so messy I'd have trouble figuring out what I'd said!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Day 1: COMPLETE
Total words: 10,180

1. I have a horrible headache

2. I am dead tired. And possibly dead. 

3. I've never written so much in a single day. Not even close. 

4. Writing in the morning was much easier than the afternoon. After 3:00 my fingers became sluggish and started adding lots of typos.

5. I'll probably feel really happy with myself later. Right now I just want a shower and some dinner, and maybe twenty hours of sleep or so.

6. All up, it took nearly 10 hours to get here. Actual writing time would have been around 7.5 hours; the rest was breaks between sprints and lunch.

7. I started with 15 minute sprints, but upped it to 30 minutes in the afternoon. It's easier to start a 15 minute block but I was more productive with 30.

8. I can't believe I actually did this??


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## Marina Finlayson (May 2, 2014)

This is so fun to watch! You're doing so well--what a huge first day!

Re the tiredness in the afternoon: maybe if you tried a power nap at lunchtime that would help? Good luck!


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## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

Well done! If you're writing better in the morning might it be a good idea to start slightly earlier and aim to do the bulk of it before lunch? I found when I was struggling with my last book that if I got up at 6 and just jotted down a load of notes before breakfast, it helped me hit the ground running when I actually sat down to start.


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## A. N. Other Author (Oct 11, 2014)

Oof this is a real challenge. Personally I would take two weeks but if you can't you can't. I know *I* couldn't take two weeks out. I once did 60,000 in a week although I didn't book a hotel, just a week out from my day job so still had the kids at school and dinner time. Essentially njne-til-five in coffee shops, the library, my bedroom.... I did do a weekend in a hotel once just to edit a manuscript which was very productive. 

My best week recently was a 24k novella in a week while working a full time day job. 

So the challenge is certainly achievable but one tip: when it becomes a real chore take a break. Change your scenery. Maybe read for an hour. A target is a great motivator but when it is your own arbitrary target you do have some leeway. 

Best of luck. Keep us posted. 


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Wow, really enjoying following this.

I'm trying to write a 20k novella in 7 days as a giveaway to my mailing list. But I'm struggling. Right now my 1 yr old is watching Bing and I thought I'd take ten minutes to write a sprint. But that never works for me, and I'm reading kboards instead! But I'm finding your challenge super inspiring. Perhaps I'll write during nap time instead of doing the laundry, lol.

The hotel idea is a good one. I have planned that as soon as my youngest turns five I'm going to go to France on a week long writing retreat. It's years away, but I love to dream about it.

Thread jack on haunted places. We have a pub here in Bristol (UK) built in 1606, that apparently has human skin covering the front door (under a layer of tar). It's definitely haunted. There are numerous stories, but I've actually been in the bathroom when the taps have turned on by themselves, and the doors have opened and closed without cause. It wasn't remotely scary though.


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## Rica G (Jul 16, 2016)

Good luck! 10k a day is super awesome. And grats on day 1. Cheering you on.


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## Pizzazz (Dec 14, 2016)

Good luck with everything, Kate!  I clicked "Notify me" for this thread so I can watch your progress!!


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Dean Wesley Smith just finished a challenge he set himself to write a novel in five days while at a hotel in Vegas. His books are considerably shorter than you plan, but he goes through the process, and the follow up posts are interesting. Warning, though:  he's not a plotter, nor a rewriter, so he's pretty -- I don't know the word I want, but enthusiastic? -- about his approach. While doing the novel, he also was writing blog posts about the process, which will be another book.

Good luck, and remember to take breaks to rest your body (and brain). Oh, and when I was having pretty bad migraines, I found the herb feverfew helped me a lot. Mine would come on and last for days; I'd lose the sight in my left eye, which wasn't good, as that's my "best" eye and I was doing rather detailed work.


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## S.G. Seabourne (Oct 27, 2016)

This is wonderfully ambitious! Following and wishing you much success!


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Wow! Outstanding first day! Over 10K in a day is mind boggling to this slow poke! Awesome job. I'm rooting for you!


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## AlexaGrave (Jun 11, 2015)

Congrats on over 10k for day 1!

I'd definitely be dead if I accomplished that.  

My highest was 5k in one day, and I distinctly remember just how wiped and burned out I was after that... and how long it was before I wrote anything else again.

Good luck with day 2!


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## Mari Oliver (Feb 12, 2016)

she-la-ti-da said:


> Dean Wesley Smith just finished a challenge he set himself to write a novel in five days while at a hotel in Vegas. His books are considerably shorter than you plan, but he goes through the process, and the follow up posts are interesting. Warning, though: he's not a plotter, nor a rewriter, so he's pretty -- I don't know the word I want, but enthusiastic? -- about his approach. While doing the novel, he also was writing blog posts about the process, which will be another book.
> 
> Good luck, and remember to take breaks to rest your body (and brain). Oh, and when I was having pretty bad migraines, I found the herb feverfew helped me a lot. Mine would come on and last for days; I'd lose the sight in my left eye, which wasn't good, as that's my "best" eye and I was doing rather detailed work.


I followed his blog while this was happening. It's actually been a huge motivator for me (trying to finish a novelette today that I started yesterday and then continue on with the novel). And the thing is, writing fast is possible with time and practice. There are times when I'll zone out during a session and I'm surprised to find more words there when I think LESS about them. It's like magic.

@Kate: how's it going? I did 2k yesterday after outlining. But now I have the outline so it's smooth sailing! I hope you're kicking some butt!


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## K&#039;Sennia Visitor (Jan 14, 2014)

Wow, you're doing great! 10,000 words in one day is a ton of action.


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## DmGuay (Aug 17, 2016)

Anarchist said:


> If you _really_ want to finish your novel in a week, I suggest the following:
> 
> 1. find an accountability "partner"
> 
> ...


Funny. We've done this ^ ^ ^ when trying to reach savings goals!

Anyway, to the OP. I'm rooting for you and anxious to see how it works out. 
To the person who runs the accountability FB group. I want in! Request sent.


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## JulianneQJohnson (Nov 12, 2016)

Well done on the first day, Kate!  You should be very proud!  I think the most I've written in one day is about 8k.  I get migraines too, so I feel for you.  Keep it up!


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## Berries (Feb 5, 2015)

Come on, Kate. We're all dying for an update!


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Berries said:


> Come on, Kate. We're all dying for an update!


She's probably doing this after that marathon first day!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Wow, I woke up to so many replies! <3 Thank you for all the kind words and support; I'll respond as quickly as I can, but I only get 5 minute breaks between sprints, so apologies if it takes me a bit! 

Two sprints down so far. My speed is back up to 2,200 words per hour (compared to yesterday afternoon where it dipped to 1,600). 

I didn't expect this, but my wrist is sore. Like a bruised sensation. The desk in this hotel isn't ideal so I've been resting my wrists on the edge of my laptop for stability. I'll have to be more careful and maybe find some new cafes to write in.


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## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

Kate. said:


> I didn't expect this, but my wrist is sore. Like a bruised sensation. The desk in this hotel isn't ideal so I've been resting my wrists on the edge of my laptop for stability. I'll have to be more careful and maybe find some new cafes to write in.


Be careful, as you could be setting yourself up for RSI if you've never had it before! As a long-time sufferer, I recommend you order yourself a gel wrist rest ASAP, keep your wrists warm, rest them as much as you can, and maybe get some deep heat gel for them or something.


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## kusanagi (Jan 27, 2017)

Hotel ambience sure can add flavour to your writing efforts, as long as you don't get too noisy neighbours thumping the wall next to you every 2 seconds haha. Then again, it's good for mindfulness  Good Luck!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Marina Finlayson said:


> This is so fun to watch! You're doing so well--what a huge first day!
> 
> Re the tiredness in the afternoon: maybe if you tried a power nap at lunchtime that would help? Good luck!


Thank you! A power nap is awfully tempting today. =)



Lydniz said:


> Well done! If you're writing better in the morning might it be a good idea to start slightly earlier and aim to do the bulk of it before lunch? I found when I was struggling with my last book that if I got up at 6 and just jotted down a load of notes before breakfast, it helped me hit the ground running when I actually sat down to start.


That's great advice! The weird thing is normally afternoons and evenings are better writing times for me. I think yesterday was purely physical and mental fatigue building up.



ADDavies said:


> Oof this is a real challenge. Personally I would take two weeks but if you can't you can't. I know *I* couldn't take two weeks out. I once did 60,000 in a week although I didn't book a hotel, just a week out from my day job so still had the kids at school and dinner time. Essentially njne-til-five in coffee shops, the library, my bedroom.... I did do a weekend in a hotel once just to edit a manuscript which was very productive.
> 
> My best week recently was a 24k novella in a week while working a full time day job.
> 
> ...


Honestly, if I can leave this week with 60,000, I'll be pleased as punch. And 24k in a week is fantastic... even _without _a full-time job! Congrats!!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

It's 11:15 and I think I'll go out for lunch early. I've made great progress this morning. I'm taking slightly longer breaks between sprints, but my average words per sprint are increasing. I got 2379 words per hour on my last 20-minute block.

I'm now at 13,283 words total - so nearly a third of the way through today! If I can keep up the pace (and that's a big if) I will actually finish earlier than yesterday.

On the other hand, I still feel fatigued from yesterday, and I keep putting off starting new sprints. I'm heading out for a change of environment. Maybe that will fix me. =)



Evenstar said:


> Wow, really enjoying following this.
> 
> I'm trying to write a 20k novella in 7 days as a giveaway to my mailing list. But I'm struggling. Right now my 1 yr old is watching Bing and I thought I'd take ten minutes to write a sprint. But that never works for me, and I'm reading kboards instead! But I'm finding your challenge super inspiring. Perhaps I'll write during nap time instead of doing the laundry, lol.
> 
> ...


Good luck with your novella! Trying to write with young children seems incredibly challenging. And I know what you mean about Kboards. It's the most wonderful timesink and procrastination provider. 

That hotel sounds amazing! But I don't know how you could see taps turn on and not be frightened!!



Rica G said:


> Good luck! 10k a day is super awesome. And grats on day 1. Cheering you on.





Pizzazz said:


> Good luck with everything, Kate! I clicked "Notify me" for this thread so I can watch your progress!!


Thank you both! I really appreciate the support! =)



she-la-ti-da said:


> Dean Wesley Smith just finished a challenge he set himself to write a novel in five days while at a hotel in Vegas. His books are considerably shorter than you plan, but he goes through the process, and the follow up posts are interesting. Warning, though: he's not a plotter, nor a rewriter, so he's pretty -- I don't know the word I want, but enthusiastic? -- about his approach. While doing the novel, he also was writing blog posts about the process, which will be another book.
> 
> Good luck, and remember to take breaks to rest your body (and brain). Oh, and when I was having pretty bad migraines, I found the herb feverfew helped me a lot. Mine would come on and last for days; I'd lose the sight in my left eye, which wasn't good, as that's my "best" eye and I was doing rather detailed work.


I really like DWS's teachings. I take them all with a good dose of salt, but he's done an amazing job of shaking up some paradigms ("good fiction takes a long time to write" "you must edit until you loathe your book, then edit again" etc). Even though there's no right or wrong way to write and edit, it shows that there are alternatives available, and the alternatives aren't necessarily worse.


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## jaglionpress (Oct 5, 2016)

Ouch on the wrist pains pain and good luck! I could never do something like this with a laptop because I hate their keyboards. I have saved documents to onedrive or google docs before a family trip and gotten in a bit of writing time in the hotel's business center different times, and written on my cellphone occasionally when carpooling. I've been told that cold packs are better than hot for repetitive stress injury, because the problem is that the joint and or the tendon is inflamed and cold will reduce the swelling.


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## Andie (Jan 24, 2014)

Good luck to you!!! Sounds like you're kicking some serious butt already. 


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## Moist_Tissue (Dec 6, 2013)

Good luck. I find I can hit 10K+ words if I do 1 hr on/1 hr off.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

I just got back from a lunch/cafe writing stint. It's now 3:45 and I have 6,500 words done. I'm on track to finish some time between 6:00 and 7:00, but I'm trying to go fast because I'm insanely competitive and want to beat yesterday's time. =)

As an aside, I seem to have chosen a weird area to visit. Things I have seen since arriving:

1. A used toothbrush kicked under a chair in the middle of the shopping centre. 
2. A man changing his clothes in a carpark. Not just, like, a shirt. ALL of his clothes.
3. My hotel has bristles of grey and brown hair everywhere. It was coating the desk chair. All over the bathroom sink. Behind the kettle. In the carpet. And not a small amount. I think someone has been using my hotel room as a pop-up hairdressing studio.

I'm really sorry about taking so long to reply to you all. I'm working through responses one at a time, and I'm trying not to miss anyone, but if I have please give me a poke!



S.G. Seabourne said:


> This is wonderfully ambitious! Following and wishing you much success!


Thank you so much!



Alan Petersen said:


> Wow! Outstanding first day! Over 10K in a day is mind boggling to this slow poke! Awesome job. I'm rooting for you!


Ahaha, remember, I'm a slow-poke too! I was really afraid I wouldn't be able to reach the daily targets.



AlexaGrave said:


> Congrats on over 10k for day 1!
> 
> I'd definitely be dead if I accomplished that.
> 
> ...


Thank you! I know exactly how you feel... before this, my best day was 6.5k, and I was completely drained after it. But writing endurance seems to be like a muscle. The more you work it, the easier it gets. (That's what I'm hoping, anyway - I'm so tired right now!!)


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Vintage Mari said:


> I followed his blog while this was happening. It's actually been a huge motivator for me (trying to finish a novelette today that I started yesterday and then continue on with the novel). And the thing is, writing fast is possible with time and practice. There are times when I'll zone out during a session and I'm surprised to find more words there when I think LESS about them. It's like magic.
> 
> @Kate: how's it going? I did 2k yesterday after outlining. But now I have the outline so it's smooth sailing! I hope you're kicking some butt!


Sorry it's taken so long to reply! I feel like I'm doing pretty well; I should be done in another hour and a half. And congrats - 2k after outlining is great! How's your writing gone today? =)



Queen_of_Shorts said:


> Wow, you're doing great! 10,000 words in one day is a ton of action.


Thank you! It's really exciting to see a story come together in just a couple of days, instead of months. It actually feels more like reading than writing sometimes.



DmGuay said:


> Funny. We've done this ^ ^ ^ when trying to reach savings goals!
> 
> Anyway, to the OP. I'm rooting for you and anxious to see how it works out.
> To the person who runs the accountability FB group. I want in! Request sent.


Haha, I bet it was a great motivator! I'd hate to see my money go to a charity I didn't support... Scientology, eugh, or one of those charities that pulls on your heartstrings but then gobbles 90% of donations into "admin fees".



JulianneQJohnson said:


> Well done on the first day, Kate! You should be very proud! I think the most I've written in one day is about 8k. I get migraines too, so I feel for you. Keep it up!


Thank you - I really appreciate it! And 8k is amazing - you should be proud of that!



Berries said:


> Come on, Kate. We're all dying for an update!


Haha, sorry, I was busy dribbling onto my pillow. =)



Alan Petersen said:


> She's probably doing this after that marathon first day!


You nailed it.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Lydniz said:


> Be careful, as you could be setting yourself up for RSI if you've never had it before! As a long-time sufferer, I recommend you order yourself a gel wrist rest ASAP, keep your wrists warm, rest them as much as you can, and maybe get some deep heat gel for them or something.


Thank you, that's really smart advice. I think (I hope!) it's just a bruise from putting pressure on the one place for too long. It's shallow, just below the skin, not in the tendons or anything thankfully. But I'm taking precautions anyway. RSI is one thing I definitely don't want.



aerynleigh said:


> Hotel ambience sure can add flavour to your writing efforts, as long as you don't get too noisy neighbours thumping the wall next to you every 2 seconds haha. Then again, it's good for mindfulness  Good Luck!


No thumping, but a couple down the hall have had very loud... _moments of intimacy_ both nights and also this morning. Lots of moaning. Lots of "Oh yeah, oh yeah!" They've got to be at least five rooms away and I can still hear them! 



jaglionpress said:


> Ouch on the wrist pains pain and good luck! I could never do something like this with a laptop because I hate their keyboards. I have saved documents to onedrive or google docs before a family trip and gotten in a bit of writing time in the hotel's business center different times, and written on my cellphone occasionally when carpooling. I've been told that cold packs are better than hot for repetitive stress injury, because the problem is that the joint and or the tendon is inflamed and cold will reduce the swelling.


I'm comfortable with writing on laptops now. One thing I can't manage is phones! I was a very antisocial teenager and missed out on the phase where everyone and their grandma learned how to text. I'm still really slow at it! Consider me jealous - writing on a phone would be really convenient when you're commuting or waiting for an appointment.



Andie said:


> Good luck to you!!! Sounds like you're kicking some serious butt already.


Thank you so much! =)



Moist_Tissue said:


> Good luck. I find I can hit 10K+ words if I do 1 hr on/1 hr off.


That sounds like a much less tiring method. I can't type fast enough (yet) to do that without working until midnight, but maybe one day I'll get there!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Day 2: COMPLETE

Today's words: 10,027
Total words: 20,207

It's 6:15, so I beat yesterday's time by half an hour. I'm still tired, but actually feeling much better than this time last night. And no headache!


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## ......~...... (Jul 4, 2015)

You're doing great! I'm extending my deadline until February 4th because some stuff came up today (living with other people has its drawbacks). I don't have to, but I'll try to get a few 10k days in there. My brain might melt (I'm a pantser) but I'll try!


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## Marina Finlayson (May 2, 2014)

Another amazing day! Congrats! This is so inspiring.


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## Charmaine (Jul 20, 2012)

You're doing great! 

If you ever want to give dictation another go, I think Dragon's transcription option is AMAZING. 
I'm not a fan of real-time dictating as it causes me to pause and stutter.
Transcribing doesn't have the awkwardness that real-time dictating does and I've got a 98% accuracy rate.


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## Azalea (Mar 22, 2014)

20K in 2 days is amazing. I can appreciate the difficulty of writing so much multiple days in a row, but you're doing great. 

The middle stretch is coming on now...it's probably going to be hard, but don't lose your momentum! Things will get easier again as you near the ending. We are all rooting for you, please keep us updated!  

Also, I like your calculation about how much money you make per 1K published words. I love numbers, so I'll be looking into this for myself.


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## C. A. Mitchell (Aug 6, 2015)

Go you! Hope that wrist is feeling better. Wouldn't it be easier if we could just transmit the words from brain to page?


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## Beth_Hammond (Oct 30, 2015)

This is fantastic. You make me want to be a better man<.< Well, not really. But you do make me want to be a more prolific writer. When I write in sprints most of my sentences start with pronouns, I use an abundance of adverbs, and my characters nod... a lot.


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## AmpersandBookInteriors (Feb 10, 2012)

This is entire thing is blowing my mind!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

By the end of yesterday I felt like I could actually complete this challenge. 

Then I woke up this morning and felt awful. Just... super awful. Sleepy. Headachy. Less energy than a sloth. I'd phone in sick, but the boss would call my bluff.

I finally started my first sprint at 10:50, nearly two hours later than normal. It got a bit easier once I started writing. Now I'm reading through all of your lovely, caring comments and absorbing your positivity to fuel me through today. 

I'm sure I can do this. Even if I take a midday nap and write until midnight. We'll get there somehow.


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## JulianneQJohnson (Nov 12, 2016)

Steady as she goes, Kate.  It won't be all smooth sailing, but you are doing great so far.  Don't beat yourself up if you are not feeling well, just jump back in and kick it's butt when you can.  Keep on keeping on!


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## AmpersandBookInteriors (Feb 10, 2012)

This looks like the 30-40% burnout period. You can get through it!


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

You're experiencing all the highs and lows of writing a novel compressed in one week, hang in there!


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## Pacman (Dec 18, 2016)

Write.Dream.Repeat. said:


> This looks like the 30-40% burnout period. You can get through it!


WDR, yep, it's a reality for me too.

Kate, today just might be a really tough day, you may need a day off tomorrow otherwise your brain could explode. I did 75,000 in two weeks after work and 20 hr weekends and there were periods of sheer hell. It then took me months to edit it into shape because I couldn't go near it. The words just swam about and I had to leave it untouched while I worked on book 2 in the series. When I came back to edit the 2nd time it was easier.

Just concerned you might crash and burn a bit then feel you've let yourself down. Not so, you're human that's all.


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

I'm sorry to hear you've been feeling so poorly today, Kate  I've been eagerly following this thread (especially as a fellow Aussie!) and marvelling at how entertaining it is to 'watch' someone do something like this from afar. Don't push yourself too hard today - you may need to have a more restful day today to make sure you make it through the rest of the week. If you write until midnight tonight, how will you get the words done tomorrow?

Wishing you success from our nation's capital!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

You're all so lovely. Thank you so much. 

It's 6:00, the time I finished 10k by yesterday, and I just hit 4,000 words. It's been a grueling day. I took a nap around 2:00 because I felt exhausted, and it helped a little, but it hasn't fully fixed me. Thinking is like trying to wade through potato soup, which isn't great, because I made a slight tweak to the plot yesterday and now I'm struggling to process the ramifications. 

I'm ready to call it quits. My WPH has been low all day and is steadily dropping, and I feel like the quality is suffering too. I'm at a really fun part in the story but I'm being hamfisted about how I reveal the surprise.

I'll try again later this evening after dinner / another nap and see if I can get another few thousand in. But I recognise I may not be able to. In which case... tomorrow's a new day. =)

On the bright side, 4,000 words is still good. Before this week, I'd consider it a great writing day if I hit that number.

Thanks again for your support. It means a huge amount.


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## C. A. Mitchell (Aug 6, 2015)

4k is amazing! Sounds like your brain needs a break... Take it easy, and hopefully you'll feel better tomorrow.


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## Dax (Oct 20, 2016)

Hi Kate! 

Thank you so much for putting this thread up; I am following along with interest. I'm a Dayjobber, so you've given me the idea of taking a few days off work and holing up in my home to crank out some words. I also really appreciate your notes on how you're feeling physiologically. I've never done ANYTHING like this, so it's helpful to know what the lay of the land might be like! 

I wonder if the brain fog could be ameliorated with some Omega 3 supplements, like fish oil? Some quality fat to get the brain cranking again. You might also want to consider some inversions against a wall to get blood flowing to your brain again, especially if you've been in a sitting position where all the blood is draining from your brain to your feet. You can do this the easy way by finding a spot on a wall, putting your hands down, and walking your feet up the wall. I wonder if a few minute bursts of something like this might help refresh your brain. Anyway - just some ideas! 

I also wonder if some up-tempo music might help you. I've been listening to Tycho and Ulrich Schnauss on YouTube, and it's a sort of up-tempo "lounge-y electronic ambient" that I think is pleasant to listen to and seems to help up my word count. 

Keep on keepin' on and thank you again for the notes!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Alright, 1am and I'm catching up... a tiny bit.

Day 3: Partially Complete
Today's words: 5,450
Total words: 25,657

I might try one more sprint before bed (which I'll add to tomorrow's total) since my brain is finally working like it should. Fingers crossed I'll be back on track tomorrow!



NeedWant said:


> You're doing great! I'm extending my deadline until February 4th because some stuff came up today (living with other people has its drawbacks). I don't have to, but I'll try to get a few 10k days in there. My brain might melt (I'm a pantser) but I'll try!


There's nothing better than other people to mess up your plans! Good luck with your total, I'm rooting for you!!



Marina Finlayson said:


> Another amazing day! Congrats! This is so inspiring.


Thank you!



Charmaine said:


> You're doing great!
> 
> If you ever want to give dictation another go, I think Dragon's transcription option is AMAZING.
> I'm not a fan of real-time dictating as it causes me to pause and stutter.
> Transcribing doesn't have the awkwardness that real-time dictating does and I've got a 98% accuracy rate.


That sounds like a really good solution. Do you still need to say things like "comma" and "full stop" or can it detect those? Last time I tried dictation I kept forgetting to say them!



Azalea Ellis said:


> 20K in 2 days is amazing. I can appreciate the difficulty of writing so much multiple days in a row, but you're doing great.
> 
> The middle stretch is coming on now...it's probably going to be hard, but don't lose your momentum! Things will get easier again as you near the ending. We are all rooting for you, please keep us updated!
> 
> Also, I like your calculation about how much money you make per 1K published words. I love numbers, so I'll be looking into this for myself.


I definitely shouldn't have underestimated the middle stretch. =) And calculating income per thousand words really changed my attitude towards writing. That's when I started visiting cafes more because I knew I could write faster and better there, and the increased productivity paid for the endless cups of tea.



C. A. Mitchell said:


> Go you! Hope that wrist is feeling better. Wouldn't it be easier if we could just transmit the words from brain to page?


That would be so much easier, wouldn't it?! And thank you for asking - the wrist is actually doing better today. I've moved a pillow over to give it some rest / a new angle every other sprint, and it seems to be helping.



Beth_Hammond said:


> This is fantastic. You make me want to be a better man<.< Well, not really. But you do make me want to be a more prolific writer. When I write in sprints most of my sentences start with pronouns, I use an abundance of adverbs, and my characters nod... a lot.


Hahaha, my characters are incessantly nodding. They're like bobbleheads. And they do it no matter how slowly and carefully I write! But that's what the edit is for.



Write.Dream.Repeat. said:


> This is entire thing is blowing my mind!


I hope in a good way! =)



JulianneQJohnson said:


> Steady as she goes, Kate. It won't be all smooth sailing, but you are doing great so far. Don't beat yourself up if you are not feeling well, just jump back in and kick it's butt when you can. Keep on keeping on!


The support means a huge amount to me. Thank you!



Write.Dream.Repeat. said:


> This looks like the 30-40% burnout period. You can get through it!


This surprised me - at first I said, "but it's too early for burnout, I'm nowhere near 30%", then I realised I actually was. That in itself was really motivating. =)



Alan Petersen said:


> You're experiencing all the highs and lows of writing a novel compressed in one week, hang in there!


It's like my own personal rollercoaster!



Pacman said:


> WDR, yep, it's a reality for me too.
> 
> Kate, today just might be a really tough day, you may need a day off tomorrow otherwise your brain could explode. I did 75,000 in two weeks after work and 20 hr weekends and there were periods of sheer hell. It then took me months to edit it into shape because I couldn't go near it. The words just swam about and I had to leave it untouched while I worked on book 2 in the series. When I came back to edit the 2nd time it was easier.
> 
> Just concerned you might crash and burn a bit then feel you've let yourself down. Not so, you're human that's all.


75k in a fortnight with work is insane. Not just because of the high daily word goals, but because it lasts for so long. I can cheer myself up by saying, "It only lasts for a week, no matter how tough it gets it will be over in another couple of days". But I definitely couldn't do this for a fortnight! That's a huge achievement!



MelanieCellier said:


> I'm sorry to hear you've been feeling so poorly today, Kate  I've been eagerly following this thread (especially as a fellow Aussie!) and marvelling at how entertaining it is to 'watch' someone do something like this from afar. Don't push yourself too hard today - you may need to have a more restful day today to make sure you make it through the rest of the week. If you write until midnight tonight, how will you get the words done tomorrow?
> 
> Wishing you success from our nation's capital!


Thank you! This thread and the support in it have been an incredible motivator. Like, way more so than the wordcount rewards.



C. A. Mitchell said:


> 4k is amazing! Sounds like your brain needs a break... Take it easy, and hopefully you'll feel better tomorrow.


I hope so, too! I seem to be doing better now in the evening; my wph is back up above 2k, which is a good sign. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!



Dax said:


> Hi Kate!
> 
> Thank you so much for putting this thread up; I am following along with interest. I'm a Dayjobber, so you've given me the idea of taking a few days off work and holing up in my home to crank out some words. I also really appreciate your notes on how you're feeling physiologically. I've never done ANYTHING like this, so it's helpful to know what the lay of the land might be like!
> 
> ...


I'm so glad this is motivating other people, too! Writing can be such a lonely job so it's good to have a place to share our successes/failures/goals.

You should see the concoction of tablets I'm taking every breakfast. Fish oil and krill oil for the good brainy fats, plus vitamin D because I'm not seeing much sunshine this week, kyolic garlic to reduce inflammation (which can cause my headaches) and digestive enzymes to help it all absorb. I probably look ridiculous making two cups of tea just to wash them all down, haha.

I wouldn't feel comfortable walking up the hotel's walls, but it's a good idea about getting blood moving some more. I'll start interspersing some cardio exercises between writing sprints. Thank you!


----------



## AmpersandBookInteriors (Feb 10, 2012)

That's a fabulous word count for yesterday. Do you use any aides in writing? I use brain.fm for hyperfocus and relaxation purposes and it helps me immensely.


----------



## Pacman (Dec 18, 2016)

Good morning Kate, I imagine today will be hard, so this might be a time to evaluate your health / body tension / wrists and head. Your sprint so far is incredible and everyone is so proud of you. You might decide a morning off or an afternoon off is a valuable reward. 

Elite athletes train every day of the year, even xmas day, but they don't push past their limits because of the real possibility of injury. So get that massage, sauna or lie in the sun for a while - then back to it.

Go girl


----------



## amdonehere (May 1, 2015)

Hi Kate,

I've been reading your thread. Really inspired by your dedication. Be careful though with the hand and wrist. I know there are writers who can produce a book really fast but working on my previous books (and not even producing at their rate), I've gotten symptoms similar to arthritis before from overuse. So be really really careful. I've had to go see doctors for it. Be sure to use a keyboard with loose, easy to press keys, a mouse that is easy to click (Longitech is best IMO). Better yet, don't use the mouse if you can avoid it. Anything touch screeen is lifesaver IMO if used in combination with a stylus. I know what I do may not work for everyone but thought I'd throw it out there if it can help. Also, age makes a difference. What didn't bother me when I was in college, now it does (sitting too long, using equipment that are not ergomatic, etc.)

Your headaches might have been caused by eye strains from looking at the screen too long. Be sure to take breaks. It's great if you can achieve you goal, but not worth it at the expense of your health.

Best of luck!


----------



## SC (Jan 6, 2017)

You're doing fantastic, Kate! Do your best, but don't sacrifice your health.


----------



## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

I can't think of anything to say apart from general encouragement, but I'm still checking in.


----------



## Pizzazz (Dec 14, 2016)

Kate, just popping in to wish you continued encouragement!  You've written a novella so far!  You can do this!!


----------



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

You guys are all so lovely and supportive. I can't thank you enough.

You can probably guess how well today's gone based on my lack of updates. It's not all bad news, though! 

The good: my mental state is 100% better compared to yesterday. I'm excited to work on the book again, instead of dreading each sprint. I hope that means I'm past the burnout phase. My words per hour are back up above 2,000. 

The bad: I woke up with a migraine. It had to happen eventually. I got a couple of sprints in early morning before it got too bad, but then there was nothing I could do except take a painkiller and sleep it off. Sometimes my migraines can last for days and won't even go away with painkillers. Mercifully, this was an easy one. It was almost fully gone by 2:00 and I was able to get back to writing.

My vision's still a little fuzzy and my brain isn't as nimble as it should be, but I'm making steady progress. I'm at 29,500 words total, so another 6,000 will make 10k for today. I may actually possibly get it done before 7:30? Fingers crossed.


----------



## Not Here Anymore (May 16, 2012)

Thanks for sharing your experiment with us, Kate. It's very inspiring!


----------



## dgrant (Feb 5, 2014)

Ach, migraines suck! May this one go away and not come back!

Congratulations on sticking to your plan, and on all the progress you've made! This is really inspiring to read!


----------



## RightHoJeeves (Jun 30, 2016)

Tess McCallum said:


> The old Fremantle Prison near where I live do night time ghost tours. I've heard its pretty creepy . Creepy enough during the day, especially around the gallows.


We must live close by. I can see the Prison from my window. In fact the apartment above me can see into the prison yard. (The apartment building was built in 1969... the prison closed in 1991... so for more than 20 years people in my apartment building could literally see into an operating prison).


----------



## RightHoJeeves (Jun 30, 2016)

Kate - good on you, mate. Even if you don't get to your goal, you've still done a hell of a lot.


----------



## Tess McCallum (Jan 3, 2017)

RightHoJeeves said:


> We must live close by. I can see the Prison from my window. In fact the apartment above me can see into the prison yard. (The apartment building was built in 1969... the prison closed in 1991... so for more than 20 years people in my apartment building could literally see into an operating prison).


Well howdy almost-neighbour. I'm actually a bit further south but close enough that my hubby's cycling group ride up to Freo for breakfast sometimes. I'm either at work or still sleeping LOL.


----------



## Tess McCallum (Jan 3, 2017)

MelanieCellier said:


> I've been eagerly following this thread (especially as a fellow Aussie!)


Kate, ^^^ This and I'm cheering you on. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...Oi, oi, oi.


----------



## RightHoJeeves (Jun 30, 2016)

Tess McCallum said:


> Well howdy almost-neighbour. I'm actually a bit further south but close enough that my hubby's cycling group ride up to Freo for breakfast sometimes. I'm either at work or still sleeping LOL.


Small world!


----------



## Tess McCallum (Jan 3, 2017)

RightHoJeeves said:


> Small world!


True that. I once met a couple who lived one street over from us when I was sitting in a bar in Cambodia!


----------



## RightHoJeeves (Jun 30, 2016)

Tess McCallum said:


> True that. I once met a couple who lived one street over from us when I was sitting in a bar in Cambodia!


Ha, yeah. I once met a girl from Sydney in Chicago who was on the tail end of her trip. She said she'd met some guys from Perth a few weeks earlier. She showed me a photo... and yep. It was my dad's best friend's son.


----------



## Charmaine (Jul 20, 2012)

Kate. said:


> That sounds like a really good solution. Do you still need to say things like "comma" and "full stop" or can it detect those? Last time I tried dictation I kept forgetting to say them!


You can use all the editing commands while transcribing, but you do have to say them. 
I don't use "full stop" though. I pause the recorder when I need breaks, but I don't stop it unless I have a 20-minute session complete.


----------



## ChrisWard (Mar 10, 2012)

This is awesome, good luck! Wish I could do such a thing, but my hands/eyes start to hurt if I hit two or three 4k plus days in a row.


----------



## Dax (Oct 20, 2016)

Kate. said:


> You should see the concoction of tablets I'm taking every breakfast. Fish oil and krill oil for the good brainy fats, plus vitamin D because I'm not seeing much sunshine this week, kyolic garlic to reduce inflammation (which can cause my headaches) and digestive enzymes to help it all absorb. I probably look ridiculous making two cups of tea just to wash them all down, haha.
> 
> I wouldn't feel comfortable walking up the hotel's walls, but it's a good idea about getting blood moving some more. I'll start interspersing some cardio exercises between writing sprints. Thank you!


So you are a supplement junkie like me!  Good to hear!

Still following along with interest. You still have, what, three or four days left? Even if you hit 5k a day, you'll still walk away with a chunk of a novel - that's huge!

Have you read Rachel Aaron's "2k to 10k" ? She mentions that, when you start writing high numbers each day, you start getting "drunk on the story" because it absorbs you. Have you had that experience at all?


----------



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

I'm so sorry for not replying to everyone yet. I'm going to do that ASAP tomorrow, but it's a little after midnight and I can't wait to collapse into bed.

Day four: COMPLETE
Today's words: 10,001 (yes, I was desperate to be done)
Total words: 35,658

I'll more fully explain what happened tomorrow, but essentially, my plot fell apart. It took me way too long to stitch it back together, which turned a good writing day into an endurance marathon. I'm back on track, but reworking the plot has removed a significant chunk of content. Instead of 70k, I'm expecting this new version to be closer to 55k. I'll take another look at it tomorrow when I'm feeling a little more awake.


----------



## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

Kate. said:


> I'm so sorry for not replying to everyone yet. I'm going to do that ASAP tomorrow, but it's a little after midnight and I can't wait to collapse into bed.
> 
> Day four: COMPLETE
> Today's words: 10,001 (yes, I was desperate to be done)
> ...


Do be careful. It's not only physical exhaustion you need to concern yourself with, but mental exhaustion as well. Many years ago, before the internet, I was wanting to write and I had young children. I wanted to keep the whole thing private, so I confined most of my work to the evenings when they had gone to bed. Then, as we writers do, I would get involved and end up going to bed in the early hours. I ended up with milk epilepsy because of the strain.


----------



## ......~...... (Jul 4, 2015)

Kate. said:


> I'm so sorry for not replying to everyone yet. I'm going to do that ASAP tomorrow, but it's a little after midnight and I can't wait to collapse into bed.


You're doing awesome! Don't feel the need to reply to everyone, save those words for the book!


----------



## Gone To Croatan (Jun 24, 2011)

Tess McCallum said:


> True that. I once met a couple who lived one street over from us when I was sitting in a bar in Cambodia!


On a bus trip around New Zealand with me were a guy who lived on the street behind my parents' house, and two girls from near where I currently live in Canada. And we visited a place owned by a friend's in-laws, and drank beer from the small brewery at the end of my parents' street in England..


----------



## ASDeMatteis (Jan 29, 2017)

This is such a great goal! I could never do that much in a day. Most I've done was around 4500 words and I was pretty burnt out by that time.


----------



## Berries (Feb 5, 2015)

So proud of you for how hard you're working!!!!


----------



## batmansero (Oct 10, 2014)

Edward M. Grant said:


> On a bus trip around New Zealand with me were a guy who lived on the street behind my parents' house, and two girls from near where I currently live in Canada. And we visited a place owned by a friend's in-laws, and drank beer from the small brewery at the end of my parents' street in England..


New Zealander her who went and lived in London awhile back. My partner's friend invited us out to a dinner party and my ex flatmate turned up. After we moved back to NZ I went back to school and the instructor turned out to be my other ex flatmate (same house as the first). I had two other ex flatmates but I'll be happy not to ever see them again


----------



## T E Scott Writer (Jul 27, 2016)

Kate. said:


> Day four: COMPLETE
> Today's words: 10,001 (yes, I was desperate to be done)
> Total words: 35,658


Woop! Well done you, keep it up, we're all rooting for you.


----------



## JulianneQJohnson (Nov 12, 2016)

Congrats on an awesome day 4!  Well done!


----------



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Write.Dream.Repeat. said:


> That's a fabulous word count for yesterday. Do you use any aides in writing? I use brain.fm for hyperfocus and relaxation purposes and it helps me immensely.


I sometimes listen to music, but for this challenge I haven't been using anything. Thank you for the recommendation of brain.fm - I'll check it out!



Pacman said:


> Good morning Kate, I imagine today will be hard, so this might be a time to evaluate your health / body tension / wrists and head. Your sprint so far is incredible and everyone is so proud of you. You might decide a morning off or an afternoon off is a valuable reward.
> 
> Elite athletes train every day of the year, even xmas day, but they don't push past their limits because of the real possibility of injury. So get that massage, sauna or lie in the sun for a while - then back to it.
> 
> Go girl


That's great advice, thank you. I think if I do this challenge again (and I'd like to) I'd structure in more breaks. Such as two days of writing followed by a day off.



AlexaKang said:


> Hi Kate,
> 
> I've been reading your thread. Really inspired by your dedication. Be careful though with the hand and wrist. I know there are writers who can produce a book really fast but working on my previous books (and not even producing at their rate), I've gotten symptoms similar to arthritis before from overuse. So be really really careful. I've had to go see doctors for it. Be sure to use a keyboard with loose, easy to press keys, a mouse that is easy to click (Longitech is best IMO). Better yet, don't use the mouse if you can avoid it. Anything touch screeen is lifesaver IMO if used in combination with a stylus. I know what I do may not work for everyone but thought I'd throw it out there if it can help. Also, age makes a difference. What didn't bother me when I was in college, now it does (sitting too long, using equipment that are not ergomatic, etc.)
> 
> ...


You're right, watching my health is really important. The wrist thing isn't causing me any more problems today, thankfully, but I can feel the eye strain. I'm doing a lot of exercises and even writing for bursts with my eyes closed to give them some rest.



Shawna Canon said:


> You're doing fantastic, Kate! Do your best, but don't sacrifice your health.





Lydniz said:


> I can't think of anything to say apart from general encouragement, but I'm still checking in.





Pizzazz said:


> Kate, just popping in to wish you continued encouragement! You've written a novella so far! You can do this!!





Sara Rosett said:


> Thanks for sharing your experiment with us, Kate. It's very inspiring!





dgrant said:


> Ach, migraines suck! May this one go away and not come back!
> 
> Congratulations on sticking to your plan, and on all the progress you've made! This is really inspiring to read!





RightHoJeeves said:


> Kate - good on you, mate. Even if you don't get to your goal, you've still done a hell of a lot.





Tess McCallum said:


> Kate, ^^^ This and I'm cheering you on. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...Oi, oi, oi.


A huge, huge thank you to all of you. I'm being completely serious when I say your comments are like fuel for my soul. Thank you for following this crazy experiment!



Charmaine said:


> You can use all the editing commands while transcribing, but you do have to say them.
> I don't use "full stop" though. I pause the recorder when I need breaks, but I don't stop it unless I have a 20-minute session complete.


I'll have to give it a try when I get back home! It would give my hands and eyes a break, at least. =)



ChrisWard said:


> This is awesome, good luck! Wish I could do such a thing, but my hands/eyes start to hurt if I hit two or three 4k plus days in a row.


Definitely don't push yourself past what you can comfortably manage! 4k days are super impressive, though. Don't discount what a cool achievement that is!



Dax said:


> So you are a supplement junkie like me!  Good to hear!
> 
> Still following along with interest. You still have, what, three or four days left? Even if you hit 5k a day, you'll still walk away with a chunk of a novel - that's huge!
> 
> Have you read Rachel Aaron's "2k to 10k" ? She mentions that, when you start writing high numbers each day, you start getting "drunk on the story" because it absorbs you. Have you had that experience at all?


Yep, the finish line is in sight. =) Only three days left (including today), but it looks like I'll finish early if I run out of plot. I'll have to decide what to do with the remaining time - maybe start editing, or add words to a project I have on the backburner.

I haven't read the book, but Rachel Aaron's blog post was huge for me. I hadn't thought about it before, but it makes a lot of sense to structure your writing around times and locations that make you more productive. That's partially why I started writing in cafes - I was so much more efficient there than at home.

I can't say I've gotten drunk on the story, except for a couple of patches in the first few days where I got really excited about certain scenes. I feel like it's the sort of state that might get easier to achieve with practice, though.



Doglover said:


> Do be careful. It's not only physical exhaustion you need to concern yourself with, but mental exhaustion as well. Many years ago, before the internet, I was wanting to write and I had young children. I wanted to keep the whole thing private, so I confined most of my work to the evenings when they had gone to bed. Then, as we writers do, I would get involved and end up going to bed in the early hours. I ended up with milk epilepsy because of the strain.


I'm definitely feeling the mental fatigue. I can see the book's end isn't too far away, though, and I'd love to make it on time.



NeedWant said:


> You're doing awesome! Don't feel the need to reply to everyone, save those words for the book!


Thank you! Haha, maybe I could count my forum posts towards my world goals?  I'd get there so much faster!



Markus Croft said:


> Didn't Rowling write in hotels, at least with the final books? I think I read that somewhere. Love your rewards and looking forward to hearing how you do!


I didn't know that, but that's really cool! Just getting into a new environment has had a big impact on my productivity. Maybe she found the same thing.



ASDeMatteis said:


> This is such a great goal! I could never do that much in a day. Most I've done was around 4500 words and I was pretty burnt out by that time.


Don't ever say you can't do something! I think a big part of it is practice. Writing endurance is like a muscle that gets stronger with exercise. (As long as you don't over-strain and mentally or physically hurt yourself, of course!) If I'd tried this experiment even a year ago, I think I would have crashed and burned on the first day.



Berries said:


> So proud of you for how hard you're working!!!!





T E Scott Writer said:


> Woop! Well done you, keep it up, we're all rooting for you.





JulianneQJohnson said:


> Congrats on an awesome day 4! Well done!


Thank you all so much!! <3


----------



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

What Went Wrong:

I started this week with what I thought was a solid plot. One section involved the characters attempting a specific solution for the problem they were facing. But, as I drew closer to writing this section, I realised it was obvious the solution wouldn't work for a couple of reasons, and the characters weren't stupid enough to try it regardless. I could force them to follow the original plot outline but it would go against their personalities, frustrate me and very likely frustrate readers too.

So I cut that scene out of the book. I had to excise not just that section, but several later scenes as well. The story still works without them... but it's not the book I started with.

(Sorry for being so vague about the details, it's hard to talk about the scene without giving away the whole plot).

Result: The book's going to be around 15k shorter than initially planned. And I'm no longer confident it's a good story.

If I had time, I'd put the book aside and spend a few days mulling over the plot. There could be some alternative plot devices that will serve the same purpose but without making my characters seem like they drank the kool-aid. But this tight deadline means I need to move the story forward some how, some way, today. And my head's not clear enough to think my way out of this hole on short notice.

Lesson learned: be certain of your plot's structural integrity before you start

This had an unsurprising secondary result. Because I'm no longer feeling good about my story, it's become infinitely harder to write. I still have a complete three-act structure. There's a lot of intrigue and plenty of scenes I know my readers will enjoy. But it's hard to not be disappointed when I know it could have been _better_.

I'm at 42,200 words total, so a bit under 7k written today. I don't think I can do much more tonight. I'm on target to pass my baseline of 50k over the week. I think it's safe to say I won't reach 70k, but I'm not disappointed. This week has redefined what I thought were my limits, and I'm really happy with that.


----------



## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

Kate, I've been catching up with this whole thread today, so I'm late to the party, but I just wanted to say that it's been fascinating to read. I don't think it's something I could ever attempt, mainly because if I ever do get the chance for a week or even a day of uninterrupted me-time, I'm so delighted I end up luxuriating in the freedom and not writing very much at all. So kudos to you for getting on with it.

Having said that, don't be afraid to step away from it if the book needs it. They say that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, and so it appears to be here. You've veered off track and your choice is to press on regardless, even though the book might suffer for it in the long run, or to stop and take the time to rethink. If it were me, I'd be tempted to pause and beat the plot into submission, or maybe you can rework it in the editing, I don't know. But it sounds as if you've lost enthusiasm, and that's not a good sign.

On another subject: I suffered from migraines for years and years, but I finally found something that works - sumatriptan. I call them my magic pills.   

Good luck with the rest of your experiment, whatever you decide to do.


----------



## mrtanner2005 (Jan 30, 2017)

While you are a far, far more accomplished writer and indie publisher than I am, I will offer this one meager word of advice; sometimes, readers take hold of a story and love it even though the writer thought it was weak, or at least not as good as it could have been. I've often had individuals love my work that I thought was inferior, while giving me the "eh, so what" to the work I really thought was good.

Don't be discouraged because the story isn't what you expected -- could be it's the one your readers really connect to. No way to know without getting that bad boy finished!

Reading this thread certainly has been an inspiration, too. I think you've awed a lot of folks, and maybe even moved a few to be more diligent i ntheir own work. Congrats on your accomplishments so far!


----------



## T E Scott Writer (Jul 27, 2016)

You're still doing really great!  If the novel isn't going your way why not spend your remaining time writing something completely new.  A short story or a novella or something?  Keep the word count going but write something that has that shiny new exciting attraction.


----------



## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

I hope you can get the plot sorted, Kate. This is why, even though I'm generally a plotter, I can't plot out a whole novel before I start, because I never know when something is going to turn out to be less convincing than I expected.


----------



## Pacman (Dec 18, 2016)

morning Kate, it happens, we get caught painting ourselves into corners, that's standard practice for me. For instance last night I found I'd put my two teams in the wrong place on the map, it was a few minutes of panic and 'oh sh_t!'. I had to go back and rewrite sections to fix it. I even called my mate to get advice. I always end up writing by the seat of my pants - I write down my plot and story structure then mess it up from the first page.

Big question now: what's the rush? 15,000 words less can be made up over a few weeks writing at home. You've broken it's back now make it beautiful while you let your mind and body rest and recuperate. I can write a novel length book in a week of hard slog, but there's no way I would publish it as it is. The next month or two are spent every night and weekend editing and polishing, adding, cutting, rewriting...

Sorry to give you advice that's already on this thread but as an ex teacher I can't help it sometimes


----------



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Day 6: Mostly Complete!
Daily total: 8,676
Total: 50,874

That's it! 50k! That's the line where I say "this was a success"!

I'm so happy right now. =) This week has really been a rollercoaster, but today has mostly been highs. Even though I didn't get to 10k, I enjoyed the sprints instead of struggling with them. I made a couple of small tweaks to the story that should fix the issues I was worried about earlier (I'll know for sure when I edit it), and I'm in the home stretch. There's perhaps three to four thousand words left in this story. It feels really, really good.

The only reason I'm not continuing on for the last 1.5k is because I want to give the ending a bit more attention. A few major plot threads need to come together, and I want to think through the best way to do it. But I'll have plenty of time for that tonight and tomorrow.

Thank you all for your incredible support. It's made such a huge difference, you have no idea. =)



PaulineMRoss said:


> Kate, I've been catching up with this whole thread today, so I'm late to the party, but I just wanted to say that it's been fascinating to read. I don't think it's something I could ever attempt, mainly because if I ever do get the chance for a week or even a day of uninterrupted me-time, I'm so delighted I end up luxuriating in the freedom and not writing very much at all. So kudos to you for getting on with it.
> 
> Having said that, don't be afraid to step away from it if the book needs it. They say that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, and so it appears to be here. You've veered off track and your choice is to press on regardless, even though the book might suffer for it in the long run, or to stop and take the time to rethink. If it were me, I'd be tempted to pause and beat the plot into submission, or maybe you can rework it in the editing, I don't know. But it sounds as if you've lost enthusiasm, and that's not a good sign.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much! I like that battle plan saying. Everything can look good on paper, but boy, it all changes in the trenches! You were right, I'd lost my enthusiasm, and it did take fixing the plot to get it back.



mrtanner2005 said:


> While you are a far, far more accomplished writer and indie publisher than I am, I will offer this one meager word of advice; sometimes, readers take hold of a story and love it even though the writer thought it was weak, or at least not as good as it could have been. I've often had individuals love my work that I thought was inferior, while giving me the "eh, so what" to the work I really thought was good.
> 
> Don't be discouraged because the story isn't what you expected -- could be it's the one your readers really connect to. No way to know without getting that bad boy finished!
> 
> Reading this thread certainly has been an inspiration, too. I think you've awed a lot of folks, and maybe even moved a few to be more diligent i ntheir own work. Congrats on your accomplishments so far!


Great advice! I've found the same thing - some of the stories I really struggled with are fan favourites.



T E Scott Writer said:


> You're still doing really great! If the novel isn't going your way why not spend your remaining time writing something completely new. A short story or a novella or something? Keep the word count going but write something that has that shiny new exciting attraction.


Thank you! I'm thinking of doing exactly that - writing a short story or adding words to a backburner manuscript for my last day. =) It's good to keep the momentum up while I have it!



Lydniz said:


> I hope you can get the plot sorted, Kate. This is why, even though I'm generally a plotter, I can't plot out a whole novel before I start, because I never know when something is going to turn out to be less convincing than I expected.


That's exactly what I find with plots! I don't know if you're the same, but I usually start out with a very detailed plot at the beginning that gets vaguer and vaguer the further on it goes. It's hard to know what sort of emotional tone / character quirks will develop as the story progresses.



Pacman said:


> morning Kate, it happens, we get caught painting ourselves into corners, that's standard practice for me. For instance last night I found I'd put my two teams in the wrong place on the map, it was a few minutes of panic and 'oh sh_t!'. I had to go back and rewrite sections to fix it. I even called my mate to get advice. I always end up writing by the seat of my pants - I write down my plot and story structure then mess it up from the first page.
> 
> Big question now: what's the rush? 15,000 words less can be made up over a few weeks writing at home. You've broken it's back now make it beautiful while you let your mind and body rest and recuperate. I can write a novel length book in a week of hard slog, but there's no way I would publish it as it is. The next month or two are spent every night and weekend editing and polishing, adding, cutting, rewriting...
> 
> Sorry to give you advice that's already on this thread but as an ex teacher I can't help it sometimes


Thank you - I really do like the advice! =) I've taken a bit of pressure off on these last couple of days, but there's an immense satisfaction in starting something I thought might be impossible, and actually doing it. I mean, yeah, I haven't reached that lofty 70k goal - but I've surpassed 50k, which feels so good!

I'm a bit different to you. I can't stand editing. So I'll ignore that side of the job for as long as possible, haha.


----------



## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

Congratulations! Now have a rest. And if you're feeling at all bad about not having reached 70k, just consider for comparison that I've powered out a tremendous 4.5k since last Friday.


----------



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Day 6: Mostly Complete!
Daily total: 8,676
Total: 50,874

Day 6: COMPLETE!
Daily total: 10,103
Total: 52,301

I couldn't stand it, guys. I went back and tidied up that last 1.4k.  Round numbers are just so pretty.

And Lyndiz, be proud of your 4.5k! If I was back home with my family and all the distractions that go along with it, who knows if I'd even reach that!


----------



## wingsandwords (Nov 1, 2016)

Whoa  

That is IMPRESSIVE. My highest week ever was 32k. I just cannot imagine doing 10k days multiple times in a row--I can do them every now and again, but they turn my brain to mush. 

Hats off to you! Amazing!


----------



## Mari Oliver (Feb 12, 2016)

Congratulations, Kate! How awesome!   Very nice work and it's been fun keeping up with your thread.


----------



## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Impressive! Thanks for sharing and Congrats 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Talbot (Jul 14, 2015)

Great job. And here I am flipping out over getting 30k done in two _months!_


----------



## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

Congratulations, Kate! That's a seriously impressive word count over a short span of time. Thanks for sharing your journey!


----------



## dgrant (Feb 5, 2014)

That's so awesome! Congratulations!


----------



## Not Here Anymore (May 16, 2012)

Congratulations! So happy for you!


----------



## Marina Finlayson (May 2, 2014)

That's it! I'm getting off the internet and going to write. You're really an inspiration, Kate. I can't believe you wrote all those words so quickly. Well done!


----------



## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Very nice job!


----------



## ......~...... (Jul 4, 2015)

Great job! Today was my first day getting back to writing. I wrote 2k and now I'm gonna take a nap.   Hopefully I wake up refreshed and ready to work!


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## Pizzazz (Dec 14, 2016)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!  Now you can just give it a few days rest and then start the editing process.  YOU DID IT!!!


----------



## MacMcAdams (Dec 25, 2014)

Thanks for the inspiration and congratulations on your success.  Please share if you try it again!


----------



## LucasCWheeler (Feb 19, 2015)

I didn't say anything while this was going on, but I was watching.  While you didn't meet your original goal, I think you should be darn proud. Congratulations!


----------



## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

Congratulations   Amazing effort there.

PS - Another Perthian here.


----------



## Yayoi (Apr 26, 2016)

Hi Kate,

So now that you're probably gonna edit your work, I wonder how long will you edit your book until you're satisfied? I'm pretty sure your initial work was a little sloppy, no?


----------



## Marina Finlayson (May 2, 2014)

Well, I got 3,000 words today. Nowhere near your level, Kate, but so much more than I've written in ages. It felt really good! Thanks for the inspiration.


----------



## Nic (Nov 17, 2013)

Congrats! I'm rather green with envy


----------



## Dax (Oct 20, 2016)

Congratulations, Kate!

I am really curious to hear how the editing process goes for you and what you make of the final book.

Also, I sense from your posts that you have written books before - what number of book is this that you've written (not necessarily published)? I ask because I've had similar issues with the plot "falling apart" as I was writing, despite some planning in advance. It is my first (80% completed!) novel. I'm had to take two days in the middle of writing to go back and re-plot the rest of the book, and when I finish, I'll likely have to go back and revisit some key sections to tweak them into the new plot.  It's not a huge deal, and I'm not very worried about editing it as many of the key elements will only need to be tweaked, but it is a little bit annoying. I'm hoping that I get better at "intuiting" stronger story structure as I complete more books.


----------



## MattGodbey (Jul 8, 2016)

Charmaine said:


> You're doing great!
> 
> If you ever want to give dictation another go, I think Dragon's transcription option is AMAZING.
> I'm not a fan of real-time dictating as it causes me to pause and stutter.
> Transcribing doesn't have the awkwardness that real-time dictating does and I've got a 98% accuracy rate.


How are you using this feature? Do you pre-record your voice, edit and then transcribe?


----------



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Sorry for taking so long to update! I got a bit sick on the last day, then when I arrived home I spent about four hours dealing with Spiderpocalypse. A hunstman spider laid a nest of eggs behind my curtains while I was gone.

Fun fact: hunstmen can lay up to 200 eggs.
Unfun fact: I cannot, cannot, cannot stand spiders. For about three minutes I seriously considered driving back to the hotel and never returning home. I THINK they're almost all gone, but every time I say that I spot a new one and have to start the vacuum again.

Now, back to the good stuff.



wingsandwords said:


> Whoa
> 
> That is IMPRESSIVE. My highest week ever was 32k. I just cannot imagine doing 10k days multiple times in a row--I can do them every now and again, but they turn my brain to mush.
> 
> Hats off to you! Amazing!


Thanks! 32k is awesome for a week of writing!!



Vintage Mari said:


> Congratulations, Kate! How awesome!  Very nice work and it's been fun keeping up with your thread.





Alan Petersen said:


> Impressive! Thanks for sharing and Congrats





jessie520 said:


> Congratulations, Kate! That's a seriously impressive word count over a short span of time. Thanks for sharing your journey!





dgrant said:


> That's so awesome! Congratulations!





Sara Rosett said:


> Congratulations! So happy for you!





geronl said:


> Very nice job!





Pizzazz said:


> CONGRATULATIONS!!! Now you can just give it a few days rest and then start the editing process. YOU DID IT!!!





LucasCWheeler said:


> I didn't say anything while this was going on, but I was watching.  While you didn't meet your original goal, I think you should be darn proud. Congratulations!





Nic said:


> Congrats! I'm rather green with envy


Thank you all so much!! I wanted to reply to you each individually, but I'm seriously awful at getting compliments and I start sounding like a broken record pretty quickly. But please know your message means a lot to me, and each one made me glow a little more inside. Thank you!!



Jessie G. Talbot said:


> Great job. And here I am flipping out over getting 30k done in two _months!_


We all go at different speeds! That's one thing I've learned about writing - take every piece of advice with a solid dash of salt because it will differ for everyone. And the hare only beats the tortoise if he doesn't get burned out halfway through. [nobbc][/nobbc]



NeedWant said:


> Great job! Today was my first day getting back to writing. I wrote 2k and now I'm gonna take a nap.  Hopefully I wake up refreshed and ready to work!


Nice - that's a solid start to the day! I hope the rest went just as well!



MacMcAdams said:


> Thanks for the inspiration and congratulations on your success. Please share if you try it again!


Thank you! Would it bother anyone if I made a new thread for next time? I feel a bit awkward taking up space on Kboard's front page. 



A. S. Warwick said:


> Congratulations  Amazing effort there.
> 
> PS - Another Perthian here.


Thank you! I'm amazed at how many Aussies are on Kboards - it's really encouraging to see! We should organise a conference or something one day.



Yayoi said:


> Hi Kate,
> 
> So now that you're probably gonna edit your work, I wonder how long will you edit your book until you're satisfied? I'm pretty sure your initial work was a little sloppy, no?


Actually, not as much as I thought it would be. Looking through what I've got, it will probably take 15-20% more effort than normal to get it into shape. I'm pleasantly surprised; I was expecting the quality to drop much further.



Marina Finlayson said:


> That's it! I'm getting off the internet and going to write. You're really an inspiration, Kate. I can't believe you wrote all those words so quickly. Well done!





Marina Finlayson said:


> Well, I got 3,000 words today. Nowhere near your level, Kate, but so much more than I've written in ages. It felt really good! Thanks for the inspiration.


Woohoo - congrats on your 3k! That's awesome!



Dax said:


> Congratulations, Kate!
> 
> I am really curious to hear how the editing process goes for you and what you make of the final book.
> 
> Also, I sense from your posts that you have written books before - what number of book is this that you've written (not necessarily published)? I ask because I've had similar issues with the plot "falling apart" as I was writing, despite some planning in advance. It is my first (80% completed!) novel. I'm had to take two days in the middle of writing to go back and re-plot the rest of the book, and when I finish, I'll likely have to go back and revisit some key sections to tweak them into the new plot. It's not a huge deal, and I'm not very worried about editing it as many of the key elements will only need to be tweaked, but it is a little bit annoying. I'm hoping that I get better at "intuiting" stronger story structure as I complete more books.


This will be my fourteenth book (close to a million words). I've tried a lot of different plotting methods and beat sheets, but at least a couple of things inevitably shift around when I'm writing - though usually not as dramatically as in this story. But, like I said earlier, everyone's different. I might always mess up my beats, but you could turn out to be a plot master!


----------



## Dax (Oct 20, 2016)

Kate. said:


> Sorry for taking so long to update! I got a bit sick on the last day, then when I arrived home I spent about four hours dealing with Spiderpocalypse. A hunstman spider laid a nest of eggs behind my curtains while I was gone.
> 
> Fun fact: hunstmen can lay up to 200 eggs.
> Unfun fact: I cannot, cannot, cannot stand spiders. For about three minutes I seriously considered driving back to the hotel and never returning home. I THINK they're almost all gone, but every time I say that I spot a new one and have to start the vacuum again.


So good to hear from you. I had a brief vision of you being consumed in the bowels of a haunted house in the far interior desert of Australia. It sounds like it wasn't far off... You've had to deal with real monsters now.

Fourteen books, wow! Interesting.

Hope you take a much needed break after dealing with the Poisonous Things of Australia, and looking forward to hearing how the editing goes!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Dax, lol!!

I wanted to post a bit of a summary of this week and some thoughts on what I would change next time. I'll copy it to the front page for anyone who's new to the thread (six pages is a lot to wade through).

*Goal:* Write 50,000-70,000 words in the space of a week.
*Final word count:* 54,130 (story complete - 52k done across the first six days)
*Days I hit 10k:* 4

*Was this week worth it?* Definitely yes. It's the most productive I've been in a very long time. Heck, ever.
*
Would I do this again?* Another definitely yes. I'm trying to find space in my calendar for another trip soon.

*What would I do differently?* I'd stay a little longer - say, ten days - and have a couple of no-work days in the middle. So, three days of writing followed by one day of relaxing, repeated. I think my brain really needed it.

I'd also choose my project a bit more carefully. I picked this story because I'd had it in my head for a long time, but it was quieter and more thoughtful than what I normally write, and that turned out to be a challenge. Next time, I'd go with something more action-based. I find them easier to write.

*How was the actual writing, quality-wise?* I knew I wasn't going to create a Pulitzer-winning masterpiece. I was expecting to start each day with 2-3 thousand 'respectable' words but have the quality drop after that.

In reality, I was really surprised. There's not much of a quality difference between the first sprints and the last sprints of each day. This is shaking my beliefs about my abilities; I honestly thought 3k per day was as much as I could manage without producing trash. Apparently that was an artificial limit.

Overall, the story is a little messier than what I normally create. But not by much, and certainly not as much as I was expecting. Most of the issues are things like word echoes (repeating a word withing a couple of paragraphs) and phrasing that could be reworked. I don't think I'll need to do much in terms of adding new content or deleting paragraphs.

Nb: I doubt I could have managed this even a year ago. I tallied up how many words I've written since starting self-publishing and found I'd passed the million word mark with this story. The practice is definitely helping. I'm not saying I'm a good writer - sweet mercy, I am decidedly not - but I'm getting better at being not completely awful.

*Factors that contributed to the successful days:*
- Varied location. On the days I hit 10k, I always went out for lunch and wrote at the shops for 2-3 hours.
- Knowing what was coming next. Not just by plotting it, but by visualising the scene playing out.
- Moral support and accountability. There were a couple of days where I wanted to say, "Heck it, 7k is close enough, call it quits." But I loved seeing how excited you guys got when I hit my mark (and dreaded having to explain why I didn't) so I powered on.
- Looking after myself. This is a bit of a "duh" thing to say, but getting up on time and having an early breakfast had a big impact on my energy levels through the rest of the day.

*Factors that contributed to the less-successful days:*
- Headaches. They were total bummers.
- That 30-40% mark was a nightmare to get past. If I did this again, I'd take a day off at that point just to rejuvenate my brain a bit.
- Plot unravelling. I don't know if it's possible to avoid this completely, but next time I'd take another day or two to think the story through before I start the writing.

A final thought... a few people in this thread have said "I couldn't ever write that much in a day". Don't underestimate yourself. I used to say "I could never write that much", too. I continued to think it right up until I ended that first day with ten thousand words written. I surprised myself. Maybe, with the right story and the right situation, you could surprise yourself as well. =)

Thanks for sticking with me through this wild trip. It means a lot. Keep on writing, friends!


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## Tess McCallum (Jan 3, 2017)

Kate, I'm blown away. Super, super effort. Now go and enjoy some well deserved downtime


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## Andie (Jan 24, 2014)

Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. Very inspirational. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## This Orbital Life (Feb 3, 2017)

Wow! As a total newbie author closing in on his first 20k words, this is very inspiring. Thank you! And great job!


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## Berries (Feb 5, 2015)

Well done!!! I loved watching this thread. It was inspiring. Thanks for sharing your journey with us


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Kate. said:


> A final thought... a few people in this thread have said "I couldn't ever write that much in a day". Don't underestimate yourself. I used to say "I could never write that much", too. I continued to think it right up until I ended that first day with ten thousand words written. I surprised myself. Maybe, with the right story and the right situation, you could surprise yourself as well. =)
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me through this wild trip. It means a lot. Keep on writing, friends!


Amazing. Thanks for the hard numbers. And what you said about "I could never write that much" is very inspiring for someone like me that writes slower than molasses!

And OMG - are those spiders really that freaking big?


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## Robert Fluegel (Nov 8, 2012)

Great work and very inspiring! Thanks for sharing the journey.


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## Sonya Bateman (Feb 3, 2013)

You did it! Woo-hoo!!!   HUGE congrats!


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## ASDeMatteis (Jan 29, 2017)

Hope you enjoy your new laptop!


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Alan Petersen said:


> Amazing. Thanks for the hard numbers. And what you said about "I could never write that much" is very inspiring for someone like me that writes slower than molasses!
> 
> And OMG - are those spiders really that freaking big?


Unfortunately - yes! And they're common too. I've only once had to deal with one on my own and it involved a lot of panicking over the phone (yes, I needed moral support while doing it) and I only managed to trap it in an old laundry powder box until someone else arrived to deal with it. I don't like spiders either  
Kate - a nest of huntsmans running through my house sounds like a nightmare come true - if you didn't turn tail and run then you did well! Go you!


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## Clementine (Jun 12, 2015)

Fantastic job, and thanks so much for the update and including what went right/what you'd do differently. Coming home to huntsman spiders everywhere? NO. Time to move, darling. (I'm formerly from Perth.)


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Alan Petersen said:


> Amazing. Thanks for the hard numbers. And what you said about "I could never write that much" is very inspiring for someone like me that writes slower than molasses!


Oh yes, they grow huge. Harmless, but horrifying. 












Clementine said:


> Fantastic job, and thanks so much for the update and including what went right/what you'd do differently. Coming home to huntsman spiders everywhere? NO. Time to move, darling. (I'm formerly from Perth.)


Hahaha, I seriously considered it for a bit! I found they were coming through a hole in the corner of the window. I taped it up and they started pouring outside instead. I'm seriously lucky I got home when I did; the nest seemed to be hatching right then. If I'd been another day they would have spread right through the room. Then there would have been no option except to burn the house down.


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## Marina Finlayson (May 2, 2014)

Congrats on hitting your goal, and thanks for that thoughtful run-down of your week. I think you're on to something with this--I find that if the first draft takes too long to write I start to lose focus. Getting it smashed out in a week must surely help with holding all the threads in your head as you go. Maybe I'll try it some time, if I can convince my husband to hold the fort for a week!


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## Goulburn (May 21, 2014)

Kate. said:


> The week is (finally) over! Here's a bit of a summary of my experience and what I would do differently next time:
> ...
> 
> *Rewards:*
> ...


Congratulations. . You did well.

I'd like to suggest the Beverley Station Gallery, Western Australia. I've had the pleasure of meeting the resident ghost when I was the resident manager, and before anyone had told me the place was reputed to be haunted. I had a witness with me at the time, so it wasn't a case of my being high on the turps.


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## NoLongerPosting (Apr 5, 2014)

Removed due to site owner's change of TOS.


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## D A Bale (Oct 20, 2016)

How exciting (and exhausting, but in a good way).  So happy for you to feel good about what you wrote on such a sprint.  My writing group used to do something like this where we rented all of the cabins at a small campground during the off-season (i.e. winter) and spent a long weekend writing.  That way we each had our own space to write and then we'd get together for a communal meal in the evenings and do readings and encourage one another.  So much fun and very productive.


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## SC (Jan 6, 2017)

It's been very cool to read about your experience, Kate. Thanks for sharing with us, as well as the results as far as what worked best for you and what didn't. 

Also, spiders are terrifying. Though I'd probably rather deal with non-poisonous big ones than poisonous little ones.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Thanks for all the updates, Kate. This was an amazing thread to read. I'm inspired to continue my quest to be more consistent with my writing, though I'm likely never going to be able to do so many words, as I have both arthritis and carpal tunnel. Ouchies. The most words I've done in a day is about 9.5K, and the days following were not pleasant. I've had a few 6K days, but again, pain. 

Anyway, congratulations! You've done a great job and have every reason to be proud of yourself. You made it through the muddy middle, which is hard to push through sometimes. Awesome job. And yes, if you do this again, start a thread about it. No reason why you shouldn't, we enjoy reading stuff like this.


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## Phillipa Banks (Jan 30, 2017)

I lived in Australia for a while when I was younger and once I rented a house with some other people in Coogee Beach. In the garden was a huge web with what somebody called a 'bloody great big huntsman' spider in it. I lived in the house for three months and never once went into the garden. I'm not sure now if it was a huntsman. It didn't look like the one in the picture.

Well done Kate. It has been very inspiring to read this thread. Do you think the book will be finished soon? What are the next steps?


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## Lorena (Jun 7, 2015)

Thanks for sharing, Kate. I’m late to the thread, but I’ve read the seven pages and I’m in awe. You are an inspiration!

I need a similar challenge for editing, I hate it


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## Pizzazz (Dec 14, 2016)

Kate. said:


> Sorry for taking so long to update! I got a bit sick on the last day, then when I arrived home I spent about four hours dealing with Spiderpocalypse. A hunstman spider laid a nest of eggs behind my curtains while I was gone.
> 
> Fun fact: hunstmen can lay up to 200 eggs.
> Unfun fact: I cannot, cannot, cannot stand spiders. For about three minutes I seriously considered driving back to the hotel and never returning home. I THINK they're almost all gone, but every time I say that I spot a new one and have to start the vacuum again.


This would, without question, send me back to the hotel.     

***

Congrats, again, on the word count!


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## Tess McCallum (Jan 3, 2017)

Ryn Shell said:


> I'd like to suggest the Beverley Station Gallery, Western Australia. I've had the pleasure of meeting the resident ghost when I was the resident manager, and before anyone had told me the place was reputed to be haunted. I had a witness with me at the time, so it wasn't a case of my being high on the turps.


I LOVE Beverley Station...and the Kimberley as a whole. My Molly Downs Outback Romance Series is set there . Next series will be based loosely around Broome.
Edited to add: I didn't know about the Beverley Station ghost though.


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## Tess McCallum (Jan 3, 2017)

Kate. said:


> Oh yes, they grow huge. Harmless, but horrifying.


Speaking from experience, they can deliver a rather painful bite. To be fair, I did sorta stand on the poor thing . That moment in time when I felt something pierce the side of my foot and I looked down to find a huntsman straddling my toes is forever imprinted in my memory. Probably my flatmates too because I hustled her out of bed and sent her outside to catch the damn thing just in case I keeled over and the doctors need to know what had caused it. The poor woman was seriously hungover, absolutely petrified of spiders and outside in her PJ's trying to catch it, whilst I was sprawled on the couch convinced I was about to die. Times like that you really know who your friends are


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## azebra (Jul 30, 2011)

This post is so inspiring!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Kate, you get a standing ovation from me. I hope you actually gave yourself all your rewards?



batmansero said:


> New Zealander her who went and lived in London awhile back. My partner's friend invited us out to a dinner party and my ex flatmate turned up. After we moved back to NZ I went back to school and the instructor turned out to be my other ex flatmate (same house as the first). I had two other ex flatmates but I'll be happy not to ever see them again


I've also enjoyed the little thread derails of ghosts and weird meet ups.

I have one to add. On my twenty first birthday I went to Paris to meet up with my mum and tour a few art galleries. At the top of the Eiffel Tower I bumped into a high school boyfriend. It was such a meet-cute (and he was even more handsome than I remembered) and I was quite overcome with the notion that we were supposed to meet again in such a romantic place (Sleepless in Seattle passing through my mind), then I discovered he was up there to propose to his girlfriend!


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## ChrisWard (Mar 10, 2012)

Tess McCallum said:


> Speaking from experience, they can deliver a rather painful bite. To be fair, I did sorta stand on the poor thing . That moment in time when I felt something pierce the side of my foot and I looked down to find a huntsman straddling my toes is forever imprinted in my memory. Probably my flatmates too because I hustled her out of bed and sent her outside to catch the damn thing just in case I keeled over and the doctors need to know what had caused it. The poor woman was seriously hungover, absolutely petrified of spiders and outside in her PJ's trying to catch it, whilst I was sprawled on the couch convinced I was about to die. Times like that you really know who your friends are


They have Huntsmen here in Japan. I've only ever seen one in 12 years, but it was one night when I was outside walking with my cat. My area is pretty quiet at night, and I saw this thing sitting in the middle of the road that kind of looked like a spider. It was like in those pictures - the size of my hand. I got a pic on an old mobile phone that I can't find now, but my cat went over and gave it a sniff, and the thing leapt at my cat lol. My cat freaked (and this is a cat who took down a snake and caught a bat out of a tree). The spider ran off somewhere and that was that, but it was a pretty crazy experience. Really wouldn't want to find one in my house haha.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Guess what? I just finished the editing!

Sorry for disappearing from the thread for so long. All of my spare hours have gone into tidying up this book.

I can officially call it a fortnight story: written in one week, edited in a second week. It's now off to a pro who will shred it and put it back together in a better arrangement. 

The editing went surprisingly well. I hit a couple of rough patches that coincided with the days I'd struggled to make my word count, but, mostly, it wasn't much worse than what I produce on a slower schedule. I'm pleasantly surprised, and also really excited about the possibilities this creates!

One of the key problems was scenes moving too quickly and without enough tactile descriptions (touch, sounds, weather, etc). I added close to 1,500 words through the manuscript to correct that.

My favourite editing blooper came from early in the book. I wanted to describe stones, and, in my rush, chose the adjective "stone". I literally wrote "the stone stones". I was almost tempted to leave it in just to see what my editor said. :b 

I'll book the cover designer tomorrow. The line edit should take 1.5-2 weeks, then I'll pass it on to the proofreaders. It should be ready to publish in about a month. 

Thanks for sticking with me during this. It's been pretty wild, but very, very fun! =)


----------



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Again, apologies for not replying sooner!!



Marina Finlayson said:


> Congrats on hitting your goal, and thanks for that thoughtful run-down of your week. I think you're on to something with this--I find that if the first draft takes too long to write I start to lose focus. Getting it smashed out in a week must surely help with holding all the threads in your head as you go. Maybe I'll try it some time, if I can convince my husband to hold the fort for a week!


That's one thing I noticed - it's easier to keep the tone and characters consistent when you write it all at once, instead of over several months. You should give it a try, if you can convince the husband!



Ryn Shell said:


> Congratulations. . You did well.
> 
> I'd like to suggest the Beverley Station Gallery, Western Australia. I've had the pleasure of meeting the resident ghost when I was the resident manager, and before anyone had told me the place was reputed to be haunted. I had a witness with me at the time, so it wasn't a case of my being high on the turps.


Oooh, that sounds amazing! Is there a story involved? Did you see the ghost? Sorry for being nosy, I just love this kind of stuff. =)



Rickie Blair said:


> Wow, Kate... this is so inspiring!
> Thanks for posting your experience.


Thank you!



D A Bale said:


> How exciting (and exhausting, but in a good way). So happy for you to feel good about what you wrote on such a sprint. My writing group used to do something like this where we rented all of the cabins at a small campground during the off-season (i.e. winter) and spent a long weekend writing. That way we each had our own space to write and then we'd get together for a communal meal in the evenings and do readings and encourage one another. So much fun and very productive.


I'd love to do that one day - a whole group of writers trapped in a remote campground for a weekend. Hiding in their cabins during the day but coming together to congratulate/commiserate once it's dark... then one of them turns out to be a serial killer...

Wait, no, that's my plot-hungry brain running away on me. Skip the last part. [nobbc][/nobbc]



Shawna Canon said:


> It's been very cool to read about your experience, Kate. Thanks for sharing with us, as well as the results as far as what worked best for you and what didn't.
> 
> Also, spiders are terrifying. Though I'd probably rather deal with non-poisonous big ones than poisonous little ones.


Thank you! Australia's not a great place to live for someone who doesn't like spiders. 



she-la-ti-da said:


> Thanks for all the updates, Kate. This was an amazing thread to read. I'm inspired to continue my quest to be more consistent with my writing, though I'm likely never going to be able to do so many words, as I have both arthritis and carpal tunnel. Ouchies. The most words I've done in a day is about 9.5K, and the days following were not pleasant. I've had a few 6K days, but again, pain.
> 
> Anyway, congratulations! You've done a great job and have every reason to be proud of yourself. You made it through the muddy middle, which is hard to push through sometimes. Awesome job. And yes, if you do this again, start a thread about it. No reason why you shouldn't, we enjoy reading stuff like this.


Ow! Definitely look after your hands - arthritis and carpal tunnel must be a nightmare!! Have you had any luck with dictation?

And thanks - I might throw up a new thread for next time. As long as it's not bothering people, the accountability was a huge help.



Phillipa Banks said:


> I lived in Australia for a while when I was younger and once I rented a house with some other people in Coogee Beach. In the garden was a huge web with what somebody called a 'bloody great big huntsman' spider in it. I lived in the house for three months and never once went into the garden. I'm not sure now if it was a huntsman. It didn't look like the one in the picture.
> 
> Well done Kate. It has been very inspiring to read this thread. Do you think the book will be finished soon? What are the next steps?


Hmm, might not have been a huntsman. They're not really webby spiders - they prefer running along walls and just grabbing their prey because they're crazy like that. Maybe a garden orb weaver?



Lorena said:


> Thanks for sharing, Kate. I'm late to the thread, but I've read the seven pages and I'm in awe. You are an inspiration!
> 
> I need a similar challenge for editing, I hate it


You and me both. Someone needs to create an editing support group!



Pizzazz said:


> This would, without question, send me back to the hotel.
> 
> ***
> 
> Congrats, again, on the word count!


Hahaha, it nearly did!



Tess McCallum said:


> Speaking from experience, they can deliver a rather painful bite. To be fair, I did sorta stand on the poor thing . That moment in time when I felt something pierce the side of my foot and I looked down to find a huntsman straddling my toes is forever imprinted in my memory. Probably my flatmates too because I hustled her out of bed and sent her outside to catch the damn thing just in case I keeled over and the doctors need to know what had caused it. The poor woman was seriously hungover, absolutely petrified of spiders and outside in her PJ's trying to catch it, whilst I was sprawled on the couch convinced I was about to die. Times like that you really know who your friends are


Oooh, ouch! That's the definition of a true friend, haha.



azebra said:


> This post is so inspiring!


Thank you so much!



Evenstar said:


> Kate, you get a standing ovation from me. I hope you actually gave yourself all your rewards?


Thank you!! I've claimed most of my rewards so far. I got to go out for dinner with my family the night I came back and I've finally settled on a replacement laptop (and found a great bargain to boot!). I missed out on the two biggest items, but I'll save them for the next challenge. [nobbc][/nobbc]



ChrisWard said:


> They have Huntsmen here in Japan. I've only ever seen one in 12 years, but it was one night when I was outside walking with my cat. My area is pretty quiet at night, and I saw this thing sitting in the middle of the road that kind of looked like a spider. It was like in those pictures - the size of my hand. I got a pic on an old mobile phone that I can't find now, but my cat went over and gave it a sniff, and the thing leapt at my cat lol. My cat freaked (and this is a cat who took down a snake and caught a bat out of a tree). The spider ran off somewhere and that was that, but it was a pretty crazy experience. Really wouldn't want to find one in my house haha.


I didn't know they were in Japan as well! Your poor cat - no one really expects spiders to jump!


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Kate. said:


> Guess what? I just finished the editing!
> 
> Sorry for disappearing from the thread for so long. All of my spare hours have gone into tidying up this book.
> 
> ...


Wow, that's amazing progress! Great job on getting it out to the editor. The cover part is fun!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Oh, I want to do this myself so, so badly! Congrats!!!


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## Ava_Red (Sep 13, 2016)

Fantastic job with this! I've always wondered about doing this myself (locking myself away in a hotel room) but haven't tried it. I think I'd end up with separation anxiety from the honey and our four-legged kids. So impressive, though! And, it's great to test preconceived notions like how much we are able to write in a day.


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## JKlovesbooks (Mar 15, 2015)

Well done! This thread has been so inspiring and motivating. Am not in a position to disappear to a motel for a week but that's definitely something I would like to do at some point. Have been inspired to push myself more though, as I know the writing muscle definitely gets better with exercise, so thanks for showing us what can be achieved in such a short time!

On the subject of Huntsman spiders - my friend and I had 6 months in Australia a few years ago and one place we stayed in Sydney had an invasion of them! Didn't realise until one morning when I woke up to find a HUGE one on the wall above my bed! I shudder to think how long it might have been there whilst I was asleep. My friend managed to trap it under a huge glass fruit bowl and take it outside (she was ok ish with spiders fortunately but scared of cockroaches - that was my job to get rid of those wherever we travelled!) All in all we must have had about 6-8 Huntsman spiders to deal with in the week we were there - truly terrifying! The plus side is that I can now deal with most of our UK spiders without too much trouble!


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## Jack.Hardin (Jun 20, 2017)

I'm going to get something like this on the books. Thanks for letting us follow your journey. Well done!


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

Jack.Hardin said:


> I'm going to get something like this on the books. Thanks for letting us follow your journey. Well done!


Hello there, old thread! Jack, you may want to check out the ongoing thread of Kate's second attempt at this.


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