The Sagging Middle

Well, I've made it to that point. The dreaded middle. The part that takes the longest to muddle through. Of course it takes the longest, because it's the longest part of the book, lol. I know it's true, but it still drags along slowly. I really shouldn't complain because I do write quickly and get through it must faster than some people do, but I still complain anyway.

Anyway, I've gotten about 30,000 words written so far, not quite halfway from my planned 70,000. I won't make my goal of finishing the 70k by the end of two weeks time, but I should get at least 50-60 done. I'm happy with that. I've got so much to do besides this project that I keep focusing on what needs to be done. I think that's helping to slow me down. I've already got two completed books that I need to revise, this will be the third once it's finished, and I keep telling myself to finish this one before I go back to the others. That's hard to do sometimes when I can't keep focused on my current WIP.

I guess we all need a break sometimes, so that's what I've done a couple of times this week. I've stopped writing and started editing my other work. I think it did help me to get away from the story for a bit.

Anyway, that's my progress so far. I'll keep plugging away at this story and eventually finish my other two.

Working hard

Well, I've been typing like crazy trying to get ahead with my story for Fast Draft. I've been managing to keep up with my goals, but I haven't passed them much so far. One day I didn't quite make my goal, but so far, the rest of the time I have. Yay!

I'm hoping to increase my output, but that hasn't been going so well for me so far. I should just be happy that I'm meeting my goals, but of course, with me, I'm not. Sometimes the words flow from my mind like crazy and I can write a good 800 words in twenty minutes time. Other times, it takes everything I have to complete 200 words in that same period. It all depends on how well my muse wants to cooperate.

I'm keeping at it, slowly but surely. I probably won't finish it in the 14 days that I'd hoped for, but I will have it mostly completed anyway. That's still pretty good as far as I'm concerned. I'm really enjoying my time spent with Caleb and Brianna, the hero and heroine of my story. They can be quite fun. Their romance is delicious. I'm hoping to polish it up and send it out as soon as possible. Of course, I have several other completed manuscripts waiting to be revised. If I hadn't signed up for Fast Draft, that's what I'd be working on now. But I'm really glad I've chosen to do this. It's been fun and a great learning experience for me.

Made a Stupid Mistake!

I made a stupid mistake! I lost ten pages of my manuscript. I about had a stroke. I couldn't believe that I did something so stupid, I don't know why I was surprised, LOL. So anyway, I was working on my manuscript and I was working on Chapter Four. I went to save my work and accidentally saved over the top of Chapter Three. I was so upset. So I spent a lot of time rewriting my chapter. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as well as the first time I'd wrote it. At least in my opinion.

Well, I thought I could pick back up right where I'd left off on Chapter Four. It didn't quite work out that way. I had a terrible time getting back into it. I lost my entire flow. I stumbled. I've continued to make progress, but not near what I had planned. I've barely made my goals for each day, one day I didn't even make my goal, which really upset me. I don't like not making my goals. :) I'm very hard on myself that way.

I'm working through the difficulties and it is getting better. I'm hoping that I can start increasing my output. One thing is for sure, I've learned my lesson while saving files. I will certainly be more careful next time. I won't be in such a rush and I'll double check what I'm clicking on before I do that again.

Have you ever experienced something that has put a stop to your work and made it difficult for you to get back into your story? Let me know what you think.