No, not these guys, though I wouldn’t mind meeting Vin Diesel. Or Paul Walker, for that matter…

Remember back in early February (that long ago?) when I said I was starting a Fast Draft* of Immortal Champion, the next book in my paranormal historical romance series.  Well, I didn’t.  I wrote one great day, then flaked out under pressure from things like preparing a conference workshop or three, getting promo set up for IMMORTAL OUTLAW, and judging Rita books.  Meanwhile, my buddy Scott (R. Scott Shanks, Jr.) totally embarrassed me by actually leaping into that hole I had proposed and adding a significant number of words to his draft during his 14 days, even though he works full time.  Good on him. Bad on me.

So here I sit red-faced, still with nothing significant done.  But those conferences are over, the Rita scores are posted, promo is at least temporarily under control, and I have a clear two weeks ahead, so here I go. For the next 14 days, I intend to do 5000 words a day. Possible, I know, because I’ve done it several times, just not back to back. Whether I have anything useful or vaguely resembling a novel at the end of the time remains to be seen.  I’ve never approached a book this way before.  But something has GOT to change in how I get my writing done, and this holds a certain fascination for me, so it’s what I’m trying.

As for this blog — don’t expect a lot (not that I’m one of the most prolific bloggers anway…).  What I’m going to do is leave this post on top and simply update it every day with my daily writing and cumulative total.   That way, all your comments, kind and encouraging or snide and snarky, will be in the same place.  Please remember to pop back in ever now and then even though your RSS feed won’t show any new posts.  And tell all your friends to come watch me–I know me, and an audience will keep me honest and on task.  Tell them they can come watch some crazy woman beating her brains and carpal tunnels out on a MacBook.  I’ll either soar with the eagles and Vin, or crash and burn like one of those guys in the old “early days of human flight” compilations. Either way, it should prove amusing for everyone — except possibly my family.  In fact, to encourage voyeurism, anyone who posts a Comment on this post will be entered to win an Advance Read Copy of IMMORTAL OUTLAW. The drawing will take place on March 25, after I have a brain again.

And when am I starting?

Why, now, of course. 

 

 

UPDATES 

3/9, 11pm:   6366 (Makes a net loss for the day, because I broke a rule and edited out 1158 words.  Had to, as I was off to a horrible false start, part of the reason I had trouble getting my brain into this  But now I’m set up and ready to go.)  

3/15, 8:30pm:  Fail.  But not really.  I was doing a quick fact check of something for the next day’s writing and stumbled into one of those serendipitous things.  I’ve been tying in as much myth as possible into the Brotherhood stories, but hadn’t hit the right one for Champion until the other day. I found it, or rather IT, the critical myth. So I’m replotting.  For now, I’ll go back to my regularly unscheduled blogging, but I’ll be back to Fast Draft when I get the new Board done.  Board, you ask?  Yes, board.

 

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* Fast Draft is the name of a workshop by Candace Havens and may or may not be trademarked to her (couldn’t find out on her site).  Either way, I give her full credit for the name, if not the concept of writing really, really fast. Authors have been doing that since some editor  invented the deadline.