Forget the Sun Metrics 51

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 118
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 1065
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1429
Chapter Sixteen total: 1012
Chapter Seventeen total: 969
Chapter Eighteen total: 1151
Chapter Nineteen total: #
Total words for the first draft: 22,869
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Added more description to Chapter Twelve. Decided on two locations base floor plans that I will tweak to what specifics the story calls for tomorrow.
Fave line:
What Else I Accomplished Today: Lost three days to trying to make visual decisions and basically losing track of my daily time. Planning on doing so much better on that in February. And then I lost my free time today to income taxes, *sigh* but at least they are ready to file now.
What I'm looking forward to: Making myself go to bed early so I can stop operating at a sleep deficit.
What I'm not looking forward to: I have to plan something to do for my birthday? After the whole car fiasco, a spa day sounds really good and I mean to splurge on a facial or body wrap or something like that.

Forget the Sun Metrics 50

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 477
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1429
Chapter Sixteen total: 1012
Chapter Seventeen total: 969
Chapter Eighteen total: 1151
Total words for the first draft: 22,751
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Finished what I had written in rough draft for Chapter Eighteen and then decided I needed to add more description.
Fave line: "Since our secrecy has been dismantled, it is time to face our opponents."
What Else I Accomplished Today:
What I'm looking forward to: Making myself go to bed early so I can stop operating at a sleep deficit.
What I'm not looking forward to: Monday, the new windshield and I hope nothing happens to run up the cost.

Forget the Sun Metrics 49

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 274
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1429
Chapter Sixteen total: 1012
Chapter Seventeen total: 969
Chapter Eighteen total: 674
Total words for the first draft: 22,274
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Finished my writing hour while waiting for the windshield repair technician despite worrying that I screwed up the appointment by going to the paying job this morning and being unavailable for a phone call.
Fave line: In truth, he had never expected much from that accidental child in accomplishments, but Ferris was proving to be the most stubborn creature he had encountered yet in his long life.
What Else I Accomplished Today: My current plan is to go through my chores list and take the rough draft out to the front porch to get ahead on breaks and soak up some sunshine while the weather is nice.
What I'm looking forward to: Making myself go to bed early so I can stop operating at a sleep deficit.
What I'm not looking forward to: Monday, the new windshield and I hope nothing happens to run up the cost.

Forget the Sun Metrics 48

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 131
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1425+4
Chapter Sixteen total: 1012
Chapter Seventeen total: 969
Chapter Eighteen total: 400
Total words for the first draft: 22,000
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Finally got more characters into the scene, so it should move better now.
Fave line: The daeva with skin the color of charred wood was not with them, and pain pinched Ywla's pale face.
What Else I Accomplished Today: I cooked food: salmon in the slow cooker with a lemon Dijon sauce, a Roman stew, two pans of breakfast casseroles, and paleo chocolate chip cookies. And I didn't eat all the cookies today!
What I'm looking forward to: Making myself go to bed early so I can stop operating at a sleep deficit.
What I'm not looking forward to: Monday, the new windshield and I hope nothing happens to run up the cost.

Forget the Sun Metrics 47

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 192
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1425+4
Chapter Sixteen total: 1012
Chapter Seventeen total: 969
Chapter Eighteen total: 269
Total words for the first draft: 21,869
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Gah, it took forever but I think I'm finally in the villain's head for this scene. I took a break to clean up the beat sheet (actually type up all the handwritten notes I had on it) and to name the background characters. I don't know if I'll actually use the picked out names but they have something to label them with now besides "minion 1." And I need to go back to previous chapters and change some words.
Fave line: Tears had ruined the dhǵhemon's garish make-up and reddened the terrified blue eyes that stared up at him.
What Else I Accomplished Today: The little bit of grocery shopping I'm allowing myself before the car repairs.
What I'm looking forward to: Making myself go to bed early so I can stop operating at a sleep deficit.
What I'm not looking forward to: Monday, the new windshield and I hope nothing happens to run up the cost.

Forget the Sun Metrics 46

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 133
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1425
Chapter Sixteen total: 1012
Chapter Seventeen total: 969
Chapter Eighteen total: 22
Total words for the first draft: 21,622
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Wrapped up Chapter Seventeen, and barely started Chapter Eighteen. Probably more accurate that I opened up a file for it. I also figured out I've reached a point where I need to name more bad guy characters and I hadn't fixed the TiddlyWiki beat sheet about the ones I have named.
Fave line: He'd fit breaking the news to the parents and Sally in at some point.
What Else I Accomplished Today: Well, I'm about to go be sociable again. Staying on point with typing is easier when I have rough draft ready to go.
What I'm looking forward to: Monday, when I go home and I can really submerge into this world to have some progress.
What I'm not looking forward to: Have to buy a new windshield and new headlights for my car before the end of January because the ones I have did not pass the car inspection. I decided I must tear out the old sheet rock in the back bedroom but I don't know when that will happen.

Forget the Sun Metrics 45

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 309
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1425
Chapter Sixteen total: 1012
Chapter Seventeen total: 858
Total words for the first draft: 21,489
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Used up everything I already had written ahead, but I'm really close to be done with the scene.
Fave line: "Mine too. Do you have any psycho-jealous significant others who will be convinced we're screwing?"
What Else I Accomplished Today: We hit the pattern sale at Hancock's and I bought patterns for normal clothes as well as costume ones. I'm planning on making some blouses that actually fit me.
What I'm looking forward to: Calming down from the Star Wars high so I can sleep.
What I'm not looking forward to: Have to buy a new windshield and new headlights for my car before the end of January because the ones I have did not pass the car inspection. I decided I must tear out the old sheet rock in the back bedroom but I don't know when that will happen.

Forget the Sun Metrics 44

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 506
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1425
Chapter Sixteen total: 1012
Chapter Seventeen total: 549
Total words for the first draft: 21,180
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Had a bit of a surreal moment as I went looking for a calendar so I can break down what happens when. I've been composing with the vague sense that this story is set in the near future, just a few years of the present. So I pulled out the timeline with character's birthdates and previous history jazz. "May 2014: Strix: Forget the Sun events" I created the timeline in 2012. :p
Fave line: "You need to stop holding high school against me, man."
What Else I Accomplished Today: Finished all my Friday chores before leaving home.
What I'm looking forward to: Going to Lafayette this three-day-weekend.
What I'm not looking forward to: Have to buy a new windshield and new headlights for my car before the end of January because the ones I have did not pass the car inspection. I decided I must tear out the old sheet rock in the back bedroom but I don't know when that will happen.

Forget the Sun Metrics 43

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 197
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1425
Chapter Sixteen total: 1012
Chapter Seventeen total: 43
Total words for the first draft: 20,674
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Well, I FINALLY finished the outline of a trilogy that I have no intentions of writing until original fiction is done after six days on it. Happy, Muse? So now it's time to get back to my vampires and I finished the little bit left in Chapter Sixteen and started on Chapter Seventeen.
Fave line: "I'll bite a werewolf Sagara has just recruited and turn myself into God-only-knows-what."
What Else I Accomplished Today: I started the Primal 21-Day Challenge back on Monday and fitting the exercise into my schedule has been the hardest thing. So possibly there was another reason beside pure laziness for never doing it? And sleep: here I thought I was getting near 8 hours every night but I'm not even close. No wonder I've been crashing hard and sleeping forever on the weekends.
What I'm looking forward to: Going to Lafayette this three-day-weekend.
What I'm not looking forward to: Have to buy a new windshield and new headlights for my car before the end of January because the ones I have did not pass the car inspection. I decided I must tear out the old sheet rock in the back bedroom but I don't know when that will happen.

Forget the Sun Metrics 42

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 433
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1425
Chapter Sixteen total: 858
Total words for the first draft: 20,477
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: Got thirty minutes of typing on this story today, then spent the rest of my writing hour typing up an outline that I shouldn't waste any more time on. No really, Muse, this story needs to be told.
Fave line: "Ferris, you can't still be squeamish. Not after all these years."
What Else I Accomplished Today: It's Friday of a three-day-weekend. What else do I need to accomplish?
What I'm looking forward to: RPG game is Saturday night, WOOT! Fantasy Grounds is the bomb for getting a group together for virtual tabletop game.
What I'm not looking forward to: Well, I'm currently in it but I haven't started on resolving it: my current demo project. I have no living room because everything from the back bedroom has been stacked in my living room. I think I have a plan for what changes I want to make but haven't bought supplies. Since I haven't bought the new stuff to go up, I haven't torn the old stuff down. I wish I could wave a wand and have it finished already.

Forget the Sun Metrics 41

DUF: Forget the Sun Metrics 41 Date: 01/06/2016

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 1059
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1425
Chapter Sixteen total: 425
Total words for the first draft: 20,044
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: So back in 2013, I decided I needed to break each scene into separate chapters. Don't remember what exactly was the reason for that decision, but right now my chapters all feel too short. I'm looking at the word counts and they are closer than my perception had them, so I won't change this naming convention until I'm finished with the first draft.
Fave line: She liked that explanation a lot better than he had come to Haganville looking for her after promising not to.
What Else I Accomplished Today: So far I have made three days of using my checklists to make sure all my chores are done. And by day three since everything is really clean, it's taking me twenty minutes to finish all my daily tasks. I must continue to make this a habit.
What I'm looking forward to: My chiropractic appointment; I got knocked out of whack moving stuff from the back bedroom to the living room.
What I'm not looking forward to: Well, I'm currently in it but I haven't started on resolving it: my current demo project. I have no living room because everything from the back bedroom has been stacked in my living room. I think I have a plan for what changes I want to make but haven't bought supplies. Since I haven't bought the new stuff to go up, I haven't torn the old stuff down. I wish I could wave a wand and have it finished already.

Forget the Sun Metrics 40

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 791
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 1038
Total words for the first draft: 18,985
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: So this is what I can accomplish when I have the full hour to work with. I think I need to leave myself notes of where I stop in the text. I'm just at day two on this new routine and I already think my math is off.
Fave line: And she'd rather skip all the lock her up for crazy talk oh shit she was right bullshit.
What Else I Accomplished Today: Doing a full hour of dedicated writing in the morning is ideal, but I can't work it into my schedule without getting up earlier (I was late to the paying job Monday morning). Getting up earlier than I do now is not an option. So today I split it into thirty minutes before and after work. That worked, so I will continue using it for the rest of the week before reassessing.
What I'm looking forward to: My chiropractic appointment; I got knocked out of whack moving stuff from the back bedroom to the living room.
What I'm not looking forward to: Well, I'm currently in it but I haven't started on resolving it: my current demo project. I have no living room because everything from the back bedroom has been stacked in my living room. I think I have a plan for what changes I want to make but haven't bought supplies. Since I haven't bought the new stuff to go up, I haven't torn the old stuff down. I wish I could wave a wand and have it finished already.

Forget the Sun Metrics 39

Progress Bar from Writertopia

METRICS
New Words: 247
Chapter One total: 2111
Chapter Two total: 879
Chapter Three total: 1647
Chapter Four total: 773
Chapter Five total: 1317
Chapter Six total: 1719
Chapter Seven total: 1436
Chapter Eight total: 1178
Chapter Nine total: 969
Chapter Ten total: 1313
Chapter Eleven total: 1382
Chapter Twelve total: 945
Chapter Thirteen total: 1417
Chapter Fourteen total: 861
Chapter Fifteen total: 247
Total words for the first draft: 18,194
What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: I came back to this story! Technically, I came back to it in December 2015, but that was strictly rough draft writing until now. I also changed my vampire terms and took the time this morning to search and replace the words.
Fave line: Figure out how to deal with the bubbling happiness that made her want to giggle now that dead bodies weren't in her face.
What Else I Accomplished Today: Set up all the tracking documents too, which ate up my writing hour.
What I'm looking forward to: Working out the kinks for establishing a dedicated writing hour. Also finding a place to prop papers on my desk.
What I'm not looking forward to: Well, I'm currently in it but I haven't started on resolving it: my current demo project. I have no living room because everything from the back bedroom has been stacked in my living room. I think I have a plan for what changes I want to make but haven't bought supplies. Since I haven't bought the new stuff to go up, I haven't torn the old stuff down. I wish I could wave a wand and have it finished already.

2015 My Year in Fic

2015 Fiction Word Count

Progress Bar from Writertopia

This year was interesting. It seems like I forgot my plans halfway through the year and then lost that time. And I did this while having the plans plastered eye-level at my desk right where I couldn't miss them.

It also explains why after I wrapped up edits around November, I got that restless antsy feeling. Luckily, a conversation with a friend made me remember that Strix: Forget the Sun was outlined and ready to write, so I dived into its rough draft to make the antsy go away. But it was only this week as I pulled my trackers and metrics together that I realized I hadn't wrote anything since May!

Yeah, I'm lucky I didn't go bonkers on people way earlier than that. Other changes to this year: working on the laptop. In all honesty, I can't point to more words written as proof of improvement and there was a time period where I didn't pull it out while at the paying job (crossing fingers that the layoff merry-go-round is finished for the next four years at least). But overall, I think it helps not having my progress ground to a screeching halt whenever I travel. We'll say 2015 was my learning year and see what my results are in 2016.

Stories I Finished:

Signs and Portents: Trinity was finished and published at the Library, AO3, and FF.net.

Part of the Night: The One Rule is posted at the Library. My edits are done for it to go up at FF.net and new copy is ready to go up at AO3.

Part of the Night: The Wayne Legacy is posted at the Library. My edits are done for it to go up at FF.net and new copy is ready to go up at AO3.

Stories I Didn't Finish:

Strix: Forget the Sun counts here because I picked it up again. The Zy's Universe counts here because I dropped it so utterly.

My favorite story this year: Signs and Portents: Trinity. It's a Man of Steel fix-it fic, but I love the little things in it so much. And the flash mob reenacting "Welcome Christmas."

Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Signs and Portents: Trinity hasn't gotten the reviews that other stories in the series had, but the reader I dedicated it to saw it so it's all good.

Most fun story: The Wayne Legacy, I had so much fun Nolan-izing the Batman canon.

Stories I wrote that I never thought I'd write: Signs and Portents: Trinity took me way too long to come up with a framework for the story.

Hardest story to write:

Biggest disappointment: That I forgot about Zy's Universe.

Biggest surprise: Having gone from May to December without writing anything.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would, less, or about what you predicted? WAY less.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? I learned how to best use my laptop.

Did you meet last year's goals?

• Reach 130,000 words in the stories in Zy's Universe. -- I never finished my read-throughs and didn't get to edits.
• Submit a horror short story to an anthology. -- I must have missed all the deadlines for this.
• Finish The Wayne Legacy -- Done, except for posting at FF.net
• Finish the last story in the Signs and Portents series -- Done
• Post 12 updates to Facebook -- I set this one up to get over my dislike of using Facebook. Yeah, that didn't work.
• Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank -- That just didn't work but I'm not sure why.
• Make changes to the BookWorm's Library -- Okay, I did do these.

Do you have any goals for the coming year? The goals from my 2016 one-page business plan are:

• Reach 130,000 words in the stories in Zy's Universe.
  • Edit Stellar Gift of Death to a draft ready for beta reading
  • Edit "Words of Parting" according to the feedback I got
  • Edit "Blue Man on the Porch" to a draft ready for beta reading
  • Write a short story on Xeryl's background
  • Write the Ail 12 on vacation case that ended in a shootout (new take on the "Case of the Hideous Medallion")
  • Plot two sequels to Stellar Gift of Death
  • Begin writing the next novel in the series
• Finish rough draft of Strix: Forget the Sun
• Establish a dedicated writing hour
• Post 12 updates on Facebook. Proving I am a glutton for punishment, this is back on the list. But I did give myself an out by just cross posting stuff I wrote in the blog.
• Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank
• Redevelop FanFiction Garret -- Basically it died because I couldn't keep the back end updated. I've got new tools now, and it's also lowest on the list of priorities here.

Here's to 2016. It can only get better.