New goals for 2023
Words Count | Kathryn Mockler
Hi Friends!
I don’t know quite how it happened, but just after Christmas, I came up with an idea for my next project.
I like starting a new project at the same time that I’m wrapping up another. It’s an attempt to avoid the empty what-do-I-do-now feeling once my collection of stories is completely edited and done.
Over the holidays, I devoured Courtney Maum’s book, Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book and found it inspiring both as a how-to and for writerly commiseration. Maum covers the emotional side of writing and publishing in terms of the expectations and disappointments that come with having your first book out—from no one showing up to your reading to the realization that many of your friends will neither read nor buy your book! Ouch.
Before and After the Book Deal offers practical tips for DIY tours, social media promotion, and working with an agent. It also focuses on the stuff that writers often don’t talk about like envy and what to do if your book doesn’t make any of the book lists!
My new book project is a horror concept. It’s more high concept and genre focused than I’ve written before. It’s a challenge, and I’m excited about it!
I have been loving all the various writing accountability groups and communities I’ve been seeing online, and they are inspiring me to get into the word count game too.
Send My Love to Anyone contributor Farzana Doctor created the Facebook group #WritingSprint, John August has a writing accountability group chat associated with his screenwriting newsletter inneresting, Jami Attenberg hosts the #1000wordsofsummer, and earlier this year, Fawn Parker wrote a terrific article about how to write a novel in a month using a word counting system.
I have come to realize (especially since my ADHD diagnosis) that accountability support is essential if I want to get anything done.
I am fortunate to have a writing buddy for co-writing sessions, and now that I have an idea and a loose outline, I’m going to track my word count progress for even more accountability.
Fawn’s process involves writing 1500 words a day for a month and no editing. Another writer friend I know tracks 500 words a day.
I don’t fully expect to write a novel in a month. However, I am a believer in lofty goals!
I’m also going to add a little twist to account for my stubborn brain. If I’m stuck on writing the novel, then I have to write 1500 words of automatic or stream-of-consciousness writing to meet my word count. Even if I have to repeat the same word over and over to get to 1500, then I will do that!
Quality is of no concern here. This is an experiment in process and practise.
I plan on writing by hand, dictating, and typing. Whatever gets the job done.
I am going to try tracking my word counts but more importantly I’m starting a new SMLTA section called Words Count, which are short posts on craft by me and other contributors.
For those who track word counts, I’d love to hear about your process, any tips you have, and what your daily word count is!
Happy writing in 2023!
Kathryn
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