Writing Log | Week 7
Day 1 — Sunday
Goal check: I didn’t quite finish Chapter 5 last week, so my goal for this week is to get through Chapters 5 and 6. Chapter 6 is one of my favorite chapters in the book and I don’t think it needs much editing, just trimming the fat and fixing any plot holes/inconsistencies.
I think I might take it easy today and read through Chapter 6. It’s currently 1,691 words and I think I can get it down to about 1,500 words or so.
Okay, 1,376 words and I’m completely happy with this chapter. I love love love the emotional beats in this part of the story and I hope one day readers will too!
Day 2 — Monday
Up early again to write before the rest of the family wakes up and the work day begins.
Today: more Chapter 5. I edited a bit and moved the scene I wanted to adjust toward the second half of the chapter.
Day 3 — Tuesday
Writing in the morning once more and still working on Chapter 5.
Re-writing the opening scene is tough, but getting to write new sentences like “The chapel glowed golden-white under the waxing moon” just doesn’t get old. I love writing. I love picking each word with care.
Just wrapped up the new scene as my son started waking up. Perfect timing!
Day 4 — Wednesday
This morning I’m revisiting the second half of Chapter 5, where I’ve reordered some dialogue and need to cut at least 500 words or so. I don’t want a bloated chapter this early on!
I was able to cut about 100 words before my son woke up… hopefully I can get to more tonight!
Day 5 — Thursday
No writing done today — baby was up early and I had a full day of work, plus dinner plans.
Day 6 — Friday
Up bright and early to work on Chapter 5.
After a quick editing sprint, I cut over 200 more words. The chapter’s total word count is now at 2,289 and I’m happy with how things turned out. This went from a transitory chapter to one with a few plot-setting and character-building beats that I love.
Total manuscript word count is now sitting at 92,837. Let’s see if I can still achieve my goal of getting it to (or under!) 90K despite some new scenes to add down the road.
Day 7 — Saturday
Decided to get cozy during the baby’s afternoon nap – put my pajamas back on and curled up in bed to do some editing!
Today I’m reading through Chapter 7. I’m entering the second half of the first act of this story and have a bit of restructuring to do over the next few chapters. I might be skipping around more than I had previously to keep my momentum up. Honestly, I can see myself working backwards from Chapter 12 just to shake it up. Chapters 8 and 11 in particular need to be cut down massively, and I know that will be a lot of work over the next few weeks.
All in all, I’m proud of my progress this week and excited to tackle the second half of Act I in the coming weeks!