Finished! Finito! Terminado! Críochnaithe! Fini!

I could go on and on, but I'll save you a tour through every language in the world. I'm just SO excited!

Despite the setbacks over the last year, despite having an infant in the house who still doesn't sleep through the night at eight months (*sob*), despite a toddler who has decided hanging off my leg is the greatest form of exercise and respect, I somehow managed to finish the first draft of The Reaper Rises.

I feel like this right now...

And this...

And this...

I guess you can say I'm ecstatic. I still have a few months of editing left, a beta round, and some quality time with my editor, but THE FIRST DRAFT IS DONE!

I'm already itching to start the last book in the series, so hopefully I'll get the chance in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, some stats for the curious (these will change, of course; I have a habit of slicing a lot while editing):

Total Page Count

418

Total Word Count

104, 705

Total Chapters

48

October 4 Word Total (finish date)

 5,533

Words Written Since "Operation Finish Book 4" Began

35,853

And finally, for my stats junkies, here's the final report for "Operation Finish Book 4" from my project app...

Stay tuned for more release information as launch date nears. You're going to LOVE this book :). 

Operation Finish Book 4 (aka Word Count) Week 5

Week of September 27-October 3

Sunday 9/27
I ran my first official 5K in more months than my screaming muscles want to think about, but it was a good day. Much like writing, after you've been out of it for a while, it takes time to get back up to speed. I'm far from speed with running, but my writing muscles are definitely getting back in shape.

On a side note, I'm about 90% certain my word count is going higher than 100K. The person who guesses closest to my final word count, without going over, will win four limited edition, signed bookmarks (one of each color) for their collection. Post your guesses in the comments and make sure you keep checking this blog to find out if you've won.

Monday 9/28
Busy day! Finished another chapter and outlined the last 7 chapters (or 9, depending on how I decide to break up the scenes while I'm writing them). The outline is another 504 words I didn't include in my tally for the day. I can't believe I'm so close to finishing! Someone send sleepy dust for the kids so I can get the first draft done by the end of next week. Or even this weekend, if the stars align :).

Tuesday 9/29
846 (forgot to get a picture :-p)

Wednesday 9/30

109...No picture today either. I'm starting to notice a pattern. Wednesday through Friday is very difficult for writing, due to kids' schedules and other obligations. I may have to play with word counts to increase early in the week and slack on these three days.

Thursday 10/1
Too late, too tired. Blech.

Friday 10/2
Look what happens when we get nap time down! I might get time to do more later today, but we'll see. Evening was a huge success too :). Combined count screen shot is below. Fingers crossed this weekend goes well. If I manage it right, I *might* get the book done by Sunday night or mid-week next week at the latest :D.

Saturday 10/3
Just about three chapters left. Think tomorrow will see the words "The End"?

Total word count for the week: 9.835 of the 5,250 word goal

Operation Finish Book 4 (Word Count) Week 4

Week of September 20-26

Sunday 9/20
1,339 words today. I'm not loving the way this chapter is going. It feels "off", boring, and the characters aren't acting like themselves. I'm putting it up for the night and hopefully when I get out of my own way and let my subconscious take over while I dream, clarity will arise. Fingers crossed anyway.

Monday 9/21
11:30pm and the baby's crying. Guess I'm done for the night! On the plus side, my characters started behaving again and I've started rewriting that scene. I like it much better now :).

Tuesday 9/22
Now this scene is rolling. Great adrenaline rush :)

Wednesday 9/23

I may not get time to write today, but I have good reason...

Screenshot courtesy of the Alamo Drafthouse DC website

Yeah, you know you're jealous!

Thursday 9/24
Although I've been working for hours this evening, I've only written 7 new words. I'm trying to get a difficult scene "just right" and I've never been good at saving it for editing rounds if something bugs me. Oh well...it's progress, just not word count progress tonight! I'll spare you the screen shot :).

Friday 9/25
Goose Egg. 

Saturday 9/26
2,167 (forgot to get a screen shot)

Total word count for the week: 5,350 of the 5,250 word goal (phew! squeaked by on this one)

Operation Finish Book 4 (aka Word Count) Week 3

As noted last week, I'll be doing a weekly post with daily progress reports.


Week of September 13-19

Sunday 9/13
Well...this tweet just about sums it up. I had managed to clear a full day, too. :(

Monday 9/14
Still sick :(

Tuesday 9/15

Kids are sick.

Wednesday 9/16

Now my husband is sick and I'm flying solo for parenting. Really, at this point I'm calling the week a loss. 

Thursday 9/17 & Friday 9/18
Sigh...can I just type zero 5,250 times and have that count?

Saturday 9/19
A far cry from my goal this week, but at least I was able to finish a chapter today. The germs better stay away from my family next week :p.

Annnnnd since I missed my goal this week, you get a prize. Autographed, limited edition Ærenden bookmarks are now up for grabs. Comment below and email me your address and I'll mail them out this week. Offer ends 9/25/15 or while supplies last.

Total word count for the week: 1,787 of the 5,250 word goal

Word Count Week 2

As noted last week, I'll be doing a weekly post with daily progress reports.


Week of September 6-12

Sunday 9/6
Good start and one more chapter down. Hoping I can hold this momentum!

Monday 9/7

Tuesday 9/8

I'm seeing scenes everywhere, every moment of the day. Guess that means I'm getting my groove back!

Wednesday 9/9

Oops...late night and an early morning tomorrow. It was worth it, though. I just finished a great scene AND passed my word count for the week with three days remaining.

This pretty much sums up my mood right now...

Thursday 9/10
Yuck. After yesterday, today feels like a tremendous let down. Tomorrow, I'm hoping the kids will sleep so I have a few hours. I have a scene in my head begging to escape.

Friday 9/11 & Saturday 9/12
The end of the week was a whirlwind. I hate when life gets in the way of fantasy.
At least I made my word count for the week.

Total word count for the week: 6,323 of the 5,250 word goal

Word Count Week 1

I don't want to flood my blog with pictures of word progress, so I've decided to do a weekly post and add daily updates within it. If you think there's a better way you'd like to see these, let me know. I'm always open to try fun, new ideas :). Here goes...

Week of August 30-September 5

Monday 8/31 (start date) can be found here.

Tuesday 9/1

Wednesday 9/2

Thursday 9/3
No words today. Kids wouldn't nap, then I had a visit from a friend I haven't seen in a while. One thing I wasn't thrilled about, the other was much needed. You can guess which is which. Tomorrow's goal will be 1,500.

Friday 9/4
Unless my grocery list counts, no words again today :(. 2,250 tomorrow or I'll give out a digital copy of The Child Returns to everyone who comments.

Saturday 9/5
Big ol' goose egg. Today got away from me, but the good news is that anyone who comments on this post and emails their email address to me here gets a free digital copy of The Child Returns. Offer expires 11:59 pm eastern time 9/7/15.

Total word count for the week: 2,849 of the 4,500 word goal

Word Count (the beginning)

Nap time turned out to be a short writing attempt, as evidenced by my first posted word count. My toddler decided naps are for wimps. For the record, I could use being a wimp most days!

Night time worked much better though. I love working at night, when the house is quiet and my muse seems to be chugging her first mega-cup of coffee. Check it out :).

It feels great to get my next chapter rolling (finally), but please remind me of this feeling when my infant is up in 40 minutes....and again in 3 hours.

Speaking of mega-sized coffee, I'd better get the beans ready for my 5 am wake-up. I'm going to need them!

1-2-3 Write!

I need an accountability partner. It's been too long since I've posted on my blog, too long since I've been able to write with any serious pride. I've managed to scratch out a chapter or two in the last few months, but it's not enough to get the next book done.

I've had a good excuse, of course. New baby + toddler does not = writing time. It doesn't help that my newbie's medical needs meant setting up doctors and game plans, which are time-consuming on their own. But all that is set; nap times are lining up and I'm craving some quality conversations with my Ærenden family.

The problem is that I've been on permanent mombie mode for too long. I'm suffering from internet overdose and jonesing for a Netflix binge-watching fix when I should be worshiping my keyboard. Writing is kind of like running, really. If you stop doing it for too long, your drive turns into a Sunday meander, your stamina sputters, and your muscles resemble a Jell-O pudding snack.

I'm out of shape in more ways than I care to admit. But with writing, much like running, getting back into the routine, one stiff step after another, turns pudding into a gorgeous, lofty chocolate souffle (hey, I'm not giving up my chocolate here; I'm just turning it into something more worthy).

I've struggled with rebuilding that routine under constant sleep deprivation, but a recent post by another author (Eri Nelson, for those of you who like paranormal fiction) gave me an idea. That's where the accountability partner comes in. It's you. Eri posted a screenshot from a writing app that I'll be using going forward (Writeometer, for the curious). I'll be doing the same on my blog, so count with me...1 word at a time, 750 words a day...until the first draft is done. And if you see me miss any days, email me, ping me on Facebook or better yet, call me out publicly on Twitter. I need the kick in the pants.

What do you say? Are you in?

Word count today (so far)