Yep, I was overconfident about how far I would get this week.
To give myself credit, I haven’t written yet today (although I started the day with my first D&D session in over a month, so I feel totally justified). My point is, technically, I will be further along by 2AM.
However, full disclosure–staying honest–I just finished adding the new chapter yesterday.
In part because, as per usual, a bit of writing that I thought would be easy turned out to be a struggle.
Specifically, the chapter I added was full of what I’m calling “micro-events” that needed to be smoothed out. This may sound weird, but the flow of dialogue and character actions is something I obsess over, so there were plenty of times this week where I sat back in my writing chair with a sigh, rubbing my eyes as I tried to decide things like, “Should Memory mention that she saw this plant before Kole sees them?”
“Does Kole realize what this structure is before Memory tells him?”
“Wouldn’t Memory stop Kole from firing his gun in this fight scene because they’re still trying to lie low?” And then, with a huge sigh as I remembered that Kole used his gun for the entire fight scene in the outline, I grumbled, “Yes, she would.”
Tiny logic problems that absolutely dictated how natural scenes felt.
They dominated this week’s sessions because I’m so hell bent on making sure my story beats feel organic (particularly important for a mid-novel addition, in my eyes).
Still, I’m not bummed; I did finish the addition, and I do like it.
I just decided that I’d post now instead of 4AM because today’s session probably isn’t going to add words; if anything, I’m going to lose words as I neurotically comb over the addition to make sure it works. In particular, there’s one line of dialogue that I have to adjust because it creates a moment of one-sided tension between the protagonists when they’re supposed to be getting along. If nothing else, I imagine tonight is going to be me editing through the addition and the chapters that follow while carrying that one line of dialogue in the back of my head, trying to find a place to put it (because it’s a juicy moment of conflict that adds to their arcs so well that I can’t just drop it).
That said, I’m keeping this one short today.
I will go out on a limb and say there’s no chance in hell I won’t be in the endgame by next Sunday.
Absolutely impossible.
No way.
Not happening.
Definitely not going to regret posting any of this.
Nope.
Really tempting fate here.
But seriously, I’m creating a public, social deadline for myself here. Because I re-e-e-e-eally need this novel to be over and the one way to make sure I stay focused is to give myself a genuinely over-the-top, public deadline.
So yeah, are you kidding? Pssh! No way I’m not getting to the endgame by Sunday! Please! Easy! Poppycock!
. . .
I’m gonna go write! Bye!
House of Error 