2019 Fiction Word Count
Insights To Not Forget: See Year Zero is Reset Year for these. It was too long to go here. Here is where I analyze my writing and what I'm doing moving forward.
Stories I Finished:
Star Wars: Crude Matter: Word count = 5811. So the Fic Whining Circle came up with a kink challenge. I ended up with gender swap and aphrodisiac, and came up with the plot so quickly. And then my muse was "what, you want words on this stupid idea now?" It took FOREVER to write, but I finally got it finished and posted.
Star Wars: Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation: Finished editing and posted this year.
Star Wars: Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service: Word count = 847. The first in-between story in this series finished.
Star Wars: Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban: Temple of Pomojema: Word count = 8044. So 2019 Star Wars Legends Halloween Extravaganza rolled around after I had decided I was only submitting WIPs for any and all challenges moving forward after losing so much time forcing Crude Matter out of my head. So I ended up writing the climax of this story for this event. I still have to finish the rest.
How TPM Happened in Rescue the Farmboy AU: Word Count = 910.
How AOTC Happened in Rescue the Farmboy AU: Word Count = 1533.
How ROTS Happened in Rescue the Farmboy AU: Word Count = 3786. Obviously Padmé living in Anakin's body and Anakin listening to his beloved wife while he wades through the Empire as Darth Vader is a huge change, and I had a few more fix-its for the Prequels lingering in mind. I worked enough of them into Liberation that readers found that I made myself go back to the Prequels and solidify what changed. So far these background notes have only been published on Dreamwidth. I'm not hiding them from the series fans, but I have them ready when I get blindsided by a question.
Star Wars: Interrogation Room: Word count = 573. Evilmouse set up a quick Midnight Kiss challenge. I had just had this little vignette that didn't fit in any WIPs, so I wrote it up for this challenge. This does not mean I will be writing outside the WIPs in 2020. I intend to stand pretty firm on that so I can deliver those WIPs.
Stories I Didn't Finish:
Strix: Forget the Sun: Word count = 30,867 (26,588 written previously + 3780 written during NaNo 2019 + 499 written in December) I had a great idea to focus only on this novel during NaNo 2019. 50,000 words should get me over the finish line of the first draft. My mother had a valve replacement heart surgery scheduled for Oct. 28th but that wasn't going to effect my schedule at all.
My mother ended up spending the entire month of November in two hospitals and a rehab facility. My poor tired brain did not want to work on original fic, but wanted refuge in fanfic instead. So I will carry working on this novel into 2020.
Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences: Word count = 80,580 (31,008 written previously + 49,572). Did I make big plans for my AU of the Thrawn Trilogy? Possibly, since I made unsustainable plans with every other writing project. This novel became my fall back when everything became too stressful, and surprisingly I made a lot of progress this year on it. I'm almost done with Act Two.
TLJ Story Grid Project: Word count = 930 (383 written previously + 547). I got talked into doing my original idea of deconstructing the Last Jedi according to the Story Grid method. This will probably be as long and as involved as the Splinter of the Mind's Eye Analysis. I worked on it a little in January and hit the point that I will probably have to rewatch The Last Jedi and what desire I had to do this project died. I think there are lessons to mine from a serious analysis of this film and the whole trilogy, but I don't think I have the will to see it through.
Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: A plot bunny materialized on me unexpectedly that Mara discovered she wasn't the only Emperor's Hand but that the other Hands are clones at different ages and she is also a clone. But I didn't want to write this story as one big novel, so I decided to do a series of short stories that I can write in between novel projects. I plotted out twenty-seven short stories using the MACE method that I learned about from the Writing Excuses podcast. This is my first time forcing myself to write short and my first time using this outline method. But I haven't really put any of them on the writing schedule.
Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002: Word count = 387. Despite not putting any of this series on the schedule, I ended up writing this little bit to get it started.
What I Think About My Stories:
My favorite story this year: Star Wars: Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban: Temple of Pomojema. I still remember while working on the analysis of Splinter of the Mind's Eye when I decided to let Padmé emerge from Vader and have a chat with her and Anakin's son. It was one of those ideas that took the whole project from a clean-up job on a profic interesting idea not brought to its fullest potential to something magical. This chapter was everything I wanted of that scene. Now for the fun job of writing the rest to lead into and support this chapter.
Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Star Wars: Crude Matter It had the fewest reviews of what I published in 2019, but all the important people commented so it's not bothering me.
Most fun story: Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences. Okay, I'm being mean by picking something I didn't publish. But I am having a blast when I get to write on this story.
Stories I wrote that I never thought I'd write: How the Prequels Happened in the Rescue the Farmboy AU. I am absolutely serious with this choice. I wrote all of Liberation without finalizing what happened in the previous generation and thought I could carry forward that way. I'm glad I came to my senses and figured it out.
Hardest story to write: Star Wars: Crude Matter. As I said before, the muse did not want to cooperate with the narrative. Or with femslash. I still feel bad that I faded to black, but it was either do that or never publish anything for the rest of the year trying to make that sex scene happen.
Biggest disappointment: Strix: Forget the Sun. NaNo was my solution to that lack of progress and real life shredded that plan. I must always remember these words of wisdom:
Biggest surprise: I didn't finish a novel this year. I really miss finishing a novel so it's going up for readers while I do something else.
What's your favorite piece of dialogue you wrote this year? From Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences, which is unfair considering that it's not published.
She ignored it as Captain Karrde approached them. “Minister Organa Solo, Lucinda, is everything all right?” His shrewd blue eyes were focused on her.“Worried about Mommy, I guess.”
“Ah, she’ll be back soon. Meanwhile, I have a job for you.”
Lucinda frowned. “I thought I was too young to work for you.”
Captain Karrde smirked. “This you already have experience in.” He held out a datacard. “Ghent is coming here in a few days. These are his instructions. Make sure he gets them and shove food and water into him regularly while he works on them.”
Lucinda smirked. She did know how to take care of Ghent. But she didn’t take the card. “How much is it worth to you?”
Princess Leia smothered a laugh but Captain Karrde beamed. “Very good. I did call it a job. What’s your starting bid?”
“A skyhopper!”
“So your mother can make me eat it, no. What about a personal piloting simulator?”
“Only if it’s a model that can hold multiple programs for different ships. Because I’m going to master them quick.”
“Deal.”
She took the datacard from Captain Karrde and slipped it into her belt pouch.
What's your favorite piece of description or narration you wrote this year? Everything is coming from Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences today because nothing I published has stuck in my head as shareable.
Yellow-white fire lit up the landscape, hurting her eyes with how bright it was. The multiple detonations made a thunderclap that knocked her to her knees. She screamed and covered her ears, but she still heard blaster fire open up behind them.Strong arms scooped her up against his chest, cloth covered not armored. Lucinda grabbed hold of Jedi Skywalker, and now the sounds of the battle battered her ears: the blaster fire from behind them and from the stormtroopers hugging the stone pillars, speeder bikes whined louder around them. Stormtroopers grabbed Jedi Skywalker under his arms. She glanced up and saw the Chariot assault vehicle turning around to face the unseen attackers.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would, less, or about what you predicted? Oh I came in under what I had aimed for, only writing to 63% of my goal that I set from what I wrote in 2018. I'm still coming to terms with how badly I planned 2019.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? I don't think my risks were with writing this year.
Did you meet last year's goals?
That's a no, and boy, how is it a no.
The goals from my 2019 one-page business plan are:- Use Ali Luke's Two Year Novel Plan to finish the Strix series -- It maybe overly ambitious to try to finish all three novels in the same time frame. What I'm hoping to do is finish ahead of the schedule and pick up the next one. = REALLY PAST ME?! That's what we're calling my need to
January - February 2019: Move all files into Scrivener= This I got done at least.- January - February 2019: Outline the trilogy = Nope, only have one book outlined. The same one I had outlined before attempting to get serious again.
- March - July 2019: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's first draft = Nope
- March - July 2019: Finish Strix prequel story's first draft = Nope
- March - July 2019: Finish Strix sequel story's first draft = Nope
- August - December 2019: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's second draft = Nope
- August - December 2019: Finish Strix prequel story's second draft = Nope
- August - December 2019: Finish Strix sequel story's second draft = Nope
- Writing Star Wars AU fanfics
Send Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation to beta reader= DoneFinish Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation's third draft= DoneFinish Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service's second draft= DoneSend Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service to beta reader= DoneFinish Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service's third draft= Done- July 2019: Finish Unexpected Consequences' first draft = Haven't finished it yet.
- December 2019: Finish Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban's first draft = Technically started, but I need to write steady on it
- Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank, Dreamwidth, Discipline Under Fire, Tumblr Random Thoughts, Pillowfort = I haven't been posting to any schedule.
- BookWorm's Library website maintenance = And I haven't kept up with that either this year.
- Make sure the software is up to date once a month
- Add any files that need adding
- Add Media Center to BookWorm's Library = Haven't started this either.
- Create section
- Make artwork
- Code section
- Upload files
- Publishing the Strix series = Didn't attempt any of this due to still being on the first draft of only one story.
- November 2019: Research candidates for professional editor
- January 2020: Hire a cover designer deadline 3 weeks before end of March 2020
- January 2020: Hire editor and send off material deadline 3 weeks before end of March 2020
- March 2020: Receive corrections and artwork
- Add more fanfics to AO3
- Upload Zackverse in story order = Haven't started this project yet
- Upload Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation to
Ao3, FF.net, and the Library when finished = I pretty much stopped once I got it up at Ao3 - Upload Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service to
Ao3, FF.net, and the Library when finished = same thing, I stopped once I got it up at Ao3 - Upload Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences when edited = Still writing
My daily writing plans to help the above list of goals get done:
- Write 600 daily words. Can be split among the projects. I'm making the yearly goal to reach whatever number I actually reach on December 31st. = I was very good at splitting the word count between daily projects, but I only had 49 days that I reached or exceeded 600 words. 2018 I had reached 105, so I'd like to get back to that level.
- Write and edit every day. Pick one for Saturday and do the other on Sunday. = I started off with good intentions and then my projects got out of sync. Like right now, I don't have anything ready to edit unless I want to give the stuff I need to post in Ao3 another proofreading check. What to do on the weekends is another question.
- Work in meditation time with Brain FM. = Why can't I ever find time for this?
- Use my Kanban Flow checklist consistently. = Yeah, this is something I'm working on harder in 2020.
- Don't let chores pile up now that you have two jobs plus writing to do. = Still a work in progress.
- Reward myself when goals are reached. = Rewards? What are those?
Do you have any goals for the coming year? So I am sick and tired of laughing at myself when I write these things. So tired and with my Year of Reset, I am shifting things down to a lower gear. The goals from my 2020 one-page business plan are:
- Use Ali Luke's Two Year Novel Plan to finish the Strix series -- SHRINKING THIS GOAL BY SO MUCH! Notice the other two novels are not mentioned at all
- January - May 2020: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's first draft
- June - October 2020: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's second draft
- Writing Star Wars AU fanfics
- Finish Unexpected Consequences' first draft
- Start writing Sororal Lineality
- Finish Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban's first draft
- Send Unexpected Consequences to beta reader
- Send Sororal Lineality stories to beta reader
- Edit Unexpected Consequences
- Edit Sororal Lineality stories
- Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank, Dreamwidth, Discipline Under Fire, Tumblr Random Thoughts, Pillowfort = Do once a week on Saturdays
- BookWorm's Library website maintenance = Work on once a week on Sundays
- Make sure the software is up to date once a month
- Add any files that need adding
- Add Media Center to BookWorm's Library = Work on once a week on Sundays
- Create section
- Make artwork
- Code section
- Upload files
- Add more fanfics to AO3
- Upload Zackverse in story order
- Upload Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences when edited on Ao3
- Upload Sororal Lineality stories when edited
- Upload Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation to FF.net and the Library when finished
- Upload Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service to FF.net and the Library when finished
- Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to FF.net
- Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to Library
My daily writing plans to help the above list of goals get done:
- Write 600 daily words. Can be split among the projects. I'm making the yearly goal to reach whatever number I actually reach on December 31st.
- Write and edit every day.
- Schedule website updates and fanmix work on the weekends.
- Work in meditation time with Brain FM.
- Use my Kanban Flow checklist consistently.
- Don't let chores pile up now that you have two jobs plus writing to do.
- Reward myself when goals are reached throughout my Reset Year.
Here's to 2020. We'll get through it together.
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