I like to challenge myself. Sometimes I like to challenge myself too much. So I challenged myself to write an entire manuscript in three months.
While I was writing the sequel to THE NEPHILIM VIRUS I hit a snag and had to put the manuscript on hold in order to do some research. During that time I had an idea for a completely separate story. Whenever a story idea gets into my head the only way to get it out is to write it down. So I decided I was going to set aside three months and write an entire manuscript.
I did an outline and picked three months to write an entire book: April*, May and June.
My goal wasn’t to write a good book, it was to get good at writing fast.
My goal was not to have a publishable manuscript after three months (in fact I wasn’t sure the plot idea would even work to make a marketable book). My goal wasn’t to have a flawless manuscript (is there such a thing?). My goal wasn’t even to have a good story. My goal was to get good at writing quickly.
That meant I had to set a goal of words per day that I needed to write. I did the math and came up with 1,250. I needed to average just over twelve hundred words each day, five days per week. That’s a lot for me. It usually takes about an hour for me to write 500 words or so.
And even an hour of distracted free writing is often hard for me to carve out on a regular basis. But a goal is a goal.
I tracked my progress and my time:
Take a look…
April
May
June
The results:
I completed a manuscript in three months! I finished the last few words while sitting in my truck in between appointments on the very last day of June.
Total words: 73,512
Total time investment: 85 hours and 15 minutes
Final thoughts:
(and a few things I learned)
- The story needs a lot of editing. But that’s ok.
- During the last few weeks I had to really dig deep and push myself to complete the manuscript. I wanted to quit.
- I didn’t like very much of my work in the last part of the book so I had to keep telling myself that it didn’t have to be good, it just had to be finished.
- The story probably won’t ever be published.
- My goal was to get faster at writing. As you can see my work count per hour doubled from my original output.
- Things came up that threatened to knock me off track. They always will.
- Writing is not easy.
- I had to make time to write. Sometimes I got up at 4 a.m. to write. Sometimes I wrote in my car in between meetings. Sometimes I had to write in the middle of the night when I felt more tired than creative. Most of the time I had only a brief window to write while my children were napping.
- Even while chasing an extreme goal I should never neglect my family. Sometimes I had to put my writing aside to focus on more important things (even if I hadn’t made my goal for the day).
- If I can do it, you can do it too. Have you ever wondered if you can write a manuscript with your schedule/job/family/lifestyle? If I can with mine, you can with yours.
- You should support an author. You should buy my first book. Seriously.
*I should note that while I was to begin my writing challenge on April first, my twins were born on March 24th. I should also note that no amount of getting up at 4 a.m. to write or writing in my car between appointments or writing while all three children are sleeping can accomplish the goal I set. Without a phenomenal wife who helped me carve out time everyday to write I wouldn’t have been able to get close to my goal.
