July 25 - Word Count 35,131
I wrote a little over 1,000 words tonight, giving me a total word count of 35,131. I’m trying to come up with some new kind of schedule that will allow me to still be completed with the novel on September 1st. I am also going to schedule it so that I can take one day off of writing per week. I think writing every single day for 90 days was pushing it a bit. It will require writing around 1,500-1,700 words every day that I do write, but I am not sure I am up to that. So, we’ll see.
I read an interesting article on writing today called “Nine Beginnings” by Margaret Atwood. I want to share two quotes from it that I especially liked:
“You need a certain amount of nerve to be a writer, an almost physical nerve, the kind you need to walk a log across a river. The horse throws you and you get back on the horse. I learned to swim by being dropped into the water. You need to know you can sink, and survive it.”
“A ratio of failures is built into the process of writing. The wastebasket has evolved for a reason. Think of it as the altar of the Muse Oblivion, to whom you sacrifice your botched first drafts, the tokens of your human imperfections. She is the tenth Muse, the one without whom none of the others can function. The gift she offers you is the freedom of the second chance. Or as many chances as you’ll take.”
Filed under: writing
The 10th Muse. I love that! Thanks.