Daily Diary: June 4, 2022, Day 643:
Last week was my best sustained writing effort yet, which is what often happens when I get towards the end of a first draft. I wrote a total of 5,956 words (average of 850 words a day) and the manuscript was at 31, 999 words when I started writing this morning.
My goal is simple for this week. Finish the first draft. I only have two chapters more to write, so barring some unforeseen occurrence, I should be able to get them written in the seven days. This means I will also reach out to a few selected beta readers (people who have been giving me feedback pretty much throughout the whole time I have been writing) to give them a heads up that I will be sending them a draft in a few weeks. I ask for very quick responses from this group (so that if there is any major rewriting I need to do, I can get to this right away.)
As for my other writing and marketing tasks, this week I am going to keep them down to a minimum. I will occasionally mention that the StoryBundle, which includes Between Mountain and Sea, is still going on (see how I cleverly slipped that in…smile.) I will wrap up the Novellas free promotion on Monday, which will take a little work going in and changing prices, etc. I will chip away at the Indie Journey post on categories, but I will continue to make this a lower priority than working on the Mrs. Stein Solves a Crime Novella.
As for my on-going goal to keep maintaining a well-balanced body, mind, and home, I will continue to try to get my walking back up to an hour a day (with the added benefit of listening to an audiobook). I will carve out time each day to read some short stories I just downloaded (which may have some relevance to my next writing project), and in addition to my usual cleaning, I will add some small straightening tasks to ready the house for the family visit at the end of the month (so as not to feel over-whelmed closer to the visit.)
In short, I am not going to let the fact that I can finally see the light at the end of this particular tunnel distract me from the day-to-day requirements of staying healthy—something that the years have taught me is important.
I would love to hear what your intentions for the next week as well!
I'm reading Mary Anna Evans' latest (an ARC) and getting ready to start up my sourdough starter again after a month's furlough! Being raised in the bay area across the bay from SFO, I am looking forward to a re-read of your novellas as well. I am swimming for exercise these days, at 70, walking is too hard on my titanium knees!