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The End Is In Sight! #AmWriting

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Loni Townsend

After two rounds of antibiotics, steroids, and two different inhalers, I’m finally on the mend from my nearly month-long battle with illness. Woot! With the recovery comes a burst of writing energy as I task my characters with fetching a box of weapons while a different character works to build a solution to protect her race from extinction.

I use yWriter to organize my big books and based on my plan where I mapped out all the scenes I needed to get me to the end, I’m almost there.

The column on the right is the running word count, and with an average of 3K per chapter, that means this book is probably going to land somewhere around 180K, which is a good deal shorter than my pre-timeline change estimation. Considering Thanmir War was 200K before edits and got cut down to 170K, I think it’s pretty safe to say the books will be roughly the same length.

It’s taken me years to get this far. I started writing this book just after my son was born, and I’ve found juggling two kids is a lot more time consuming than merely having one. Not to mention all the other medical mayhem that’s been going on. But this is going to be the year people! I will finish my draft and then revel in the glory of having done so.

I can’t wait until that day comes.

Have you ever had a project that seems to be taking forever? Did you keep at it, or abandon it along the way? Ever find that something else is hijacking your writing progress?

22 thoughts on “The End Is In Sight! #AmWriting”

  1. J.C. Jackson says:
    May 16, 2018 at 9:32 AM

    I’m so glad you’re feeling better! And super excited about your progress.

    Yeah, I have a project that I keep shelving. If it’s not another project it’s life deciding that the little bit of time I can devote to it is better spent elsewhere.

    Reply
  2. Anna says:
    May 16, 2018 at 9:49 AM

    Congrats, Loni, on getting this far. I’m sure it is worth every second. Keep at it. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Anna from elements of emaginette

    Reply
  3. Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor says:
    May 16, 2018 at 10:50 AM

    I’m so glad you’re feeling better ๐Ÿ™‚ It took me forever to write my first book and I wasn’t trying to juggle family, work etc. So I’m very impressed with you and your progress.

    Reply
  4. Alex J. Cavanaugh says:
    May 16, 2018 at 11:17 AM

    Glad you are finally feeling better!
    I’ve been messing around with a story for almost two years now. Not because it’s taking long, I just never work on it.

    Reply
  5. Chrys Fey says:
    May 16, 2018 at 11:43 AM

    YAY!!! I’m so happy for you. Your dedication has paid off!

    Reply
  6. Juneta says:
    May 16, 2018 at 12:49 PM

    Glad you guys are feeling better. Yup, stuff hijacks me all the time, lol. Happy Writing.

    Reply
  7. Liz A. says:
    May 16, 2018 at 2:57 PM

    So glad you’re finally on the mend. That thing really flattened you, didn’t it?

    Yes, I’ve had projects that take forever. The six-year afghan comes to mind. And I have so many partial novels…

    Reply
  8. L. Diane Wolfe says:
    May 16, 2018 at 3:21 PM

    Feeling better and on track again with writing – that’s wonderful.

    Reply
  9. C.G.Coppola says:
    May 16, 2018 at 5:36 PM

    Good for you for keeping at it! I’m so excited for you to finish it this year – I’ve got a feeling it’s going to definitely happen before 2019. And yes! Definitely celebrate ๐Ÿ™‚ You earned it!

    Reply
  10. Erika Beebe says:
    May 16, 2018 at 6:28 PM

    YAY! Cartwheels! Except, don’t inhale the flowers ๐Ÿ™‚ I am sorry you’ve been sick. I am happy you see the end. You deserve your every happiness ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  11. Elsie says:
    May 17, 2018 at 5:32 AM

    I’m so excited for you, Loni! So glad to hear you’re finally starting to feel better and as a result you’re writing is back on track. Doing a happy dance for you right now! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  12. Christine Rains says:
    May 17, 2018 at 6:33 AM

    It’s wonderful you’re feeling better. ๐Ÿ™‚ And yay for getting back into writing. I admire the writers who are so organized. I just wing it!

    Reply
  13. Joleene Naylor says:
    May 17, 2018 at 3:52 PM

    Yay! Congrats on having the end in sight!

    Reply
  14. Jeri says:
    May 17, 2018 at 5:49 PM

    Look at that word count! Go you!!! I’m at least working on short stuff right now. I won first-place in the essay category for this year’s IWG contest, so that made my day a couple of weeks ago.

    Reply
  15. Madeline Mora-Summonte says:
    May 18, 2018 at 6:55 AM

    So glad to hear you’re on the mend!

    The only thing getting in the way of my writing progress is me. Sigh.

    Reply
  16. H.R. Sinclair says:
    May 18, 2018 at 11:08 AM

    Yes (like, all of them), no (it stays there nagging me), yes (all the stories want their shot). LOL
    I’m happy to hear your finally healing. Those long illness take a toll on us mentally too, so I’m glad to hear that is coming back as well. Happy Writing.

    Reply
  17. Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine says:
    May 18, 2018 at 11:44 AM

    Glad to hear you’re finally feeling better. =)

    Reply
  18. Roland Clarke says:
    May 18, 2018 at 7:25 PM

    Well done getting the Mojo back and so glad you have shaken that illness. I took 13 years to get my debut published, and my second novel is overdue by a few years – and a few discarded first drafts of other novels. I feel it’s more important to release something that feels right and not rushed.

    Reply
  19. Guilie Castillo says:
    May 19, 2018 at 6:24 PM

    So glad you’re finally on the mend! Projects that seem to take foreverโ€”oh, heavens, isn’t that all of them? Hahaha. You’re almost there; keep at it just a little bit longer. You can do it!

    Thanks for the positive vibes over at Michelle’s IWSG post on my nonfiction bit ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  20. Mary Pax says:
    May 19, 2018 at 6:28 PM

    Woot on the glory and feeling better. My current project is taking me forever. But sometimes, that’s the way life bounces.

    Reply
  21. Shannon Lawrence says:
    May 21, 2018 at 5:22 PM

    I hadn’t heard of that program before. Helpful! I’ve definitely had a project that took forever, and I found stepping away for a little while helped me. But, of course, that won’t work for everyone, especially not if you have a deadline!

    Reply
  22. Julie Flanders says:
    May 25, 2018 at 9:23 AM

    So glad you are doing better and I hope you have made even more progress since this post was written. My current project seems to be taking forever and a day so I can understand your frustration!
    Take care!

    Reply

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Welcome to my blog. I post here on Wednesdays most of the time, but you can find me on social media any day of the week. My topics include my stories and writing, life at the Town's End, creating and tinkering with graphics, things I learn and think might be helpful to others, and the occasional amateur photo. Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you around.

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