Yeah, about that.

Howdy. Yes, I am back. First and foremost a very heartfelt thanks to the lovely and talented Lucy Snyder, for filling my spot here while I was away.

I had an amazing time and saw many, many friends and made new friends and contacts alike. At some point, when I have a chance to slow down for a few days (deadlines first) I will likely post something about the convention that is more extensive.

Now, on to word counts.

Heh heh heh.

I agree with everything that Jeffe said. Surprising, right? I have already stated that she is often wise.

That said, I am nowhere near as meticulous about how I track it. The reasons are the same. I want and need to know where I am in any given project. I like to stay busy and that means working on a lot of projects at once. Between now and the end of the year I have a novel to finish, two chapters of a serial novella (about 10,000 words) a separate novella--about 25-30,000 words-- (same character, different publisher), a loooong short story (another 10,000) and another novel to write. Also a few more posts here. So, yeah. I stay busy.

Well, I may be a machine, but the last few weeks of being a world traveler and doing business in the UK have certainly slowed me down. First there were my seat mates on the trip to England (One very tired mom, and her 18 month-old and three-year-old children, both of whom would have preferred to be ANYWHERE ELSE. I would have preferred the same, but alas there were no extra seats. Six hours. I had two ladies come up to me as I was moving through Customs to tell me I should be nominated for sainthood. Then there was a convention. Then there was being a tourist and hanging with friends. Then there was the flight back. And then there was the day job mixed in with a healthy dose of JET LAG. Turns out that's a real thing. WHo knew? So, yes, not really getting as much done as I should. To be fair, I seldom allow myself the luxury of a working vacation so I'll just have to forgive myself this time.

Much as I CAN be a machine, I am not every day, I am actually rather behind schedule at the moment, a feeling that I absolutely LOATHE. To that end, this will be a short post.

Yes, I try to track my word count. How? I highlight what I've written at the end of the day and check the word count. Normally it's between 2,000 words and 6,000 words. Most days it's just north of 3,000 words. Most days I am moderately satisfied and wish I could have done more. Still have two jobs. Still try not to let that be an excuse for not writing. It helps that I genuinely love to write. It also helps that Starbucks allows me free coffee when I'm working, which allows me to function when I've done myself in again.

My suggestion, find out your average, and work it the same way you do anything else that you are trying to improve. If you're managing 1,000 words a day on the average for a few weeks, try for 1,500 as your next goal. And really push for it. Once you're there, work at increasing it again. It can be done. It won't be easy. Excuses will try to find their ways into your life (see above) and your job is to try to send those excuses packing.

My goal? Finish everything I have on my plate for the year and do more next time around. I have a lot out there that I'm trying to sell and most of it hasn't been written yet.

Keep smiling,

Jim

Hard at work with Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon.