2021 Fiction Word Count:
Insights To Not Forget:
It's not over yet. I'd really love for it to BE over but we have too many idiots not willing to do what is necessary to protect other people plus fun with capitalism putting profits ahead of the health of the Third World. Because dead people buy shit, really. So we are all at this point in Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
You will be sooner or later. Go get the fucking vaccine, put on a damn mask, and stop mutating the damn virus!
Moving on. In May 2021, I finally upgraded to Scrivener 3. Thankfully one of the writing podcast I listened to told me that it finally had arrived for Windows users because I never did get an email notice that it was ready. [SIDE EYE GIF if I have one] I consolidated all the Star Wars fanfics to one project so that will be where the GFFA dictionary will live, and then started a project for all the Trigun outlines. I haven't shifted any of my original fiction to Scrivener 3 because of other issues.
Because of course there were other issues. Hurricane Ida made landfall August 29th and its route went right over my head. And I was here in Louisiana because my parents with their health issues refused to evacuate. We were lucky that our houses did not have catastrophic damage. Other people in our area were not that lucky. We were without electricity until September 14th and without even spotty Internet until September 27th. I had to evacuate to my friends' home September 2nd through September 17th when my paying job said we were no longer working from home every other day to reduce COVID-19 exposures and had to return to the office full time.
And then the writing laptop ran out of disk space to run Scrivener 3 properly and I started having issues with the only two projects saving and opening properly. On September 8th, I tried moving project files to a SD card inserted into the writing laptop and found out that Literature and Latte doesn't want Scrivener run from removable media. Not that I plan on ever removing it. So what is eating up all the space? Dropbox. But I put everything on cloud except for the writing projects I need to access offline? Thus began the great Dropbox clean out, which according to the space I pay for was totally unnecessary but according to my laptop, it had to be done. That I finally finished right after Christmas and spent Boxing Day and December 27th letting the laptop follow through on the deletions before importing in all the words I had written outside of Scrivener. In the midst of all this, I discovered that as Scrivener wasn't functioning properly, it is programmed to make a copy of the project and work from that. Which was also getting saved to Dropbox because of my settings and added to the digital space being used. So change to my routine is to get the finished story files out of Dropbox as soon as the story is done and published.
Stories I Posted:
Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences: Word count = 126,075. Started posting it on January 18, 2021 and finished posting it August 2, 2021. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
"Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002": Word Count = 5566. Posted for May the Fourth 2021, and I corrected the series order for the two Sororal Lineality stories published so far.
Stories I Finished:
Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: Miha: Word Count = 3217. The first draft of the third story of the series wrote quickly. I started writing May 5th after posting "MJ-0002" and finished on May 18th.
Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: Plans and High Command: Word Count = 7346. I'm not sure what prompted me to write the fourth story in Sororal Lineality in July and August, but I was writing it in Scrivener 3 when Hurricane Ida blew through and I had finished it on September 6th and got one of the fun error messages from Scrivener 3. I left all the Star Wars Fanfic project files alone while cleaning out Dropbox. So once I got the Trigun project up and running correctly and imported all its offline file, I decided to go get Star Wars. At 8:00 p.m.the night before having to go back to work.
KLCtheBookWorm: So I probably should have went to bed before opening the Star Wars Scrivener FilesThat took about an hour.
What I have gotten open is missing "Miha" and "Plans and High Commands" and a ton of what I had done in Mission in Mimban
JediMordsith: oh no
KLCtheBookWorm: I'm not panicking. I have many backups available to open which I haven't even looked at the dates on those yet
But I am low keyed terrified and that's not a good state for bedtime
JediMordsith: no, def not a good way to head into sleep
JediDryad: Yeah, not the best
KLCtheBookWorm: Okay I'm extracting a backup copy with the closest to now date
Mainly because I couldn't start combing through the data files to see if it had more words
In good news, Trigun stuff is all together and I have already compiled a back up document outside of the Scrivener backups
Now if only I can find most of the Star Wars words
I... I really can't comprehend of rewriting all of Mimban again
I had gotten up to Vader's arrival if not to the stupid lake monster
Well I need fight music for the lake monster so I may be conflating
I FOUND THE WORDS!
Okay it does look like some is missing from "Plans and High Commands" but I think I have saved most of those from Slack
Let me compile stuff before I start poking
JediDryad: YAY!!!! the words were lost but now have been found
KLCtheBookWorm: I can't tell you how many words that I was potentially looking at being completely gone because I don't want to open that spreadsheet until I'm done with saving backups
JediDryad: Get them saved
KLCtheBookWorm: Okay have compiled Mimban and Sororal Lineality. Found the Slack notes I had saved. Looks like I have lost about 100 - 200 words of my conclusion to "Plans and High Command" but that is rewriting in a conceivable category
I renamed this Scrivener Project as "Star Wars Fanfics Working" and making a back up of it now
That will help me tomorrow to move the other Scrivener projects that are incomplete out of Dropbox
Now I can look
"Plans" had 6619 words when I thought I had safely finished the first draft in August
Mission on Mimban was up to 45,134 which I'm unsure of if I was counting the chapter previously published in that total or if it was just new words for 2021
I think I feel like relief puking if that's a thing
JediDryad: That might be a thing... I feel like it's a thing
KLCtheBookWorm: It maybe passing because I really don't like puking
I'm just waiting on Dropbox to decide it's done syncing and then desktop is getting a reboot and laptop should be okay to go to work tomorrow
Okay laptop Dropbox is done. And since Slack crashed on the desktop let me sign off and get my ass to bed
G'night everybody!
JediMordsith: sleep well! I’m so glad you found things!!
After I put in the narrative I had shared in Slack and saved from it after I realized Scrivener 3 was going wonky, I found I only lost the last 95 words I had wrote and wrapped up the story. And since I didn't really remember how I ended it back in September, rewriting that ending was so very doable. So I did it, finished it December 30th, and added 727 words to it.
Stories I Didn't Finish:
Star Wars: Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban: Word count = 45,134 (8093 written in 2019 + 14,789 written in 2020 + 22,252). I about doubled the word count I brought into the year on this novel, so you can just imagined the low-level terrified that I had when so many of those words were not in the Scrivener Project file I opened. Honestly, if I hadn't gotten them back I don't know if I could have rewritten that much. I have done so much work on Kee and Hin that I can't wait for readers to discover that I probably wouldn't remember to recreate.
Strix: Forget the Sun: Word count = 46,474 (26,588 written previously + 4279 written in 2019 + 279 written in 2020 + 15,328). I did do the Camp NaNo in April! But I didn't write enough words to win NaNo or finish this novel. So moving onto 2021.
Trigun Outline 1: Word Count = 16,832. So I have dropped mentions of Trigun, an anime series from 1998 based on the manga Trigun and its continuation under a different title Trigun Maximum, through out this post. I have no idea why the anime seized my brain again in early May. We were getting rain and I joked I was trying to send it to Gunsmoke this way. But basically the ideas wouldn't leave me alone and finally collecting the soundtracks and listening to the music repeatedly probably didn't help. So I decided to purge the stories out by doing very detailed outlines to finish off at a much later date. The first idea was to make the change in the episode "Murder Machine." And the change was the buried ship's plant had a baby and gave her to Vash the Stampede to raise. This one has some nice twists on the canon (I'm super proud of how I changed Augusta and the Fifth Moon Incident) but technically, I haven't found the ending of this one yet, but Wolfwood lives. I may get help finding it or this will be the most written it will ever be.
Trigun Outline 2: Word Count = 25,022. This story idea developed practically treading on the heels of the first one. Inciting scene that snowballed into a novel outline: Meryl alone and held hostage by bandits is rescued by Vash two years after the Fifth Moon Incident and she was sure he was dead. They end up traveling together, Wolfwood catches up before they reach New Oregon, and then things get too dangerous on the Flying Ship. Knives lives in this one along with Wolfwood (Knives' fate is one of the problems with the first story's ending) and Vash is reunited with Lina and Granny Sheryl because the episode title plainly said "Goodbye For Now."
Trigun Outline 3 Crossover: Word Count = 83,769. So because of the first two outlines and needed to refresh my memory, I ended up introducing my beta to the series that is one of her husband's favorites. We're still laughing at how he didn't show it to her first instead of T&A anime that has given her a miscomprehension about the medium ever since. However it got less funny after my muse took this exchange as permission:
Beta: "Are you going to cross Trigun over with Star Wars?"The muse started going through the Rolodex of existing characters and universes and matching them against Trigun and ended up with Hannah Davidson from the Biker Mice From Mars: Evil Jack series when she is aged twelve and her half-brother Chuck Turbine Davidson is aged six. I always intended to end Evil Jack series with Chuck's birth but since that story isn't written yet, he is a new character to the readers. The siblings end up on Gunsmoke with Throttle's bike--thanks Karbunkle--and luckily for them they find the caravan right after "Escape From Pain" and Vash the Stampede and the Insurance Girls decide to take care of them. Mutual adoptions and then Meryl's life is wrecked and Vash rescues her. This whole scenario has been so much fun, except for the muse not realizing this is an outline and not a full draft.
Me: "Ack, no! I don't want to figure out how their off-the-charts powers work with the Force. It would be math."
What I Think About My Stories:
My favorite story this year: Trigun Outline 3 Crossover by leaving all the other word counts in the dust. Man, it needs a title. But really, it has been so much fun to write.
Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Strix: Forget the Sun again. I made some pretty decent progress on it in Camp NaNo even if I never made the NaNo word counts. Maybe there is something to focusing on one writing project for a whole month instead of trying to touch all of them at once.
Most fun story: Sororal Lineality: Plans and High Command. Biggs lives in this AU and I had forgotten (until I had to come up with a new ending) just how much fun he is.
Stories I wrote that I never thought I'd write: See the above Trigun outline entries. THREE stories! Muse, we have to stop there because I have to finish Star Wars and original series.
Hardest story to write: Strix: Forget the Sun. I don't know, maybe I do need a cheerleading section for it.
Biggest disappointment: I wish I had crossed a novel off the to be written list. I had the word count for it, but what got the words hadn't been in the plans at all.
Biggest surprise: Trigun obsession came out of nowhere. Honestly, if it was all because of what you read consistently, it should be Megamind fanfic. No, Muse, do not go find a fanfic idea for Megamind. I have enough trouble composing comments there.
What's your favorite piece of dialogue you wrote this year? From Sororal Lineality: Plans and High Command
“Frankly, if anyone in the Alliance is entitled to a little selfish gain,” Biggs said, “it’s you, Leia. But you’re going to set an impossible to meet noble standard even if your selfish gain also equals saving Han’s life.”
“I’m not sure if I should thank you for a compliment or punch you for an insult,” Leia said.
“You’re welcome.”
What's your favorite piece of description or narration you wrote this year? From Trigun Outline 1:
Vash opens his left arm gun and shoots Gray the Ninelives’ foot. The robot topples over and Vash flips free, grabbing his nickel Colt back from Rai-Dei. Vash trains both guns on Knives. Knives laughs. The casing on the black Colt pops open and bright pink light grows.
Knives: “It’s your turn now, Vash!”
Vash: “Everybody run!”
Knives’ arm starts forming the Angel Arm. The Gung-Ho Guns begin fleeing. Meryl tucks her derringers away to hold Rem to her front as she runs.
Little Rem screams: “Daddy!”
Vash charges Knives forcing Knives’ Angel Arm up. Meryl realizes she can’t run fast enough and tells Little Rem to put out her wings and make the ball so they can help Daddy after. Little Rem sobs but wraps them up in the protective ball.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would, less, or about what you predicted? I'm amazed by my word count, 202% of what I had decided I could write based off last year. It wasn't on what I had predicted at all, but I hope I can carry the amount forward.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? I think I have figured out how to balance writing while at my paying job and not to get distracted and now for health issues have worked in standing up and walking around a bit. Now I should take that technique and combine with only one writing project for a month. But now we are getting into the goals section.
Did you meet last year's goals? Let's find out. The goals from my 2021 one-page business plan are:
- Use Ali Luke's Two Year Novel Plan to finish the Strix series
- April - August 2021: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's first draft (I'm going to push myself to get it done in by treating April as NaNo, but more time is available if I need it) = Nope, still not finished.
- Sept. - Dec. 2021: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's second draft = Nope, not started yet.
- Writing Star Wars AU fanfics
Finish Unexpected Consequences' third draft= Done- Finish Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban's first draft = In Progress
- Edit Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban to second draft = Not there yet
- Send Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban to beta reader = Not there yet
- Finish Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban third draft = Not there yet
Finish Sororal Lineality: Miha first draft= Done- Edit Sororal Lineality: Miha to second draft = In Progress
- Send Sororal Lineality: Miha to beta reader = Not there yet
- Finish Sororal Lineality: Miha third draft = Not there yet
- Writing Zackverse
- Work on Hyrueliana's overhaul = Never touched this at all
- Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank, Dreamwidth, Discipline Under Fire, and Tumblr Random Thoughts = Do once a week = Not as regularly as I wanted
- BookWorm's Library website maintenance = Work on once a week on Sundays = My time never seemed to work out to do these
- 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 = Not there yet
Upload Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences when edited on Ao3= DoneUpload Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002 on Ao3 on May 4th= DoneReload Sororal Lineality: Aftermath on Ao3= Fixed the series order so done- Upload Sororal Lineality: Miha to Ao3 after Mission on Mimban = Not there yet
- Upload Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation to the Library = Forgot about
- Upload Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service to the Library = Forgot about
- Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to Library = Forgot about
- Upload Looking For Home: My Home Is You to the Library = Forgot about
- Upload Looking For Home: Outcast to Library = Forgot about
- Upload Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002 to the Library = Forgot about
- Upload Sororal Lineality: Aftermath to the Library = Forgot about
- Upload Sororal Lineality: Miha to the Library = Not there yet
- Update FF.net profile of where newer stories are now = Forgot about
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 had 85 days that I reached the daily word count! That's the second highest amount I have managed to do since I started tracking that in 2017. I doubled what I managed to do in 2020.
- Write and edit every day. = I'm going to say this was a win. When I had the longest spans of no tracking was when I was writing outline in long hand instead of typing.
- Schedule website updates and fanmix work on the weekends. = Totally forgot about this.
- Work in meditation time with Brain FM. = Still need to do this.
- Use my Kanban Flow checklist consistently. = Fell off from using this tool.
- Don't let chores pile up now that you have two jobs plus writing to do. = I'm so bad at this.
Do you have any goals for the coming year? First off, I'm going to spend one month on a writing project instead of doing the juggling thing. If I finish one early, then I'll figure out what to do next. These projects are going into the Weekly Planner that I look at every day so I don't forget as well as the one-page business plan.
- January = Trigun 3 Outline
- February = Star Wars: Mission on Mimban
- March = BookWorm's Library Update
- April = Strix: Forget the Sun
- May = Zackverse Upload to Ao3
- June = Strix: Forget the Sun
- July = BookWorm's Library Update
- August = Star Wars
- September = Trigun
- October = Star Wars
- November = Strix: Forget the Sun
- December = Zackverse
- Make real progress on the Strix series
- April, June, November: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's first draft
- April, June, November: Edit Strix: Forget the Sun to second draft
- April, June, November: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's second draft
- April, June, November: Send Strix: Forget the Sun to a developmental editor
- Progress on Star Wars fanfics
- February, August, October: Finish Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban's first draft
- February, August, October: Edit Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban to second draft
- February, August, October: Send Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban to beta reader
- February, August, October: Finish Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban third draft
- February, August, October: Edit Sororal Lineality: Miha to second draft
- February, August, October: Send Sororal Lineality: Miha to beta reader
- February, August, October: Finish Sororal Lineality: Miha third draft
- February, August, October: Edit Sororal Lineality: Plans and High Command to second draft
- February, August, October: Send Sororal Lineality: Plans and High Command to beta reader
- February, August, October: Edit Sororal Lineality: Plans and High Command to third draft
- February, August, October: Finish Rescue the Farmboy: Extrication first draft
- February, August, October: Finish Sororal Lineality: Kyber first draft
- February, August, October: Outline Everybody Lives But Maul story
- Writing Trigun
- January, September: Finish Trigun 3 Crossover Outline
- January, September: Finish Trigun 1 Outline
- Writing Zackverse
- December: Work on Hyrueliana's overhaul
- Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank, Dreamwidth, Discipline Under Fire, and Tumblr Random Thoughts = Do once a week
- BookWorm's Library website maintenance
- March, July: Make sure the software is up to date
- March, July: Add any files that need adding
- Add Media Center to BookWorm's Library
- March, July: Create section
- March, July: Make artwork
- March, July: Code section
- march, July: Upload files
- Add more fanfics to AO3
- May: Upload Zackverse in story order
- Upload Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban third draft
- Upload Sororal Lineality: Miha third draft after Mission on Mimban
- Upload Sororal Lineality: Plans and High Command third draft
- Other publishing
- March, July: Upload Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation to the Library
- March, July: Upload Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service to the Library
- March, July: Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to Library
- March, July: Upload Looking For Home: My Home Is You to the Library
- March, July: Upload Looking For Home: Outcast to Library
- March, July Upload Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002 to the Library
- March, July: Upload Sororal Lineality: Aftermath to the Library
- March, July: Upload Sororal Lineality: Miha
- Update FF.net profile of where newer stories are now
My daily writing plans to help the above list of goals get done:
- Write 600 daily words. Can be split among stories. The yearly goal is 177,267 that I reached December 31, 2021.
- Write and edit every day.
- Work in meditation time with Brain FM.
- Use my Kanban Flow checklist consistently.
- Don't let chores pile up.
Here's to 2022. We'll get through all this together.
