First Report

In the last week I’ve written 10,000 words on The Starlight Dialogues, putting me at 14,000 total with an end goal of 100K, give or take 10%. My plan, which I’m announcing for the purpose of creating a self-shaming motivator should I start falling behind, is to finish 10-12K a week. The first draft would be done by the start of April. I’m hoping that, after taking a 4-8 week break afterwards to get over that post-novel feel of “Man, I’m the greatest thing in the history of narrative! No need to change a single word on this masterpiece,” that’ll leave me with just enough time to go through revisions and start submitting to agents (submit? Never surrender!) before my savings runs out and I start seeking new employment in earnest.

None of which will ever happen, of course, unless I figure out the rest of this fucking scene. One thing I’m trying to do these days is make all the scenes in TSD pull double duty–advance the plot as it reveals key differences between American and Martian society; develop character as it foreshadows a more important relationship down the line–and while, as I roll into the end of Act One, I’m all prepped to start leaning into a big old curve in the plot, I haven’t yet figured out a second element for this scene to explore.

Okay, enough analysis. Back to the salt mines with me.