Sacrifice

I am just about to reach (what I’m thinking of as) the magical number of words in my novel. That number is 40,000. For some reason it holds mystical connotations for me, maybe I’m thinking in these terms because I am writing a fairy tale for adults.

The total goal is 60,000 so that’s 2/3 of the way through. Up until now the most I have ever managed is 20,000 and none of it linear. I skipped around and wrote the set pieces I found easiest at the time. This one however is nearly 40,000 of continuing story.

It’s been a hard road. Not the least finding time to work when visitors and other commitments have taken me away from writing it and then I’ve had to endure a week or so of staring at the computer screen and writing one word an hour before I’ve got into the flow of it.

Over the past 6 weeks I have thought of nothing else. It’s been a fragile process during which I have read only children’s books and watched children’s films and watched no television whatsoever. Well maybe I will occasionally watch strictly come dancing. The reason for his is I’m easily distracted. I would really rather be reading than writing. I suffer from the most appalling book lust. I devour books as if I might be able to read everything before I die. So I’ve hidden myself from temptation and it’s worked really well.

Only thing is now that I’m in the last third I have a feeling the total will be more than 60,000 but I’m going to ignore that for now. I am trying to coincide my finishing with the arrival of Christmas. That way I can take some time off and all the books I have wanted to read have been saved up on my Amazon wish list and my partner will buy them all for me as Christmas presents and I can hermit for a couple of weeks and read, read, read.

I've been reading writers websites and they all say the same thing the important thing is to be there at your desk everyday. And I have. and it's worked...so far. fingers crossed.

It all feels like a sacrifice well worth making for the achievement of finishing a whole novel and gaining my masters. Would I do it again? If I got the chance yes I would, in a second.