# A novel in a week: can we do it again?



## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Early this year I booked into a hotel, set myself an insane goal of producing a book in seven days, and somehow actually managed to finish a short 54k-word novel. [link] It was a harrowing terrific experience. I'm doing it again!

I'd love to have some writing buddies join me for round two. Maybe not in the hotel. That would get crowded quickly. But if you want to set a writing goal - whatever length you're comfortable with - we can keep each other accountable. =)

*What happened with the first book?*

Everyone was very polite about the whole thing, but I know some were wondering if I could actually create a quality story while writing 10k words per day. I was wondering that, too. =) My normal speed is 2-3k per day, so I was definitely out of my comfort zone.

The novel has been published for just shy of three months now and has sold okay - not amazingly, but not a flop, either. (It was a bit of a weird story.)

The reception has been pretty good. It has 4.4 stars across 45 reviews. It sells steadily and has earned ~$6,000 in three months. That's plenty to justify another week of grinding.

*What I'm doing differently:*

I paid a little bit more for a nicer hotel. The first one I stayed in was as budget as I could go without sleeping in a nest of cockroaches. I didn't exactly splurge this time, but the room has a balcony overlooking a nature reserve, hot breakfast, a swimming pool, and an actual real desk designed for work. (The last hotel didn't really have a desk, but a ledge-type thing that was just wide enough for my laptop. It wasn't so great for my wrist.)

I also booked in for longer (11 nights, so effectively ten days to work). That's to give myself downtime if a migraine or burnout strikes.

*The Goal:*

Finish a book. I'm estimating it'll need 60-70k words. I'll aim for 8-10k words per day but allowing myself time out if/when my brain fries.

Even if I don't complete the story I'll consider anything over 60k words as a success. If I can't meet that, please call me a lazy bum and shame me with whatever methods you have at your disposal. [nobbc][/nobbc]

*Biggest risks:*

I'm kinda nervous about this book.

I love the plot - and I mean really, really love it. It's full of twists and intrigue and lies and plenty of horrific murders. What more could a girl want?

But every opportunity is also a chance to fail. This book has more characters, more plot threads, and more dramatic moments that will need a deft touch to get just right. I'm terrified I'll botch it. I feel like this lock-yourself-in-a-hotel-for-a-week thing is better suited to simple, straight-forward stories, which this definitely isn't.

If you followed the last thread, you'll know plot issues were my downfall. I lost half a day and a large chunk of plot when I realised an event didn't make sense in the story's context. There's an alarming chance that the same will happen this week.

I'm also nervous that last time was a lightning-strike scenario and that I'll fall flat on my face.

I checked into the hotel a couple of hours ago. The writing marathon starts tomorrow. I'm nervous and excited and terrified, but I'll update daily with my progress, no matter how awful it is. =)

I'd love to have some company. If anyone wants to join me, you don't need to check into a hotel or set a crazy goal like 10k per day or anything. Just post your daily goal, and we can keep each other motivated!


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## Huldra (Nov 7, 2013)

.


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## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

Bookmarking. Good luck! (I have to confess I'm mainly jealous you get to stay in a hotel by yourself for a week.)


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

You're a brave soul! Good luck with it, and I'm glad you're allowing some leeway for burnout/migraines/plot rejigging, because we were worried about you last time! Enjoy your view and your hot breakfast, and good luck.


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## CopperDog (Sep 17, 2014)

Not at the stage where I can participate (still working the day job while writing) but what you are doing sounds so tempting. Will be following and cheering you on!


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

I had a great time following along last time. I hope you find success again. Do you have rewards for yourself for different word counts like you set last time? From memory, I don't think you hit enough for your dream tour of haunted houses. Did you end up taking it anyway?


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## Genre Hoarder (Oct 4, 2014)

I followed your novel in a week project. I'll follow and join you on this one too. I wish I could get away for a week alone. Yesterday, while I was home in the next room, my "adult" son started a fire in the kitchen with his behind. (Long, ridiculous story.) I don't think my kids are ready to be left alone.


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## Theresa A. James (May 16, 2017)

Good luck, you can do it!
I'll definitely join you next time (try at least )
keep us posted


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## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

Genre Hoarder said:


> Yesterday, while I was home in the next room, my "adult" son started a fire in the kitchen with his behind. (Long, ridiculous story.)


Which I think we need to hear.


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## Susanne123 (Jan 9, 2014)

I'm unable to join you, but oh my goodness, I loved reading your last adventure so I'll follow along for this one. Cheering you on!


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## kathrynoh (Oct 17, 2012)

I'll join you. Not at a hotel but I'm wanting to get some pretty high word counts over the next 4 days.


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## N R Hairston (Oct 5, 2014)

Good Luck! I'll be following along.


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## Jennifer Joy (Sep 23, 2014)

I'm cheering you on! Thank you for letting us tag along.


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## Genre Hoarder (Oct 4, 2014)

Lydniz said:


> Which I think we need to hear.


Not to derail, but I'll explain. Three of my four kiddos are home on break from college. The youngest is in middle school. Male child #1 and male child #2 were hungry. I sent them to the kitchen to warm up one of any of the dozen already pre-cooked meals that I made and left for them in the freezer/refrigerator. While said males were in the kitchen, a conversation about a girl they saw at a baseball came distracted them (apparently). Male #2 leaned on the stove. His behind on the burner knobs. So distracted by his conversation, he says he didn't feel that his pants got stuck on the knob, and says he didn't remember that he'd set the plastic food container on the burner, and didn't smell the gas when he inadvertently turned the burner on and scorched the plastic container. Male #1 claims he didn't see it go up in flames and didn't notice smoke.    Yep, girls of the world, one day these two extremely bright boys will be looking for love. Watch out!

The other two children never pose a problem when I sit down to write. The older two are dangerous.


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## Marcus Richardson (Aug 15, 2014)

This sounds awesome!  I can't do it myself, but I'll be following writing vicariously through your posts.  Sounds like a fantastic idea.  I was able to do it a year ago when my wife took our three kids to gradnma's house for the weekend.  I cranked out 60,000 words (dictating) and it was exhausting but left me wanting more.  Good luck!!


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## BeMyBookBaby (Apr 18, 2016)

Kate. said:


> Early this year I booked into a hotel, set myself an insane goal of producing a book in seven days, and somehow actually managed to finish a short 54k-word novel. [link] It was a harrowing terrific experience. I'm doing it again!
> 
> I'd love to have some writing buddies join me for round two. Maybe not in the hotel. That would get crowded quickly. But if you want to set a writing goal - whatever length you're comfortable with - we can keep each other accountable. =)


I'm getting nervous just typing this reply, but I'd like to join you in this word count business. I haven't written a word since December... it's time to get back on the horse.  Hopefully I can figure out dictating and get some of it done that way, so I don't catch a migraine of my own. But REALISTICALLY, even if I only do 5,000 a day that will be amazing compared to my previous daily count.

See you tomorrow.


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## VanessaC (Jan 14, 2017)

Very best of luck with this! 

This is a great prompt for me - I have just sent book 2 off to beta readers and groaned when I opened the rough draft for book 3 to realise just how much work I have ahead. I won't manage to follow your goals as unfortunately life stuff and day job require attention, but it is a great inspiration to get into my writing chair and get on with the draft.

Will be following with great interest.


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## Robert A Michael (Apr 30, 2012)

Good luck! I think this method would work me. Ever the recluse, I would love to do this in some remote place with a balcony overlooking a stand of pines and a snow-capped mountain. Or a Norman Maclean-esque river with brown trout jumping in the shallows, slurping mayflies running past the cabin--a great diversion for when the words don't flow!

Inspiration and isolation seem to go hand-in-hand. I remember touring Blennerhassett Island on the Ohio River between West Virginia and Ohio and seeing a brick building in which Walt Whitman wrote "Isle of La Belle Riviere" while visiting the owners. It was easy to see how the place could evoke a poem by a creative spirit like Walt.

It's not that I feel that a familiar place (home) can contribute to writer's block, it's just that sometimes creativity swells when you are exposed to the wonders of our world, the places and people that inspire us to write outside of the confines of our current existence. I think the same can be said of other experiences. Live life fully--there's no better way to be inspired.


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## Talbot (Jul 14, 2015)

Good luck! I admire anyone that can get so much done so quickly. That lovely room would distract the hell out of me, though.


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

I'm joining you if you don't mind!

I have a bad habit of taking a lot of time off after each book and now it's time to get back to writing. My goal is 50,000 words in a week.


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## A J Sika (Apr 22, 2016)

I watched you race through your MS last time and you did a great time.

You know what?I think I'll do it with you but only for  the next two or three days because I've only got 7 chapters (about 21k words) to write in my current project.

Good luck though - though I doubt you need it.


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## CarolynVMurray (Mar 13, 2015)

Kate, I'm deeply envious. Not just because of the hotel. 

But this -- "I love the plot - and I mean really, really love it. It's full of twists and intrigue and lies and plenty of horrific murders. What more could a girl want?

But every opportunity is also a chance to fail. This book has more characters, more plot threads, and more dramatic moments that will need a deft touch to get just right."


You have your story worked out and you're in love with it. There's no greater starting point. What I know about my story would fit on an index card. And yet, I have been flailing in paralyzing procrastination for so long, that perhaps public accountability will be my game changer.

I'm going to join you. And considering that my last book took three months (injuries, insomnia, intimidation, family medical worries), I'm not sure what makes me think I can write the next in ten days. Except I HAVE to. My deadlines, my launch dates, have all been pushed back again and again. It's a new genre for me, and a much more complicated one, than what I'm used to. I've written my Book One, need to write Books Two and Three in the next month.

So, my ten day plan is to spend 3 days on creating as detailed an outline as possible (it's a mystery.) And then to spend seven days writing 7,000 words a day, for an approx. 50,000 word book. Sounds totally doable. Except that I can usually only manage 2,000 words a day, and I have no hotel. But I do have an inspiring role model to follow. Thanks Kate.


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## Yayoi (Apr 26, 2016)

Hi Kate, I hope you're reading this. How did you prepare plotting the story? Did you outline every chapter to a point you know every scene that will go down? Because for you to write that fast I'm guessing you need to outline everything without the guesswork so you won't waste more time contemplating. Hope I'm right though.


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## IntoTheAbyss (Mar 20, 2017)

How much editing did you do after the first draft? Beta readers? professional editors? How long did it take to edit?


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## Matt.Banks (May 5, 2016)

I'm in! I'm actually in the middle of outlining a novel. I've never written 8k in a day, but I might as well shoot for the moon.


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## Morgan Worth (May 6, 2017)

Genre Hoarder said:


> Not to derail, but I'll explain. Three of my four kiddos are home on break from college. The youngest is in middle school. Male child #1 and male child #2 were hungry. I sent them to the kitchen to warm up one of any of the dozen already pre-cooked meals that I made and left for them in the freezer/refrigerator. While said males were in the kitchen, a conversation about a girl they saw at a baseball came distracted them (apparently). Male #2 leaned on the stove. His behind on the burner knobs. So distracted by his conversation, he says he didn't feel that his pants got stuck on the knob, and says he didn't remember that he'd set the plastic food container on the burner, and didn't smell the gas when he inadvertently turned the burner on and scorched the plastic container. Male #1 claims he didn't see it go up in flames and didn't notice smoke.    Yep, girls of the world, one day these two extremely bright boys will be looking for love. Watch out!
> 
> The other two children never pose a problem when I sit down to write. The older two are dangerous.


Wow! I was so sure you were going to say it involved farting and matches, but I think your story is even better!


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## Megan O (Feb 25, 2015)

Sneaking out of lurkdom to say I'll join you! 5k a day is my usual drafting pace, so 8k is going to be quite the challenge.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Update 1: 11:30am (day one)

I had a bit of a rough start this morning. I was so nervous last night that I kept waking up to every little sound with a panicked "I overslept!" feeling. Breakfast was delicious, but then I threw it all up again. I don't _feel _sick so I think it might have just been nerves, but I'm being careful about what I eat for the rest of the day. Trust me to be 300% more stressed than normal while on holiday. [nobbc]:b[/nobbc]

Once I got over all of that, I actually had a productive-ish morning! I've done four sprints that yielded 2,000 words. My early sprints had a very low words-per-hour, but the last one reached 2,200 as I found my groove. If I keep it up, I should hit 10k today without a problem. Touch wood.

Ah - and I wanted to mention up-front - my hotel puts a limit on the wifi. If I'm slow to reply, it's because I've run out and I'll have to respond the next day. =)



Huldra said:


> Not in a stage where I can join you, but I love this idea. Shall be following your progress!
> You can do it!!


Thank you! 



Lydniz said:


> Bookmarking. Good luck! (I have to confess I'm mainly jealous you get to stay in a hotel by yourself for a week.)


I'm not going to lie, it's pretty nice here. The trip was very last-minute (and it's a public holiday weekend in Australia) so I just booked the first hotel under my budget with half-decent reviews. But it turned out to be a really comfortable, nice place!



PaulineMRoss said:


> You're a brave soul! Good luck with it, and I'm glad you're allowing some leeway for burnout/migraines/plot rejigging, because we were worried about you last time! Enjoy your view and your hot breakfast, and good luck.


Thank you, Pauline!  I learned my lesson last time - an extra couple of days should make this much less stressful.



CopperDog said:


> Not at the stage where I can participate (still working the day job while writing) but what you are doing sounds so tempting. Will be following and cheering you on!


Thanks! =)



MelanieCellier said:


> I had a great time following along last time. I hope you find success again. Do you have rewards for yourself for different word counts like you set last time? From memory, I don't think you hit enough for your dream tour of haunted houses. Did you end up taking it anyway?


No rewards this time - they actually weren't as motivating as I'd expected. Having some accountability on the forum worked much, much better - you guys kept me trucking along! I didn't take the haunted locations tour, but maybe, if I finish the novel this week, that can be my big prize.



Genre Hoarder said:


> I followed your novel in a week project. I'll follow and join you on this one too. I wish I could get away for a week alone. Yesterday, while I was home in the next room, my "adult" son started a fire in the kitchen with his behind. (Long, ridiculous story.) I don't think my kids are ready to be left alone.


Oh nooo! That was a hilarious story. I feel so bad for them, haha! I've made mistakes in the past that are obvious to anyone with eyes except me, so I know what it's like!



Theresa A. James said:


> Good luck, you can do it!
> I'll definitely join you next time (try at least )
> keep us posted


Thank you so much!



Susanne123 said:


> I'm unable to join you, but oh my goodness, I loved reading your last adventure so I'll follow along for this one. Cheering you on!


Thank you, I really appreciate it Susanne! =)



kathrynoh said:


> I'll join you. Not at a hotel but I'm wanting to get some pretty high word counts over the next 4 days.


Good luck! If you want to post your daily totals in this thread, we can be your cheering squad!



N R Hairston said:


> Good Luck! I'll be following along.


Thanks! 



Jennifer Joy said:


> I'm cheering you on! Thank you for letting us tag along.


No - thank you! It helps a lot to know people are following!



Marcus Richardson said:


> This sounds awesome! I can't do it myself, but I'll be following writing vicariously through your posts. Sounds like a fantastic idea. I was able to do it a year ago when my wife took our three kids to gradnma's house for the weekend. I cranked out 60,000 words (dictating) and it was exhausting but left me wanting more. Good luck!!


60k in a weekend? What are you, a machine?!  That's incredible!



Ellie Keating said:


> I'm getting nervous just typing this reply, but I'd like to join you in this word count business. I haven't written a word since December... it's time to get back on the horse.  Hopefully I can figure out dictating and get some of it done that way, so I don't catch a migraine of my own. But REALISTICALLY, even if I only do 5,000 a day that will be amazing compared to my previous daily count.
> 
> See you tomorrow.


Alright!! Good luck, I know you'll do terrifically. =) Keep us updated, even if you don't meet your goals - having the support can really help!



VanessaC said:


> Very best of luck with this!
> 
> This is a great prompt for me - I have just sent book 2 off to beta readers and groaned when I opened the rough draft for book 3 to realise just how much work I have ahead. I won't manage to follow your goals as unfortunately life stuff and day job require attention, but it is a great inspiration to get into my writing chair and get on with the draft.
> 
> Will be following with great interest.


I'm really glad to hear it's helping! Good luck with Book 3 - editing is by far the hardest part for me, so I can empathise!



Robert A Michael said:


> Good luck! I think this method would work me. Ever the recluse, I would love to do this in some remote place with a balcony overlooking a stand of pines and a snow-capped mountain. Or a Norman Maclean-esque river with brown trout jumping in the shallows, slurping mayflies running past the cabin--a great diversion for when the words don't flow!
> 
> Inspiration and isolation seem to go hand-in-hand. I remember touring Blennerhassett Island on the Ohio River between West Virginia and Ohio and seeing a brick building in which Walt Whitman wrote "Isle of La Belle Riviere" while visiting the owners. It was easy to see how the place could evoke a poem by a creative spirit like Walt.
> 
> It's not that I feel that a familiar place (home) can contribute to writer's block, it's just that sometimes creativity swells when you are exposed to the wonders of our world, the places and people that inspire us to write outside of the confines of our current existence. I think the same can be said of other experiences. Live life fully--there's no better way to be inspired.


Thank you! This hotel isn't quite as nice as what you described, but it sure is nice to look out at some trees. Nature really helps me relax and feel more creative, so a mountain retreat sounds amazing!



Jessie G. Talbot said:


> Good luck! I admire anyone that can get so much done so quickly. That lovely room would distract the hell out of me, though.


It does for me a bit, too!  And the bed is sooo comfy, I'm badly tempted to crawl back into it and have a nap, haha.



NeedWant said:


> I'm joining you if you don't mind!
> 
> I have a bad habit of taking a lot of time off after each book and now it's time to get back to writing. My goal is 50,000 words in a week.


That's a terrific goal - good luck!! And thank you for joining, I love knowing people are writing alongside me! =)



A J Sika said:


> I watched you race through your MS last time and you did a great time.
> 
> You know what?I think I'll do it with you but only for the next two or three days because I've only got 7 chapters (about 21k words) to write in my current project.
> 
> Good luck though - though I doubt you need it.


That sounds like a great plan. Thanks for joining! I know you can bowl it over super quickly! =)



CarolynVMurray said:


> Kate, I'm deeply envious. Not just because of the hotel.
> 
> But this -- "I love the plot - and I mean really, really love it. It's full of twists and intrigue and lies and plenty of horrific murders. What more could a girl want?
> 
> ...


I've found sometimes hard deadlines are the only things that get me moving. =) I didn't even have a complete plot until yesterday!

One other thing that helped me is this mantra: "It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be good enough." It sounds like you're a perfectionist like me. Clinging to that mantra helps me immensely when I become overwhelmed by the scale of a project. Readers don't expect a perfect book, they just want a good one. That's all you have to produce. And the first draft doesn't even have to be good! That's what editing is for! =)

Good luck!! You've set a tough goal, but I know you're capable of exceeding it. Look after yourself, don't beat yourself up, and remember, it doesn't have to be perfect!



Yayoi said:


> Hi Kate, I hope you're reading this. How did you prepare plotting the story? Did you outline every chapter to a point you know every scene that will go down? Because for you to write that fast I'm guessing you need to outline everything without the guesswork so you won't waste more time contemplating. Hope I'm right though.


Yes - I have about 2,000 words of plot notes, broken down scene-by-scene. I use an excel spreadsheet. The first cell is a description of what happens in that scene, the second is the day the scene takes place (so that I can keep track of when things are happening). The third is the plot thread the scene addresses (if any). Finally I have a cell for any additional notes, like if I want particular emphasis on an emotion. It's not a perfect system but it helps a lot.



Michael-Allen said:


> How much editing did you do after the first draft? Beta readers? professional editors? How long did it take to edit?


I gave it a week of self-editing, then sent it to a line editor. She's very thorough and usually includes some light developmental notes at the same time. Once she was done with it, it went past two proofreaders before publication. =) The whole process takes about a month as long as there's no wait time.



Matt.Banks said:


> I'm in! I'm actually in the middle of outlining a novel. I've never written 8k in a day, but I might as well shoot for the moon.


How's the saying go... "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll die horrifically in space"? Whoops, sorry, that was the demotivational version. 

Thanks for joining in! Good luck with your project - I'm really looking forward to your daily tallies! I know you can knock it out of the park!



Megan O'Nope said:


> Sneaking out of lurkdom to say I'll join you! 5k a day is my usual drafting pace, so 8k is going to be quite the challenge.


This is an awesome team we're building. Thanks for joining! It's a challenge, but it will be incredibly rewarding once it's done!


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## Benjamin Douglas (Aug 1, 2015)

I'm joining you a day late and quite a few words less, but I have a deadline looming and I need accountability.

I'm good at encouragement, too. Watch: _you can do it, Kate!_

See?



I want 3k words per day to pour forth from my prawny fingers for the rest of your challenge (9 days). That's my minimum. Right now, high output per day isn't the thing for me; consistency is the thing. This sounds like a lot of pain fun! Thanks for posting and inspiring the rest of us bums.


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## Rose Andrews (Jun 1, 2017)

Awesome! I'd love to join in for 3k a day. My son is out of school for the summer so this is the most I can manage right now. My normal speed is 1500 so this will be a lot for me.  Best of luck to you, the hotel sounds like the perfect retreat.


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## Shaun Dowdall (Mar 8, 2013)

Good luck to everyone  I'll be booking a week off work soon to do something similar, so watching your results with interest!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Update 2: Day 1 (5pm)

I just passed 7,000 words. I'm tired, and extremely ready to be done, but also feeling really good about that progress. I booked a table for dinner at 7. Can I finish that last 3k in two hours, then relax for the rest of the night? I'm about to find out!

Just a couple of small hiccups disturbed my day. That sickness from the morning persisted until lunch but then got better. And my laptop turned itself off in the early afternoon. I still don't know why. But it's holding on for now! I'm backing my work up and crossing my fingers it doesn't engage in any more shenanigans.



Benjamin Douglas said:


> I'm joining you a day late and quite a few words less, but I have a deadline looming and I need accountability.
> 
> I'm good at encouragement, too. Watch: _you can do it, Kate!_
> 
> ...


That's great encouragement, thank you!  Go kick your goal's butt!!



Rosie A. said:


> Awesome! I'd love to join in for 3k a day. My son is out of school for the summer so this is the most I can manage right now. My normal speed is 1500 so this will be a lot for me.  Best of luck to you, the hotel sounds like the perfect retreat.


3k is awesome! Good luck!!



Shaun Dowdall said:


> Good luck to everyone  I'll be booking a week off work soon to do something similar, so watching your results with interest!


Thank you! =)


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## CaraMunro (Dec 16, 2014)

Good luck!

I've been meaning to really push myself and this is such a great idea.

I think my situation is a bit different but I'll make sure the challenge I set myself is just a tad impossible so I can def get going.

Good luck to everybody else, too. Ride or die LOL


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## kathrynoh (Oct 17, 2012)

Update day 1: 2700 words (5pm Tokyo time)

I was hoping to have many, many words written but I think I'm a bit burnt out before I start. I thought leaving the apartment might unfry my brain so decided to walk to the post office and send some stuff to my sister. Totally forgot it was Friday afternoon!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Day 1 COMPLETE: 10,123 words

I ended up not quite reaching the 3,000 before dinner, but I was only 450 words short. I finished it up when I got back to my room. =)

I'm tired, but surprisingly not as tired as I felt the first time I did this challenge. The last couple of scenes were definitely a bit awkward, though. I'm hoping a good night of sleep will straighten me out for tomorrow.



CaraMunro said:


> Good luck!
> 
> I've been meaning to really push myself and this is such a great idea.
> 
> ...


Thank you!  Post your updates, if you're comfortable - I'd love to know your progress!



kathrynoh said:


> Update day 1: 2700 words (5pm Tokyo time)
> 
> I was hoping to have many, many words written but I think I'm a bit burnt out before I start. I thought leaving the apartment might unfry my brain so decided to walk to the post office and send some stuff to my sister. Totally forgot it was Friday afternoon!


Hey, that's still good for day one! Sometimes it takes a bit to get back into the swing of things. =) Tomorrow's going to be better!


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

Kate. said:


> Day 1 COMPLETE: 10,123 words
> 
> I ended up not quite reaching the 3,000 before dinner, but I was only 450 words short. I finished it up when I got back to my room. =)
> 
> I'm tired, but surprisingly not as tired as I felt the first time I did this challenge. The last couple of scenes were definitely a bit awkward, though. I'm hoping a good night of sleep will straighten me out for tomorrow.


Woohoo! Good on you for pushing through. I think I would have been too tempted to count 7k as a good start and climb back into that bed!


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## EggMcMuffin (Jun 7, 2017)

Kate. said:


> Day 1 COMPLETE: 10,123 words
> 
> I ended up not quite reaching the 3,000 before dinner, but I was only 450 words short. I finished it up when I got back to my room. =)
> 
> I'm tired, but surprisingly not as tired as I felt the first time I did this challenge. The last couple of scenes were definitely a bit awkward, though. I'm hoping a good night of sleep will straighten me out for tomorrow.


Wow, Kate, that's amazing! Did you write all day, or did you have a chance to go for a walk or something? I find that after a few hours spent sitting at a desk, my concentration is completely shot.


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## KeraEmory (Feb 8, 2016)

Maybe I missed it, but can we know the title of your previous one-week book?

(I understand if not.)


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## Kristine McKinley (Aug 26, 2012)

Loved reading your updates last time, so really looking forward to this time. You can do it!!! Whoohooo!!!! Words, words, words!!!


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## A J Sika (Apr 22, 2016)

Kate. said:


> Day 1 COMPLETE: 10,123 words


My Goodness, you're a beast. I woke up this morning to find that you'd already written 7k + words. Bloody hell. Now, I'm just racing to catch up. I'm done with my first two morning sprints and have 3,568 words done. I'm hoping for 4 more sprints today but we'll see. Either way after seeing your word counts I'm even more motivated to beat them


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Update 4: Day 2 (10:40am)

I overslept this morning, but I just finished my first two sprint for the day. I have a low-level headache but the excitement's back and I'm feeling a lot more focussed compared to yesterday. And I'm at a good part in the story! Lots of suspense, and our protagonist has just found a door with four locks on its outside. Can he resist the mystery and leave it well enough alone? (Spoiler: no he can't)



MelanieCellier said:


> Woohoo! Good on you for pushing through. I think I would have been too tempted to count 7k as a good start and climb back into that bed!


Thank you so much!  Haha, the bed was definitely calling to me!



Adria R. said:


> Wow, Kate, that's amazing! Did you write all day, or did you have a chance to go for a walk or something? I find that after a few hours spent sitting at a desk, my concentration is completely shot.


It was pretty much a whole day of writing. I ate lunch in the hotel room and didn't leave until dinner at seven. But I'm feeling a bit restless today and there's a shopping complex a fifteen minute walk down the road, so I'm thinking I'll pop out there for the next few sprints. =)



KeraEmory said:


> Maybe I missed it, but can we know the title of your previous one-week book?
> 
> (I understand if not.)


Sorry Kera, I'm trying to stay anonymous if that's okay. =) I can tell you I write in the horror genre, though!



Kristine McKinley said:


> Loved reading your updates last time, so really looking forward to this time. You can do it!!! Whoohooo!!!! Words, words, words!!!


Yay, thank you so much!! 



A J Sika said:


> My Goodness, you're a beast. I woke up this morning to find that you'd already written 7k + words. Bloody hell. Now, I'm just racing to catch up. I'm done with my first two morning sprints and have 3,568 words done. I'm hoping for 4 more sprints today but we'll see. Either way after seeing your word counts I'm even more motivated to beat them


Hahaha, don't worry, I'm in Australia so I got a headstart. [nobbc][/nobbc] You're on track to beat my word count, though! Go get it!!


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## Yayoi (Apr 26, 2016)

Hi Kate, thank you for answering my question. I wonder, what's the process after writing and revising your book? Say, do you have beta readers? Does it go through copyediting? What about your ARC group? How long does the whole process take after you finally revised your work? 

And, how many books do you have so far? I'm pretty sure you don't write this fast all the time. So on normal days, how many words do you write? Are you a full-time writer who has no other jobs? Sorry for asking too much!


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## Benjamin Douglas (Aug 1, 2015)

Kate, you're off to a GREAT START!

Writing challenges like this can be brutal. I've decided to be kind to myself and let myself sleep at night whether or not I hit the day's mark--makes for a better shot tomorrow. All told, I clocked in today (day 1 for me; day 2 for the rest of you lubbers) closing in on 2,100. So shy of my goal, but... words on the page.



See you all tomorrow for more words!


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## Megan O (Feb 25, 2015)

Wow! Between being in PST, and a night owl, ya'll are making me feel very behind, haha. I'm at 5k for the day, pausing for dinner and then it's back in! 

You are AMAZING Kate! 10k is a fantastic start!


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

I enjoyed your thread last time you did this, Kate. Looking forward to this one, too. What a great start with day one!

I wrote about 2500 words this morning (still Friday the 9th for me), and have about 5k to finish this novella. I'd like to knock that out before bed tonight and start on a different project tomorrow. I'm 16k into a novel that's by turns cathartic and intensely painful to write, more painful than I expected. I think I'll join you in an attempt to finish that. If I focus on getting the words down, maybe that'll be enough to get it pushed out of my system. 

Go you on day two!


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Your threads are always exciting to follow, Kate. Good luck with the goal!


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## A J Sika (Apr 22, 2016)

Kate. said:


> Update 4: Day 2 (10:40am)
> Hahaha, don't worry, I'm in Australia so I got a headstart. [nobbc][/nobbc] You're on track to beat my word count, though! Go get it!!


Unfortunately, I couldn't beat you, Grand Mistress. I hit 6,873 yesterday before I was distracted by Shiny Handsome Things a.k.a. the spouse. But after seeing your speed, I was encouraged to wake up earlier today so I can make the 10k word count. Already done with 2,340, about 8,000 more to go.

Glad your book (and sprinting) is doing so well. Don't forget to take a break sometime so that headache doesn't become a problem. Good luck


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

10,000 words a day is certainly doable, if you are young.   I fall asleep after 2,000 these days, but you seem to be doing very well with it and I certainly wish you luck. I can't join you, not even in cyber space; every time I've tried to write anything lately I've ended with migraine so until I get that sorted, I'll plod along and hope for the best. But you have my wishes, certainly.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Day 2: COMPLETE
10,196
(20,319 total)

Whew, I'm tired, and it's only 8:30! A niggling headache tells my I've had too much computer time. I might take tomorrow as an "off" day. I'll still write, but only as much as I feel up to, no crazy 10k goal. Maybe 1 or 2k instead, and I can spend the rest of the time napping and catching up on some reading.

It's taken sixteen 20-minute sprints each day to reach my goals. That's five and a half hours of actual work, but spins out to eight hours when I include gaps between sprints and lunch. It's amazing how much more worn out I am after eight hours of writing vs eight hours in the day job. Too much mental exercise.



Yayoi said:


> Hi Kate, thank you for answering my question. I wonder, what's the process after writing and revising your book? Say, do you have beta readers? Does it go through copyediting? What about your ARC group? How long does the whole process take after you finally revised your work?
> 
> And, how many books do you have so far? I'm pretty sure you don't write this fast all the time. So on normal days, how many words do you write? Are you a full-time writer who has no other jobs? Sorry for asking too much!


That's no problem! I'll try to dig down into a bit more detail.

Once I edit the book myself (1-2 passes) it goes to a line editor. I incorperate their changes and send it to two proofreaders. Once their corrections are added, I publish the book.

My own edits can take a couple of weeks. The line editor normally needs a fortnight for a 60k book. The proofreaders are pretty prompt, usually about a week.

If they all start work as soon as I send them the manuscript, I can turn a novel from first-draft to finished in 4-6 weeks. But, because they're excellent editors, they're usually booked out in advance, sometimes for as long as three months. I work on other stories while I'm waiting. =)

I use a developmental editor before the line editor if I'm concerned about the book's structure. She's brilliant, but she's booked for ages and her changes take a long time to incorporate.

I don't use beta readers or ARC readers. I used to, but it ended up being a lot of work for not much benefit. I have enough followers now that I can expect a handful of reviews a few days after publication, which is much less stressful than trying to solicit them!

I've published thirteen books so far and have two more progressing through the editing process. I've been full time (low six figures) for about 15 months. On an average day I might write 2-3k words, which is really appallingly slow. This book-in-a-week thing is like a hack to speed up the process 10x. 



Benjamin Douglas said:


> Kate, you're off to a GREAT START!
> 
> Writing challenges like this can be brutal. I've decided to be kind to myself and let myself sleep at night whether or not I hit the day's mark--makes for a better shot tomorrow. All told, I clocked in today (day 1 for me; day 2 for the rest of you lubbers) closing in on 2,100. So shy of my goal, but... words on the page.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much! That's 2,100 words you didn't have yesterday, and a great start to a writing marathon. =) Good luck for tomorrow!



Megan O'Nope said:


> Wow! Between being in PST, and a night owl, ya'll are making me feel very behind, haha. I'm at 5k for the day, pausing for dinner and then it's back in!
> 
> You are AMAZING Kate! 10k is a fantastic start!


Aw, thanks so much!  Congrats on your progress, it's terrific!



Shelley K said:


> I enjoyed your thread last time you did this, Kate. Looking forward to this one, too. What a great start with day one!
> 
> I wrote about 2500 words this morning (still Friday the 9th for me), and have about 5k to finish this novella. I'd like to knock that out before bed tonight and start on a different project tomorrow. I'm 16k into a novel that's by turns cathartic and intensely painful to write, more painful than I expected. I think I'll join you in an attempt to finish that. If I focus on getting the words down, maybe that'll be enough to get it pushed out of my system.
> 
> Go you on day two!


That sounds like a stellar plan! It's tough to jump from one project and straight into another, so you've got more fortitude than I do! I hope the second project feels more cathartic than painful once you're back into it. =)



Carol (was Dara) said:


> Your threads are always exciting to follow, Kate. Good luck with the goal!


Thanks so much! 



A J Sika said:


> Unfortunately, I couldn't beat you, Grand Mistress. I hit 6,873 yesterday before I was distracted by Shiny Handsome Things a.k.a. the spouse. But after seeing your speed, I was encouraged to wake up earlier today so I can make the 10k word count. Already done with 2,340, about 8,000 more to go.
> 
> Glad your book (and sprinting) is doing so well. Don't forget to take a break sometime so that headache doesn't become a problem. Good luck


Hahaha, if I had a Shiny Handsome Thing of my own I doubt any writing would get done! Keep posting your progress, it's thrilling to see you get through your project!



Doglover said:


> 10,000 words a day is certainly doable, if you are young.  I fall asleep after 2,000 these days, but you seem to be doing very well with it and I certainly wish you luck. I can't join you, not even in cyber space; every time I've tried to write anything lately I've ended with migraine so until I get that sorted, I'll plod along and hope for the best. But you have my wishes, certainly.


Thank you, I really appreciate it!


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## Megan O (Feb 25, 2015)

Phew! My final count for Day 1: 10,148

I wrote a bit in the morning so I'm already sitting at 1k for day two. This thread has been an obvious motivator for me, as I'm usually not a morning writer at all!


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## Nicole M (Nov 1, 2012)

Oh, what the heck. I'll join as well! I've been watching too much Netflix lately anyways. I likely won't hit 60k like you will (I believe in you!) but if I hit 40k I'll be jumping with joy. Good luck everyone!


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## A J Sika (Apr 22, 2016)

Clocking out at 8,499

I still have a couple of hours to my day but I have one of those 'you've used your brain too much' headaches. I'm afraid that if I continue, I might end up writing unusable words. So I think I'll stop here for today.

Either way, I now only have the epilogue left   Gotta leave something for tomorrow.

Good luck everyone else.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

OH Yay!
I somehow missed this post when you started, but am thrilled to find it now. I followed along avidly last time watching your progress like a rubber-necker at a road rage argument. Though I think that my biggest take away from it was "never leave your house for a week if you live somewhere with massive spiders!" I had nightmares after you got home  

I'm so excited to follow again. (Will NOT be taking part, I could never manage it in my hectic household, wow I wish I was in a hotel, is there a pool? I'd love a hotel with a pool. Swim each morning before starting work... ah the daydream. Bliss.)

Good luck!


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> Though I think that my biggest take away from it was "never leave your house for a week if you live somewhere with massive spiders!" I had nightmares after you got home


Oh oh oh! I'd forgotten the spiders!!!  I wish you hadn't reminded me.


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## dgrant (Feb 5, 2014)

Here's to awesome amounts of writing, and NO SPIDERS!


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## Beth_Hammond (Oct 30, 2015)

You're awesome! Loved your last thread as well. Love seeing some others jumping in the race too!


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

I don't know if it was reading your original post or what, but yesterday for the first time this week, I didn't have migraine and I looked up from my laptop for lunch to find I'd typed 3000 words. I never manage more than 2000 as a rule without nodding off.

And I like spiders - they gobble up the flies.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Update Day 3: Partial
3,736 words
24,055 total

Today hasn't been great. I felt queasy through the morning and my energy + mood crumpled into a big pile of blaugh. I felt it starting last night, and I'm glad I took today as an "off" day. A couple of sprints in the afternoon and evening still created a few words, though - about a third of my goal. So that's cool! Crossing my fingers my mood picks up for tomorrow.

I don't know if it's coincidence or a trend, but I hit the exact same rough patch with the first project. Is it Day 3 blues? Or third-of-the-way-through-the-project burnout? Either way, turns out it's smart to keep a couple of extra days up your sleeve for this kind of thing.



Megan O'Nope said:


> Phew! My final count for Day 1: 10,148
> 
> I wrote a bit in the morning so I'm already sitting at 1k for day two. This thread has been an obvious motivator for me, as I'm usually not a morning writer at all!


Wow, that's amazing!!  You're absolutely rocking it!



Nicole M said:


> Oh, what the heck. I'll join as well! I've been watching too much Netflix lately anyways. I likely won't hit 60k like you will (I believe in you!) but if I hit 40k I'll be jumping with joy. Good luck everyone!


I'm glad you joined! 40k would be an incredible achievement. Keep us updated! =)



A J Sika said:


> Clocking out at 8,499
> 
> I still have a couple of hours to my day but I have one of those 'you've used your brain too much' headaches. I'm afraid that if I continue, I might end up writing unusable words. So I think I'll stop here for today.
> 
> ...


That's huge - I'd give you a high-five if I could reach through the screen!



Evenstar said:


> OH Yay!
> I somehow missed this post when you started, but am thrilled to find it now. I followed along avidly last time watching your progress like a rubber-necker at a road rage argument. Though I think that my biggest take away from it was "never leave your house for a week if you live somewhere with massive spiders!" I had nightmares after you got home
> 
> I'm so excited to follow again. (Will NOT be taking part, I could never manage it in my hectic household, wow I wish I was in a hotel, is there a pool? I'd love a hotel with a pool. Swim each morning before starting work... ah the daydream. Bliss.)
> ...


Hahaha, "rubber-necker at a road rage argument" - I love the way you describe things!

The hotel has a pool and I even remembered to bring a swimming costume, but the weather has been miserable. I'm making my air conditioner work overtime. [nobbc][/nobbc] If it gets warm enough I'd love to go for a dip, though - people say swimming does wonders for tight neck/shoulder muscles.



PaulineMRoss said:


> Oh oh oh! I'd forgotten the spiders!!!  I wish you hadn't reminded me.


I swear they have it in for me. [nobbc][/nobbc] They always seem to congregate in my room, never in the others! And I don't think I'll ever forget that hatching nest. Blagh.



dgrant said:


> Here's to awesome amounts of writing, and NO SPIDERS!


Hahaha, thank you! 



Beth_Hammond said:


> You're awesome! Loved your last thread as well. Love seeing some others jumping in the race too!


Thank you so much!  I'm really glad so many people joined. It makes it way more fun and social!



Doglover said:


> I don't know if it was reading your original post or what, but yesterday for the first time this week, I didn't have migraine and I looked up from my laptop for lunch to find I'd typed 3000 words. I never manage more than 2000 as a rule without nodding off.
> 
> And I like spiders - they gobble up the flies.


We'll have to agree to disagree on the spiders. [nobbc][/nobbc] That's a fantastic word count, though - congrats!


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## Weirdling (Jun 25, 2011)

Good luck. Sounds like fun.



Kate. said:


> *Biggest risks:*
> 
> I'm kinda nervous about this book.
> 
> ...


I learned just a little something about myself and writing and risk lately. I was under a lot of stress, working long days, and not writing. I was hit hard by the Supernatural (TV) show's final episode of the season. So I dared to do something I hadn't dared to do in a long time. I wrote fanfic. Back when I was a teen, that wasn't a big thing. I just wrote and loved it, flaws and all.

Lately, I had been ensnaring myself with all the real, imagined, and predicted flaws.

That fanfic broke me free. It wasn't perfect; I didn't aim for perfect. I wrote almost every day and posted every day. And I had great fun--and some stress, but mostly fun. And people enjoyed it.

So to be honest, it doesn't matter if you botch it or not. You can fix it, toss it, rewrite it, or use it. At least, that is what I have learned from my fanfic adventure, and I just wrote 2000+ words today on original fiction. They aren't perfect, but I'm not going to obsess over it. If I find a flaw, I will fix it or use it.

So ... I hope my little story helps you some.

Have fun. A week away from distractions sounds awesome.

Jodi


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## Weirdling (Jun 25, 2011)

Kate. said:


> I don't know if it's coincidence or a trend, but I hit the exact same rough patch with the first project. Is it Day 3 blues? Or third-of-the-way-through-the-project burnout? Either way, turns out it's smart to keep a couple of extra days up your sleeve for this kind of thing.


I think there's something about Day 3 of any project. I recently (last month) gave up chocolate. The hardest day was Day 3. But I knew if I got past that day, I'd make it. So far about 41 days in and going strong.

Keep up the good work.

Jodi


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## A J Sika (Apr 22, 2016)

Kate. said:


> Update Day 3: Partial
> 3,736 words
> 24,055 total
> 
> ...


Sorry about the Day 3 'bleghs', but a pat on the back for managing to get past that bump by at least putting in over 3k words. When I get the bleghs, I just veg out on the couch so you're miles ahead.

As for me, I finished my book today morning having knocked out 19,567 words in these last 3 days. Woohooo    

Thank you so much for starting this challenge. If it wasn't for you (and everyone else involved in this thread) it would've taken me at least another ten to fifteen days (judging by my progress with the other 44k words). So thanks. From now on I'm just a sideline cheerleader as I begin my editing.


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## CarolynVMurray (Mar 13, 2015)

Did I say that I was going to outline for 3 days and then write for 7? What I meant to say was 4 day outline and 6 days of writing. Or 5 and 5?

My big obstacle in getting the outline done is all the marketing prep for the launch of Book One, currently scheduled for July 12. I don't have a mailing list set-up (just started one yesterday, and still a little confused.) That has to be in place before I can do Instafreebie. But I didn't realize that I couldn't use my gmail address, and need to set up my website RIGHT NOW so that I have a usable email address for the mailing list. 

I'm still not sure how I'll be able to drive traffic to the Instafreebie - I won't have a mailing list to exchange with anyone.

Also, I also need my Createspace  paperback done to give to a review service that specializes in my genre and will give me names of readers who want copies. But my Fiverr formatter got it to me late. And it needs revisions. And when that's all settled, I need to hire someone to take my Kindle JPEG and turn it into a paperback cover, because my cover designer isn't answering email. 

Then I need pre-order, reviews, and schedule promos. And set up AMS ads.

AND get this outline ready. Yes, it would be much easier to do if I could ignore the other things. But, can a self-publisher really ignore the other things? Starting a new genre/new pen name is time intensive. And all the technical stuff is making this technophobe's head explode. Okay, back to the outline.


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## Jenna Lyn Wright (May 11, 2017)

I love this thread so much. 

I'm very sorry to hear you hit the Day 3 Blahs, but your progress is inspirational. I'm cheering you on from the sidelines, and can't wait to take on a challenge like this once I finish outlining. You rock.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Day 4: Complete(ish)
8,181 words
32,236 total

Posting a day late as I ran out of internet. =)

When I started the challenge I set a goal of 8-10k per day. I'm shooting for 10k, but accepting anything over 8 as success.

Yesterday was a challenge. I had two very important scenes with characters talking. They needed to reveal a lot information in a particular sequence and still sound natural, and because none of that was plotted, I had to figure it out as I wrote. My words per hour dropped under 1,000 and I kept having to pause and script things out. I only reached the 8k mark at 11pm, and my brain was thoroughly fried. I've got one more scene like that to deal with today, so crossing my fingers it doesn't kill me!

Talking about plot - it's holding together surprisingly well! I've shifted one scene to a different location and combined another two, but the overall structure is intact (so far). That's pretty cool! 

At a guess, the final story will be close to 60k words. It's a shock to realise I'm halfway there after just four days.



Weirdling said:


> Good luck. Sounds like fun.
> 
> I learned just a little something about myself and writing and risk lately. I was under a lot of stress, working long days, and not writing. I was hit hard by the Supernatural (TV) show's final episode of the season. So I dared to do something I hadn't dared to do in a long time.  I wrote fanfic. Back when I was a teen, that wasn't a big thing. I just wrote and loved it, flaws and all.
> 
> ...


Thank you, it does help!  I've never written fanfiction, but the talk about getting wrapped up in flaws really hit me. I sometimes feel like I'm changing the structure of every sentence to fix issues that are probably better dealt with in the editing stage. I've been worried that it's making my writing stilted and dry. I'm going to try to loosen up a bit today, and just enjoy the process more. And congrats on those 2k words - that's huge after a bout of not writing!



Weirdling said:


> I think there's something about Day 3 of any project. I recently (last month) gave up chocolate. The hardest day was Day 3. But I knew if I got past that day, I'd make it. So far about 41 days in and going strong.
> 
> Keep up the good work.
> 
> Jodi


Chocolate is my favourite treat, I don't think I could ever give it up! That's some serious willpower!



A J Sika said:


> Sorry about the Day 3 'bleghs', but a pat on the back for managing to get past that bump by at least putting in over 3k words. When I get the bleghs, I just veg out on the couch so you're miles ahead.
> 
> As for me, I finished my book today morning having knocked out 19,567 words in these last 3 days. Woohooo
> 
> Thank you so much for starting this challenge. If it wasn't for you (and everyone else involved in this thread) it would've taken me at least another ten to fifteen days (judging by my progress with the other 44k words). So thanks. From now on I'm just a sideline cheerleader as I begin my editing.


CONGRATULATIONS!!  I'm stoked for you, and secretly a little bit proud this thread helped. That was a huge achievement. Give yourself a reward, you deserve it!!



CarolynVMurray said:


> Did I say that I was going to outline for 3 days and then write for 7? What I meant to say was 4 day outline and 6 days of writing. Or 5 and 5?
> 
> My big obstacle in getting the outline done is all the marketing prep for the launch of Book One, currently scheduled for July 12. I don't have a mailing list set-up (just started one yesterday, and still a little confused.) That has to be in place before I can do Instafreebie. But I didn't realize that I couldn't use my gmail address, and need to set up my website RIGHT NOW so that I have a usable email address for the mailing list.
> 
> ...


Yikes, you've got a lot to deal with! I don't envy you! Good luck with it all!!



Bellamy Black said:


> I love this thread so much.
> 
> I'm very sorry to hear you hit the Day 3 Blahs, but your progress is inspirational. I'm cheering you on from the sidelines, and can't wait to take on a challenge like this once I finish outlining. You rock.


Thank you so much!  Even with the Day 3 Blahs, it's turning into a very rewarding week!


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## KitSarge (Apr 1, 2015)

That's so awesome that you can do this! I'm a teacher with two of my own kids, so during the school year I'm lucky if I get my 10 pages for my critique group done. Right now I'm working on a historical Revolutionary War novel (brand new genre for me), and it is slooow- I feel sometimes I can't write a sentence without looking something up. Today I wanted to write scene in the kitchen, but of course I had to figure out what a 1776 kitchen looked like (it's not as simple as "she peeked her head in the oven to check on the cake"). My goal is to finish it by the end of June. I'm at 42,755 so I figure if I can write 2,000 words a day from now until then, I can do it. So, here goes!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Day 5: COMPLETE!
10,020 words
(42,256 total)

Day six is going to be another "off" day. I woke up with a pretty nasty headache so I'm going to bunker down and not do much of anything until it's gone.

It took me forever to get through my words yesterday - I started work at 10am and didn't finish until after midnight. I'm still not sure how that's physically possible?? But I'm pretty happy with the progress. Less than 20k words to go, if my estimate is right. Though I think I might have broken my ending a smidge. I'll spend some time poking it if my head clears this evening.

A few people joined the challenge but haven't updated their progress, and maybe haven't hit their goals yet. If this is you - don't feel bad! This thread is for support and encouragement, not guilt. =) If you haven't met your target number on one, or two, or any of the days, still pop in and share your progress so that we can cheer you on. We want to see you succeed and sometimes it takes a few false starts before it happens. This thread is all about the journey and its bumps and hills, not just flashy numbers. =) So don't feel like you can't post if things are difficult, because that's exactly the time you're most welcome!



KitSarge said:


> That's so awesome that you can do this! I'm a teacher with two of my own kids, so during the school year I'm lucky if I get my 10 pages for my critique group done. Right now I'm working on a historical Revolutionary War novel (brand new genre for me), and it is slooow- I feel sometimes I can't write a sentence without looking something up. Today I wanted to write scene in the kitchen, but of course I had to figure out what a 1776 kitchen looked like (it's not as simple as "she peeked her head in the oven to check on the cake"). My goal is to finish it by the end of June. I'm at 42,755 so I figure if I can write 2,000 words a day from now until then, I can do it. So, here goes!


You can do it, Kit! Research is the bane of my life, especially when it's about really specific topics or locations that don't have much information online. Sometimes I watch movies from the time period to absorb the background details, but then I always worry that the movie's research department was fudging stuff and making things up too, haha. But it's going to be worth it when the story's complete and you know you got it right. Write on!


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## VanessaC (Jan 14, 2017)

Wow, Kate, you are doing fantastically well and definitely deserve a day off.

Selfishly, this post is just what I needed this morning - I looked at my planner and realised I'd planned to finish the first draft of book 3 by the end of the month.  Well, book 3 is a mess right now.  I have a plot, outline, and some rough sections but basically I'm about 35K words into what should be an 80K book.  So to meet my (self imposed) deadline I need to crank out 45K words in, let's see, about 14 days (allowing for a couple of days off). And I also have (nice) life stuff to deal with and a day job - those bills won't pay themselves! 

Your post has inspired me to quit whining and get on with it - even if I miss my original target, the book still needs to get done - so thank you!


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## EllieKeaton (Apr 12, 2014)

Fab post Kate, missed the start of it but great work. Looking forward to celebrating your achievement.  

I am aiming for 5k a day at the moment and it's not happening. Need to change that as the bills dont pay themselves lol


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

I hope the day off is enough to clear the headache. You're making amazing progress! At this rate, even assuming another day off, you'll still finish a day early. I really hope you get to spend day 10 lazing around, patting yourself on the back and enjoying that pool (assuming it's heated, haha)


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## KitSarge (Apr 1, 2015)

Kate, I share your pain! Yesterday I got to a little  47,000, but this morning woke up with a killer migraine. Maybe it's our bodies telling us to take a break once in a while. At any rate, I wanted to hit 50,000 by the end of the week, so I think I'm still on track. Enjoy the time off!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Aaaah, you won't believe the day I've had!

Last night I put a glass of water beside my computer to sip while I worked. If you think you know where this story is going you're absolutely right.

RIP Asus Laptop, you were garbage but I still loved you in a co-dependent kind of way.

The computer shorted out (I think?) and wouldn't respond even after drying through the night, so this morning I drove home to my brother who knows computer stuff. He saved the hard drive and backed up the data while I went to buy a new machine. It's not ideal (it's half a kilo heavier which will be a pain during the walk to the shops), but Ben was able to switch the hard drives over so that it works exactly like the old computer. All of my writing is intact, so I feel like I dodged a massive bullet and got clipped by some expensive but mostly-harmless shrapnel instead. =)

I'm now back in the hotel, ready to pick up where I left off. Current word count: 44,152. I'll try for a thousand or so words tonight then get back into the proper 10k challenge tomorrow.



VanessaC said:


> Wow, Kate, you are doing fantastically well and definitely deserve a day off.
> 
> Selfishly, this post is just what I needed this morning - I looked at my planner and realised I'd planned to finish the first draft of book 3 by the end of the month. Well, book 3 is a mess right now. I have a plot, outline, and some rough sections but basically I'm about 35K words into what should be an 80K book. So to meet my (self imposed) deadline I need to crank out 45K words in, let's see, about 14 days (allowing for a couple of days off). And I also have (nice) life stuff to deal with and a day job - those bills won't pay themselves!
> 
> Your post has inspired me to quit whining and get on with it - even if I miss my original target, the book still needs to get done - so thank you!


The goal looks massive now, but I know you can crush it! I'm really glad these posts are working as inspiration. If you feel like accountability would help, you can post your progress here so we can cheer you on. =)



EllieKeaton said:


> Fab post Kate, missed the start of it but great work. Looking forward to celebrating your achievement.
> 
> I am aiming for 5k a day at the moment and it's not happening. Need to change that as the bills dont pay themselves lol


Thanks Ellie! I don't know about you, but I always think my wordcount goals will be super easy to achieve until I actually try to meet them, hahaha.



MelanieCellier said:


> I hope the day off is enough to clear the headache. You're making amazing progress! At this rate, even assuming another day off, you'll still finish a day early. I really hope you get to spend day 10 lazing around, patting yourself on the back and enjoying that pool (assuming it's heated, haha)


Thank you! I have a bit of a lingering headache tonight (too much stress, not enough fluids) but it's still miles better than yesterday! I should still be able to finish on time! =)



KitSarge said:


> Kate, I share your pain! Yesterday I got to a little 47,000, but this morning woke up with a killer migraine. Maybe it's our bodies telling us to take a break once in a while. At any rate, I wanted to hit 50,000 by the end of the week, so I think I'm still on track. Enjoy the time off!


50k is doable! I hope the migraine clears quickly to let you get back into the writing! =)


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

I hate Cloud since it stole all my stuff, but it has its advantages in a case like this. Are you going to have a week off when you've finished?


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## TheLemontree (Sep 12, 2015)

Yikes! And thank goodness for a brother who could salvage it on the same day! 

I've been lurking on this thread since day one. So amazing.

Cheering from the side lines. 

Sent from my GT-S7390 using Tapatalk


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## A J Sika (Apr 22, 2016)

Kate. said:


> Aaaah, you won't believe the day I've had!
> 
> Last night I put a glass of water beside my computer to sip while I worked. If you think you know where this story is going you're absolutely right.
> 
> ...


Yikes 

This is the reason I have back up computer, always save my day's writing on the cloud and always look for a neighborhood computer pro whenever I move. Laptops, man!

Glad you were able to resolve the situation so fast, but I can only imagine how panicked you were. Brr.

Good luck with today's writing


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

Oh no! What a stressful (and expensive) interruption to your writing retreat. Good thing you were able to salvage it all. And had the forethought to build in all those extra days to your challenge. 

I always try to make sure I've made a couple of backups when finishing work for the day, but if I'm feeling lazy or super tired, I sometimes just email it to myself. I have this paranoia that the one day I don't do it, will be the one day I come back to find the whole thing has died. I can't imagine having to rewrite two-thirds of a book!


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## Lady TL Jennings (Dec 8, 2011)

Thank you so much for this thread, Kate!

I decided to join you earlier (but because of Fear of Failure I never chimed into the thread).
Nevertheless, I'm happy to announce that I've reached my own personal goal for this week:

I'm one third into my new novella this week, edited and done! YEY!
(and yes I'm a slow writer, I know.)

I'm actually toying with the idea of doing a Games of Throne challenge later on. (If I don't reach my weekly writing goals I'm not allowed to watch the next episode. That should keep me motivated! 

Best of luck to everyone with your writing, turtles and rabbits alike!


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

I'm at about 35k. The novella ended up taking 10k to finish instead of 5, so I'm not as far into the novel as I'd have preferred. Can't really complain, though. I'm glad your work was salvaged! I always back up to the cloud--two separate places because paranoid is me.

Do you feel crummy as much on regular writing days, or do you think that's just the high word counts and deadline causing the fatigue? I noticed last year you felt bad quite a bit during the writing week, and I'm wondering what your normal writing pace is and if you find you're happier with the book you wrote fast. I guess what I'm getting at is whether you think the end result is worth it to you even with the bad days, or if you're just having fun with the experiment and taking whatever comes as a matter of course.


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

Kate. said:


> Last night I put a glass of water beside my computer to sip while I worked. If you think you know where this story is going you're absolutely right.


AAAARRGGGHHH!



> Ben was able to switch the hard drives over so that it works exactly like the old computer.* All of my writing is intact*, so I feel like I dodged a massive bullet and got clipped by some expensive but mostly-harmless shrapnel instead. =)


Huge sigh of relief... {and important bit bolded} But don't panic me like that! So glad it got sorted so quickly. So back to the writing...

PS Time to invest in one of those spill-proof cups.


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

Sorry for disappearing from the thread! I've had one really bad day, and one really good day.

Remember how I said I'd resolved the computer situation with way less stress than I'd been expecting? I'd underestimated how much technology likes to torment me. Long story short, switching hard drives between computers invalidated the Windows operating system license _and _the Microsoft Office license, even though I had one for each computer. After a long day of troubleshooting I eventually caved and bought new licenses. The bitterness I feel towards Microsoft will be carried to my grave. [nobbc]  [/nobbc]

That drama absorbed all of yesterday. But - good news! Everything (finally) works, and I just finished my 10k for today. Which means...

Day ??: COMPLETE!
10,032 words
(55,830 total)

I'm tumbling headfirst into the final confrontation. The whole thing should take 5k to 10k to resolve, so, barring migraines or more computer drama, I should be able to finish tomorrow!



Doglover said:


> I hate Cloud since it stole all my stuff, but it has its advantages in a case like this. Are you going to have a week off when you've finished?


Maybe not a week, but I'm looking forward to at least one or two days off. =) If I go too long without writing I tend to get antsy, haha.



TheLemontree said:


> Yikes! And thank goodness for a brother who could salvage it on the same day!
> 
> I've been lurking on this thread since day one. So amazing.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much!  It's great to feel like I'm sharing this experience with other writers, and super motivating too.



A J Sika said:


> Yikes
> 
> This is the reason I have back up computer, always save my day's writing on the cloud and always look for a neighborhood computer pro whenever I move. Laptops, man!
> 
> ...


Oh boy, it was panic central for a couple of hours. I am _super _loud when I blow my nose, I'm sure the whole hotel could hear me, hahaha. It also reminded me how much stuff I don't back up (data-intensive things like covers and ad images), so when I get home I'm going to invest in an external hard drive to archive it all.



MelanieCellier said:


> Oh no! What a stressful (and expensive) interruption to your writing retreat. Good thing you were able to salvage it all. And had the forethought to build in all those extra days to your challenge.
> 
> I always try to make sure I've made a couple of backups when finishing work for the day, but if I'm feeling lazy or super tired, I sometimes just email it to myself. I have this paranoia that the one day I don't do it, will be the one day I come back to find the whole thing has died. I can't imagine having to rewrite two-thirds of a book!


I love the email trick! I don't back up my data as often as I should, but I have a bunch of emailed copies of books just in case. =)



Lady TL Jennings said:


> Thank you so much for this thread, Kate!
> 
> I decided to join you earlier (but because of Fear of Failure I never chimed into the thread).
> Nevertheless, I'm happy to announce that I've reached my own personal goal for this week:
> ...


Wow, that's phenomenal! _Congratulations!!_  I'm so glad you joined!



PaulineMRoss said:


> AAAARRGGGHHH!
> 
> Huge sigh of relief... {and important bit bolded} But don't panic me like that! So glad it got sorted so quickly. So back to the writing...
> 
> PS Time to invest in one of those spill-proof cups.


Hahaha, I love watching videos of those spill-proof cups! I don't know why, it's just really cool to watch someone bump and tap this object that logically should tip over and then watch it wobble back into place. I might need to finally invest in one.



Shelley K said:


> I'm at about 35k. The novella ended up taking 10k to finish instead of 5, so I'm not as far into the novel as I'd have preferred. Can't really complain, though. I'm glad your work was salvaged! I always back up to the cloud--two separate places because paranoid is me.
> 
> Do you feel crummy as much on regular writing days, or do you think that's just the high word counts and deadline causing the fatigue? I noticed last year you felt bad quite a bit during the writing week, and I'm wondering what your normal writing pace is and if you find you're happier with the book you wrote fast. I guess what I'm getting at is whether you think the end result is worth it to you even with the bad days, or if you're just having fun with the experiment and taking whatever comes as a matter of course.


Congrats on the 35k!! It makes me so happy to see your numbers shoot up! 

You asked a really good question.

I've never spoken about this before, but I have chronic anxiety. It's like the feeling you get when you have an important exam the next morning but you're miserably under-prepared, or when waiting for the results to tell you if a loved one's lump is benign or cancerous. It's this feeling that horrible, awful things are about to happen, but you're powerless to stop them. Except in my case there's no external cause to justify it.

(My doctor is doing some blood tests to see if I have a gene mutation that can cause these sensations. It will be good news if I do - it will mean there are diet and supplement things I can do to reduce it.)

This week away has been stressful, but not much more stressful than an average work week (minus the whole broken laptop nightmare). And I get a really nice buzz when I hit the 10k goal. It's hard to explain, but I feel genuinely good about my progress, and it erases the "you failed, everything is going to fall apart because you're lazy" feeling I can get other evenings. So even though the daytime stress is higher, the buzz makes up for it.

After the last novel-in-a-week challenge, I actually tried to write 10k per day at home. It didn't work out--at all! Hahaha. I think I need to trick my brain into a different mindset by travelling. It's too easy to fall into routine at home. But this week is giving me hope that I might be able to train myself into higher wordcounts permanently. I'm feeling less drained compared to the first trip. If I do this again and again, I suspect my body will slowly adjust to the higher production rate and I can transfer it to my at-home routine. (Fingers crossed! Even just 5k per day would be a massive improvement.)

Looking at the quality of the finished story... I actually feel like this novel, written in one week, has turned out better than the book I've been slaving over for two and a half months. I think I was burnt out with the last story and everything felt clumsily put together, and I had to send it through an intensive dev edit just to straighten it out. Whereas I was excited about this book. The setting had great atmosphere and the story includes plenty of twists.

The crazy production speed means it will have more typos / awkward sentences / grammar issues and will take slightly longer to edit them out. But the overall structure works better. So, I guess for me, being passionate about the story was more important than writing carefully.

Sorry, that was a super long answer! I'm a bit tired and rambling, hahaha.


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

Kate (and the rest of you!), you're doing great! I was supposed to start last Saturday but ended up in the ER o) instead. The blood tests came back normal and I might only have a small concussion to deal with. I never get headaches but this past week have been getting pressure headaches. They've gotten better now so I'm hoping to start using my brain again today. I just downloaded the newest version of Dragon for Mac yesterday, so hopefully that helps. I'm not setting any high word count goals now. Gotta see if my brain can handle it first!


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## Anonymouse (Apr 27, 2015)

I'm blown away by Kate's efforts and this thread.  You guys are amazing!


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## CarolynVMurray (Mar 13, 2015)

Kate,

I meant to add my update in with all the rest. What did I do in ten days? I solved a murder. I resolved deep seated character flaws. And I found a route to love for the two most untrusting people imaginable. In other words, I have my outline.

Yeah, that's not an outline and 50,000 pages. But I think the ten day goal is only ever going to be remotely possible for me after the story is fully worked out. NOW, my ten days can begin. Which I still believe is possible  - because you did it! 

I thought it was interesting when you said that you had tried 10,000 words a day at home and it didn't work. Nothing like a good writing retreat. But if I aim for 6,000 a day -- I just might make it.


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

Kate. said:


> You asked a really good question.
> 
> ...
> 
> Sorry, that was a super long answer! I'm a bit tired and rambling, hahaha.


Thanks for that, Kate. I have a couple of disorders that cause extreme anxiety, so I can relate. Hefty dose of imposter syndrome, too. I can see where writing something faster can help get you through those feelings. Makes a lot of sense.

I hope it's still going well for you!


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

I'm sorry I dropped out of the thread for so long! I felt a bit guilty about my final total; I ended the week 2,000 words short of my 60,000 word goal. On one hand, I have good reasons for the struggle - but on the other hand, I know I could have done better. I let myself lose momentum, and once it was gone I couldn't get it back.

Now I'm home and trying to work through the final confrontation and resolution. The hotel really made a difference, haha. I'm learning that my brain does best when it has a deadline. I write better in the evening (because I have limited time before bed) and I wrote better on holiday (because I had limited time before I went home). I've tried setting artificial deadlines like "finish the book before Thursday", but my brain's having none of it. If there isn't a future event where my situation abruptly changes, it just cruises along in first gear. 

That's okay. The more I learn about how I work, the more tactics I can implement to improve my focus. Booking editors and setting up pre-orders can create the same deadline scenario that gets my brain into gear. And I've scheduled another week at the hotel for August. Even though I didn't meet my target this time, the increased output is still worth it.



NeedWant said:


> Kate (and the rest of you!), you're doing great! I was supposed to start last Saturday but ended up in the ER o) instead. The blood tests came back normal and I might only have a small concussion to deal with. I never get headaches but this past week have been getting pressure headaches. They've gotten better now so I'm hoping to start using my brain again today. I just downloaded the newest version of Dragon for Mac yesterday, so hopefully that helps. I'm not setting any high word count goals now. Gotta see if my brain can handle it first!


Oh no, oh jeeze! That sounds horrible. Are you doing okay? Please take care of yourself, and don't ignore any warning symptoms!



Anonymouse said:


> I'm blown away by Kate's efforts and this thread. You guys are amazing!


That's so sweet, thank you! 



CarolynVMurray said:


> Kate,
> 
> I meant to add my update in with all the rest. What did I do in ten days? I solved a murder. I resolved deep seated character flaws. And I found a route to love for the two most untrusting people imaginable. In other words, I have my outline.
> 
> ...


I'm SO proud of you for unravelling your plot! Now you know where you're going, you can kick this story's butt! Go get 'em!! 



Shelley K said:


> Thanks for that, Kate. I have a couple of disorders that cause extreme anxiety, so I can relate. Hefty dose of imposter syndrome, too. I can see where writing something faster can help get you through those feelings. Makes a lot of sense.
> 
> I hope it's still going well for you!


Brrr, imposter syndrome is ghastly. You can't see it, but I'm sending you a hug through the internet. Anxiety and depression seem to affect a lot of writers, maybe because we spend more time alone with our minds, or maybe because the creative gene leaves us more susceptible. But that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. *hug*


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## DanaG (Feb 13, 2011)

Kate, this thread is such an inspiration!

As for losing data, I wanted to mention - I use Carbonite, which automatically backs up everything on my computer to the cloud every day.  Also, as I'm writing, about once every hour or two, I upload my writing to Dropbox.  AND at the end of the day I send my WIP to my editor as an email attachment.  I never used to be that cautious, but after my computer died a few years ago and cost me about 10 days work, I am SUPER vigilant about multiple backup systems.


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## EllieDee (May 28, 2017)

> That's okay. The more I learn about how I work, the more tactics I can implement to improve my focus.


Absolutely, but from where I'm sitting 58K in a week is still really amazing. Congratulations on almost hitting your goal! I'm sure next book, you'll be able to cross the finish line.


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## Kristine McKinley (Aug 26, 2012)

Really enjoyed this thread, hopefully you do another one in August. Have you thought about getting a writing cottage like Chuck Wendig? He's got a little shed on his property that he goes and works in everyday. It takes him out of his house so he's not distracted by things there and gives him a dedicated work space.


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

Kate. said:


> I'm sorry I dropped out of the thread for so long! I felt a bit guilty about my final total; I ended the week 2,000 words short of my 60,000 word goal. On one hand, I have good reasons for the struggle - but on the other hand, I know I could have done better. I let myself lose momentum, and once it was gone I couldn't get it back.


That's nothing to be guilty about! And only 2k words short? That's practically nothing. You should be happy with what you've accomplished and just move forward and finish this thing!



> Oh no, oh jeeze! That sounds horrible. Are you doing okay? Please take care of yourself, and don't ignore any warning symptoms!


Yeah, I'm good now. Haven't had any pressure headaches in days (and that was pretty much the only symptom I had) so hopefully I'll be okay. I feel much better and did some dictating today. I hope to do more tomorrow because I'm actually looking forward to writing now. I guess that's one positive to come out of all this: now I know writing should be my main focus and I'm actually not dreading it like I usually do!


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## Ava_Red (Sep 13, 2016)

You did such an amazing job. Super impressed and super envious!!!


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## hopecartercan (Jun 19, 2015)

I loved this thread. I took on the challenge. I got a novella out of the deal. It's 41329 word. Now the big question: Is this puppy gonna sale? I don't know, but I'll try to post an update.


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## Lady TL Jennings (Dec 8, 2011)

Kate. said:


> I'm sorry I dropped out of the thread for so long! I felt a bit guilty about my final total; I ended the week 2,000 words short of my 60,000 word goal. On one hand, I have good reasons for the struggle - but on the other hand, I know I could have done better. I let myself lose momentum, and once it was gone I couldn't get it back.


I think you did amazing, Kate! 
2000 words off your goal is well within the limits of success! Congratulations! 
*Throws confetti in the air and opens a bottle of champagne*

As for myself... This thread may have changed the way I write forever! 
I still had the momentum from last week when I followed this thread and this week I wrote and edited another 10,000 words, 
which for me is "roller-coaster-close-to-the-light-of-speed-and-almost-insane"-fast!

So, from the bottom of my heart: Thank you so much for this thread, Kate!!!


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## dgrant (Feb 5, 2014)

Kate, only 2K short? That's still awesome, because that's 58K written! So awesome! *throws confetti* 

And congrats to everyone else who also got a bunch written this week!


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## Brad__W (Feb 27, 2013)

Kate, I'll admit that your thread inspired me to sit down and write a book after several years away from writing. It took me almost 10 days to write 60,000 words, but my excuse is that I had to entertain my young child as she started her school holidays here. Now the writing bug has bitten again, so next week I'll work through non-stop and write the sequel to that book.

For years I had been procrastinating or getting sidetracked from writing, but seeing what you were doing was enough to tip me over the edge to write in bursts and hit my own targets. So a big thank you (and to all the others on here) for the inspiration!


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## Benjamin Douglas (Aug 1, 2015)

Hi All,

Dropping in to say THANK YOU to the OP for the challenge! And whilst I failed to check in every day, I was with you in spirit. I took a couple days off for lighter word counts, then sprinted hard for 2 or 3 in a row to finish my debut scifi title, "The Lunar Gambit" (in my sig). And it went well! Edits are done and the book is live! WOOOO!!!!!!

Pretty sure I set a new personal record of 7k in one day this time  

10k, I'm comin' for ya...


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## Kate. (Oct 7, 2014)

I can't tell you how happy I am to see the challenge motivated so many people! It's like food for my soul.    Huge congratulations to everyone who finished a book, pulled out of a slump, or increased their word count. It's been so exciting to read your results!

If anyone wants to join me next time, I'm checking back into the hotel on the 21st of August. Put it in your calendar. =) I'd love to have company, and we can demolish some crazy word counts together!


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## AndyWilliams (Jul 3, 2017)

I believe that you can write a novel in a week. I, unfortunately, would not have been able to. I have not to much practice


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## Marina Finlayson (May 2, 2014)

Kate. said:


> Booking editors and setting up pre-orders can create the same deadline scenario that gets my brain into gear.


Ain't that the truth! I doubt I would ever have published a book without booking the editor to give myself a deadline. It really works.


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