The Official February Writing Challenge Thread.

[Colin Taber]

Day 1 - 2,300 
Day 2 - 300
Day 3 - 800
Day 4 - 1,300
Day 5 - 3,300
Day 6 - 1,300
Day 7 - 2,000
Day 8 - 1,000
Day 9 - 0
Day 10 - 2,450
Day 11 - 2,250
-------------
Total - 17,000

I'm going along okay, the last 2 days have certainly been good. For now I'm heading out for dinner with friends so am signing off for Saturday on 2,250 words, but may very well clock up some more depending on what time I get home.

[Sybil Nelson]

Day1: 1,242
Day2: 2,087
Day3: 1,400
Day4:    500
Day5: 1,078
Day6: 1,429
Day7:    792
Day8: 1287
Day9:  800
Day10: 1547
____________
Total: 12162

I'm planning a mini writing marathon tonight so that I can catch up. I might even skip a college basketball game in order to do it. I love college basketball, but sacrifice must be made! I might also have to kick my husband and children out of the house...that is not a sacrifice though. More like a vacation.

My goal is to get at least 5,000 words today.

[dgaughran]

Day 1:   2,100
Day 2:   2,673
Day 3:   1,900
Day 4:   2,500
Day 5:   0
Day 6:   1,090
Day 7:   0
Day 8:   0
Day 9:   2,496
Day 10: 1,234
-------------
Total: 13,243

Very little time yesterday, so I was pleased I got anything down. I should be able to do some catching up this weekend, and have a healthier total by Sunday night. First things first, though, United are about to hammer Liverpool!

Researching a historical while writing it, is certainly an interesting experience. I feel like I'm cramming for finals. I have five books on my desk open at various pages - a biography of my MC, a general history book on US intervention in Central America, a history of the red-light district of New Orleans, a book on the gangs of the city, and a book on Victorian America.

My girlfriend thinks I am crazy. She might be right. But hey, it's fun!

[melissafmiller]

So, I have been distracted by getting the second book in my series up, which I finally did on Monday, but you know how it is---it's still not in my sig, then I had to update the website, yada yada. So I *have* been writing but not really doing a daily tally.

I finally checked today and wish I hadn't!  

I am using the challenge to crank out a draft of book 3, which was already in progress. On Feb 1, that draft was 29,081 words. Today it is . . . Drumroll . . . 18,466 words. So, it appears I have written approximately -10,500 words.

The edit as you go method of writing really isn't condusive to daily word counts!  
Onward and upward!

[Gregory Lynn]

Day 1: 2314 (looking good)
Day 2: 3183 (I doing it!)
Day 3: 1086 (oh, bad day...sad face. No worries though, I'll make it up tomorrow)
Day 4: 651 (uh oh)
Day 5: 256 (I hate myself...where are the cookies?)
Day6 : 1787 (Okay, back on track today.)
Day 7: 646 (Or not)
Day 8: 1934 (Let's see what's going on on CNN today)
Day 9: 2208 (Ok...for really real this time, I'm back on track)
Day 10: 325 (F#$" @$€ and @#% some *$&€ pickles!!!!)

Pickles?

[HezBa]

Day 11: 3166 (Woot!!!)

And yes pickles! Creative cursing is a hobby of mine. I swear so much that the usual, run-of-the-mill stuff tends to lose its flavour after awhile.

[Ben White]

I had to go back and rewrite the first episode because it was just too slow.  I ended up ripping out everything that wasn't absolutely necessary to the story, which was pretty fun actually, but now I'm back to 15k.  Oh well, eighteen days to go, onwards and upwards!

[Gregory Lynn]

I had to go back and rewrite the first episode because it was just too slow.  I ended up ripping out everything that wasn't absolutely necessary to the story, which was pretty fun actually, but now I'm back to 15k.  Oh well, eighteen days to go, onwards and upwards!

If you go back and rip words out because you're editing and it's what needs to be done, I don't think you should be taking those off your total. The goal is to write 60k, not to end up with 60k.

Also, this amused me so I felt I had to share:

[Ben White]

I'd just feel wrong counting anything I didn't actually use. Besides, it's more fun this way.  Maybe I'm just perverse but going from 35k back to nothing is exciting, makes it more of a challenge!  It was the same with NaNo this year, my first story turned out to only be 40k long so I had to write another one  that WAS over 50k, that was very fun

[Zelah Meyer]

I'm unfortunately out for the month now, as I have to do more work on my edits.  I'm still coming up with ideas though and typing those up, so I'm adding to my prospective wordcount for some point in the future!  For now though, I am mostly researching all things gramatical.  Oh well, there's always Scriptfrenzy in April and then hopefully Camp NaNo again this summer. 

Well done to everyone working on this.  Good luck to you all! 

[jillmyles]

Day 1: 1736
Day 2: 2272
Day 3: 770
Day 4: 2731
Day 5: 0
Day 6: 992
Day 7: 0
Day 8: 1414
Day 9: 0
Day 10: 0
Day 11: 4495

Total: 14410

I'm about 7600 behind. Lord. Hoping tomorrow I get some decent wordcount in. I am having a bad month, it seems.

[dgaughran]

Day 1:   2,100
Day 2:   2,673
Day 3:   1,900
Day 4:   2,500
Day 5:   0
Day 6:   1,090
Day 7:   0
Day 8:   0
Day 9:   2,496
Day 10:  1,234
Day 11:  1,334
-------------
Total:   14,577

I'm about 8k behind, but far from giving up. Just finished a tricky section. The next few chapters should be much, much easier to write, so hoping or a big day tomorrow.

Really impressed by the people with a big, consistent row of 2k+ days.

[JoshuaPSimon]

Day 1 - 2234
Day 2 - 2732
Day 3 - 2507
Day 4 - 2530
Day 5 - 1149
Day 6 - 2584
Day 7 - 2289
Day 8 - 2438
Day 9 - 2196
Day 10 - 2054
Day 11- 2368

[Alan Petersen]

Big fat zero for me the last three days! But I've been working on my manuscript for book #1 which I got back from my editor. I'm hoping to self publish in March so writing book #2 took a backseat to that the last few days. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  

[David 'Half-Orc' Dalglish]

Zero day. Ended up spending time with some friends, and buying a whole ton of various board games. Isn't helping I've hit my first of two major hurdles (1/3 and 2/3 through a novel I feel like I'm writing utter crap). Will just push through again on Monday.

[Gretchen Galway]

Day 11: 4495

Total: 14410

I'm about 7600 behind. Lord. Hoping tomorrow I get some decent wordcount in. I am having a bad month, it seems.

But that's a heck of a Day 11! Wow.

[Gretchen Galway]

Whoops, forgot to post my numbers. This took several sessions broken out during the day, but I got it. I think I checked my word count total three hundred times during those last three hundred words.

Feb 1:   2291
Feb 2:   2032
Feb 3:   2023
Feb 4:   2135
Feb 5:   2010
Feb 6:   2126
Feb 7:   2113
Feb 8:   2557
Feb 9:   2060
Feb 10: 2077
Feb 11: 2069

[Sybil Nelson]

Day1: 1,242
Day2: 2,087
Day3: 1,400
Day4:    500
Day5: 1,078
Day6: 1,429
Day7:    792
Day8: 1287
Day9:  800
Day10: 1547
Day11: 5004
____________
Total: 17166

Can't believe I somehow squeezed out 5000 words in  4 1/2 hours. I'm going to hate myself when I have to go back and fill in all those areas where I wrote [put fight scene here]

[Courtney Milan]

Day 1: 2511
Day 2: 3541
Day 3: 2086
Day 4: 1976
Day 5: 3944
Day 6: 2220
Day 7: 559
Days 8-11: Don't know yet, but at least 4052.
--------------

So, as I said earlier, I was out of town for the last half of the week. I did get writing done, but it was all entirely in longhand and I never had the time to transcribe it at the end of the day. I've been working on that today. I'm about 2/3 done typing stuff in. I don't think I'm actually behind--or, rather, I don't think I will be behind, once I type everything in. But I'm definitely glad I got ahead early, or I'd be playing significant catch up right now.


Total: 20,792 [+ about 6-ish handwritten pages]

Edited to add: I also did a bit of research today. I had to figure out how to transfer shares of stock in a capital company in 1846, and then figure out what the deed stamp would cost. Answer, in case anyone cares to know: 6 pence per 100 pounds of the value of stock transferred, which back then, comes out to .00275%. Whew. Not that bad.

I still have a crapload of research I need to do to figure out where the underlying company needs to be constructing its railway, but hey, we are getting there.

[Colin Taber]

Day 1 - 2,300 
Day 2 - 300
Day 3 - 800
Day 4 - 1,300
Day 5 - 3,300
Day 6 - 1,300
Day 7 - 2,000
Day 8 - 1,000
Day 9 - 0
Day 10 - 2,450
Day 11 - 2,250
Day 12 - 3,300
-------------
Total - 20,300

I might also get some more done tonight, but for now I've promised to go to the store and get some ingredients to make a tasty dinner.

[JRTomlin]

Spent the entire day at a Highland Dance competition. Didn't write a word. Major catchup day tomorrow.

[David Wisehart]

Day 1: 4,307
Day 2: 3,909
Day 3: 1,819
Day 4: 802
Day 5: 1,037
Day 6: 0
Day 7: 551
Day 8: 2,406
Day 9: 593
Day 10: 1,022
Day 11: 1,119

Total: 17,165

David

[Tony James Slater]

Wow, you guys have really kept up with this!
I figured this thread would be a barren wasteland, what with everyone writing like fury to get their words done in time.
Thanks for the welcome by the way, though it already feels eons ago!

By pure chance I've kept a tally myself in the same format as you all have, so here it is:

I've been splitting my words between A short adventure (called 'The Grand Adventure') and my second book (called 'That's NOT My Monkey!'). Then I realised I have some blogging commitments, so I decided to hive off a few words for those too. That way I'm not robbing Peter to pay Paul, as my Grandma used to say.
So, ultimate goal:
Grand Adventure - 10k (complete, as already stood @ 10k)
That's NOT My Monkey - 40k (60% complete, as already stood @ 20k)
Assorted Blogging - 10k

Wow. Marvel at my grasp of advanced mathematics!

Here's the chart (I've been meaning to make an Excel spreadsheet for it since Day One, but... time, anyone?!)


Date    Day Total           Blog      GA      TNMM   Running Total
1 Feb     2,305      0      2,305      0      2,305
2 Feb     3,374      1,179      2,195      0      5679
3 Feb     1,240      1,240      0      0      6919
4 Feb     1,043      0      1,043      0      7,962
5 Feb     2,985      0      2,985      0      10,947
6 Feb     1,153      0      1,153      0      12,100
7 Feb       930      930   (On 'other projects'!)      13,030
8 Feb     1,000      1,000  (On promo of free days!)   14,030
9 Feb          0      **SCREWED  THE  POOCH**      14,030
10 Feb 2713      829      0      1,884      16,743
11 Feb 1,083      558 (a fantasy story!)   525      17,826

I'm being a bit sneaky and letting myself do other bits and bats, and 'counting' their words against the challenge. But surely that's in the spirit of the law? Regardless, I'm still playing catch-up   
Well, best of luck everyone. I've had my share of difficult days, as most of you have it seems, so I'll be encouraged by your determination. Let's do this, eh!

Tony

[Sheila_Guthrie]

Okay. I haven't checked in for a couple of days, so here's my catch-up post!

Day  1:    900
Day  2:  2647
Day  3:  2186
Day  4:       0
Day  5:  2296
Day  6:       0
Day  7:    667
Day  8:  1115
Day  9:  3047
Day 10:       0
Day 11:    945
Total:   13803

I'm proud of myself for not deleting what I wrote yesterday (like I did once before), even though it feels dry and boring. Seriously, it's crap. But I can fix it. Who's idea was it to have two characters in a museum, anyway? 

It may look to some of us that we're not making it to the goal numbers, but we're trying. In my case I feel like I'm accomplishing what I set out to do, which is to sit down every day and write. I'm pulled in so many directions that I was letting weeks go by without making any progress on this novel, and it was depressing me so much.

Now I'm actually writing most days, and I feel a lot better. 

[dgaughran]

@Sheila

That's exactly how I feel. Look at it this way: if you keep up this pace for the rest of the month, you will have over 36,000 words down - and that's not to be sneezed at. I'm about as far behind as you, and I would be happy with that total (very happy!). I'm going to try and push on and do more, though, starting today! Good luck!