word count update

I set 250,000 words as my goal for this year. That's new words written in either fiction or non-fiction genres, so yes, what I write for the blog counts. Most of those words, however, will come from the creation of new stories/novels for your reading enjoyment. :)

So, 250,000 divided by 12 = 20,833 words per month. Can I do it?

I did in January, plus some - 22,931! Most of that was on Under His Spell, a new Mystic Shade title that will be out before the end of the month. Watch this space for news about specific release dates, or sign up for my newsletter to be the first to see the cover and hear the news!

February is a short month, so I'm glad I've got a little leeway. I'm working on a fun, research-based blog post at the moment and will primarily write non-fiction for this month. When I'm in edits for one book, I find it hard to work on another fiction piece. Non-fiction doesn't get in my head as much and allows me to keep writing while the creative side of my brain is still in the world of the current work-in-progress.

Funny how that works. I can write two fiction stories at the same time up to a certain part of the story. Then I have to set one aside and concentrate on just one work all the way to completion. No other "world" can invade when I'm working on a story...not even one I'm reading. That's why I don't read fiction as much as I'd like - it takes me out of my world and puts me into the world created by the author, just like it's supposed to.

But if that happens, I lose MY world and it takes time to get it back. Time I often don't have. It's far easier to just not read fiction and stay in my world than it is to leave, come back, leave, come back.

You can tell by looking at my record of blog posts, by the way, when I'm heavily involved in creating a novel and when I'm in edits or between stories. When I'm working hard at writing a novel, I don't post much more than the writing workshops (see tab at the top of the page to view them all). All my energies are taken up with world-building and characters who are (or aren't) cooperating.

But when I'm between stories, or when I've reached the editing stage so that I need to keep the world in mind but it's no longer occupying my every waking moment, I post. A lot.

And that's the stage I'm in right now. Having exceeded my goal for January, I find my words this month will mostly be non-fiction. Here's hoping I can make the goal again!

Play safe,
Diana