The Journal, Sunday, 7/23

Hey Folks,

Well, my kitten is all right. I won’t go into details, but my wife and I considered putting off our trip (with nonrefundable hotel stays already paid for) to stay here with her. Thanks to my bride for considering doing that. (She brought the subject up.)

I’m always torn when I (or we) leave. It’s better for Bit and the other two babies to stay here in familiar surroundings. But it’s always difficult on me, being away from her for any length of time. I’ve never been quite selfish enough to take her with me, but I’ve been on the verge pretty much every time. (grin)

So anyway, we’re on the road sometime tomorrow morning.

Because you never know what the Internet will do in a strange place, and because my schedule will be all over the place time-wise, I’ll spend part of today pre-posting a few Journal entries as placeholders.

Then if I’m able and if I have anything relevant to say, I’ll update each of those pre-posts each day before it posts.

One of the two major plot points in the WIP novel is resolved, mostly, as far as I know, but I have no idea where the end is in this book. So I also plan to write two or three hours per day while we’re gone.

I don’t want to take for granted that I “might” be able to finish it in only the few days after we get back. (grin)

Topic: A Little More on Cycling

Or maybe on different versions of cycling.

I’ve mentioned that before I start writing for the day, I usually go back about 1000 words and start reading, allowing myself to touch the manuscript as I go.

I do this with the subconscious, reading strictly for pleasure, but with my fingers on the keyboard. When something needs to be added, I add it.

A few times recently, I’ve talked with other writers about cycling. They outlined what they do and how, and so on. It’s usually something similar.

In the introduction to the library edition of A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway wrote that before he began each day’s writing, he read through the entire novel up to that point, allowing himself to touch it as he did so.

So even he was cycling, if he kept his conscious mind still during those sessions and allowed only his subconscious to touch the work. Except he cycled through the entire thing each day until it was finished.

I just thought that was interesting.

Today, and Writing

Moved out to the Hovel around 8 after all the stuff above and preparing and pre-posting the Journal for the next few days.

I decided for this one I’d try Hemingway’s method, at least for today.

So I started reading at the beginning, allowing myself to touch the manuscript as I read through it.

By noon, including four or five interruptions as I moved from Hovel to house to outside desk and back in, I’d completed the read-through of the first 16,100 words.

That brought me up to the beginning of the last chapter I wrote day before yesterday. In that time, I added around 600 words.

I was glad I conducted this little experiment, but I won’t repeat it for this book. (That is, I won’t read from the beginning again.) From here on out, I’ll begin the writing day by reading over what I wrote the day before, then go from there.

So for now, a quick lunch. Then I’ll begin reading at Chapter 19. At the end of that, I’ll begin writing new stuff again.

Well, I got through the next chapter, then ran out of steam. (grin)

I hope to add more tomorrow but that will depend on how tired I am from the trip.

Anyway, back tomorrow.

Of Interest

Check Dean’s “Novel Three: Day Six” at http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/novel-three-day-six/. An excerpt: “When you don’t know where the story is going, have the characters talk about how they don’t know what to do next.”

Fiction Words: 1207
Nonfiction Words: 650 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 1857

Writing of Graham’s Road (tentative title, novel or novella)

Words brought forward…… 1070
Day 1…… 3012 words. Total words to date…… 4082
Day 2…… 2675 words. Total words to date…… 6757
Day 3…… 2181 words. Total words to date…… 8938
Day 4…… 4913 words. Total words to date…… 13851
Day 5…… 2543 words. Total words to date…… 16394
Day 6…… 1207 words. Total words to date…… 17601

Total fiction words for the month……… 21419
Total fiction words for the year………… 359376
Total nonfiction words for the month… 9360
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 117190
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 476566

The Daily Journal blog streak……………………………………… 605 days
Calendar Year 2017 Novel Goal (15 novels or novellas)………………… 7 novels or novellas
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 25
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 4
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………………… 179