Did I remember the details of the world I designed this week? Or did I spend half my time re-learning what I’d created? What character decided she wanted a little more air time? Or was there more than one? And did the proof read edit for Evolution’s Hand Book 3: Primary Target come back on time? Let’s take a look at the numbers first.
Progress Report 2023 Week 11 By the Numbers
It’s about time I exceeded 10,000 words for the week again! I was getting worried.
Even though the Real Life Family Events (RLFEs) continued unabated, I was fortunate enough to a) have a Real Life Family with whom I could share events and b) still be able to carve out time to write. It felt good this week to write more than 10,000 words. The last couple of weeks fed those damned inner demons, and I had begun to doubt my plot and characters. This week helped put those doubts to rest.
For now, anyway.
Fiverr Came Through Again
I worked with Fiverr provider jesshay for a proof read edit for Evolution’s Hand Book 2: Dying Breath. I liked the result, so I asked for the same thing for Primary Target. It came back last week. I’m pleased with the edit! As usual, I was embarrassed that jesshay found anything. I had hoped to deliver a clean manuscript! But since I didn’t, I was glad to find a professional who could fill that gap. Now maybe my readers won’t have to find typos!
I hope to do better with Evolution’s Hand Book 4: Blind Exodus. Reading out loud should help!
Progress Notes
Here’re my goals for last week, along with how I did:
- Write Matsushita Sachi’s Pinch 1: Half done — it decided to extend itself!
- Wire Atticus Porter’s Pinch 1: Done!
- Write Mariam Al Khatib’s Pinch 1: Done! And exceeded!
- (Stretch Goal): Start Melchizedek Conrad’s Pinch 1: Not done
It’s all Mariam Al Khatib’s fault. Well, she shared the blame with Matsushita Sachi. Those two characters let me know they needed more chapters to build up to and properly execute their Pinch 1s. For Al Khatib, I might have actually started her midpoint. For Matsushita, I needed to deal with some political fallout from what happened onboard the Resolution. It’s a very good sign that the characters and plot are interacting well enough to help me make course decisions.
I was disappointed that I didn’t get to start Melchizedek Conrad’s next chapters. Watching Dean Wesley Smith’s video 20Books Vegas 2022 Day 2 – Writing into the Dark helped me overcome my reluctance to take chances and have fun with the plot. Conrad’s arc is all about that. Dean Wesley Smith’s reasoning was that if I’m having fun writing, chances are good that my readers will sense that and have fun, too.
I’m looking forward to bringing this characters to life.
And I’m pretty sure I’m going to enjoy that arc.
Not only that, but there’s a valid, plot-relevant, scientific reason for a steampunk universe. It’s an extension of the events in Evolution’s Hand Book 4: Blind Exodus. I really, really hope I can pull it off!
Goals for the Week in Progress Report 2023 Week 11
Here are my goals for the coming week:
- Write the second half of Matsushita Sachi’s Pinch 1
- Write the next chapters for Mariam Al Khatib (stretch goal: finish Midpoint)
- Finish Melchizedek Conrad’s Pinch 1
- Start Jadwiga Janczak’s Pinch 1
I have some family events planned for the weekend, so I’m not sure I’ll be able to write on at least Saturday. But we’ll see!
What Do You Think?
Have you used Fiverr, Reedsy, or any of the other freelance services? What were your experiences? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!