Day 14 – 3472
Day 15 – 1486
Day 16 – 3669
Day 17 – 588
Day 18 – 470
Day 19 – 436
Day 20 – 1912
Total as of 7/20: 42,170 words
I still ended up hitting that mid-month slump because my plot kind of went sideways once again, but I am 1) still ahead of my own schedule and 2) way less worried about it than normal, so this is all absolutely a win!
I do not know what happened Friday through Sunday. I just went off the rails and only did one sprint a day, but I think the important thing is that I made a commitment to sit down and write something every day. I’ve been having increased anxiety about the overarching plot of this whole trilogy and the more specific plot of book three, but I keep reminding myself that a lot of this will get worked out when I go back to book one and iron stuff out. The break I’ll be taking come August to jump back into The Association should also help. Working to embrace the concept of “write shit now, edit into not shit later” is…working.
I did get in a little funk about the state of things in the world at large this weekend which probably contributed to my low word count. Looking forward has been hard in the time of Covid. Husband and I have avoided going out up until this last week to the point where I’ve been to the grocery store maybe once a month since February and then we went on a single drive to a remote lake and only got out of the car when no one else was around because we were going a little bonkers. That’s it, man. And it feels like it’s all been for naught. I mean, people are going to fucking Disney World with reckless abandon, and I’m feeling guilty about taking my cat to the vet and taking the car to get a government mandated emissions test in the same week. What the fuck, America?
So I’m trying to focus on the good:
My birthday is in two days! I already got my presents and made and ate my cake, so I think I’ll spend the day in somber reflection upon what being 33 means.
I get to see my niece next month! She’ll be quarantined for a few weeks and then driven to us to spend a few weeks with us. I even feel guilt about this, but at the same time we’re taking every precaution possible, and man am I sick of suffering because a bunch of other idiots, so I bet my niece is feeling even worse. Hopefully this visit will be good for all of us.
I’m ramping up to publish a third novel! The Association is slated for sometime in October, and frankly I am very impressed with myself. I sat down in November of 2019 and planned out this year, and I’m practically still on schedule. It’s amazing.
I’ve got two pretty different ideas for what could be the follow up to Vacancy, and the fact that I’m torn on which to pick is a good thing. Do I stick with urban fantasy and focus on witches and vampires? Or do I delve back into traditional fantasy and follow some elves and goblins on a quest? They’re both potential trilogies, so whatever I pick needs to be worthy of a long haul since I’ll be working on that story on and off until early 2022. Either way, I know I can ultimately do both, so I’ve got like two more years of content already figured out.
And finally, camp is 10 days from being over, and I’m so going to win. Holy smokes. Go me.
A.K. Caggiano 