Keeping Track of My Progress...

My writing time has always been limited so I've set targets for many years, but circumstances take over and targets are missed- or just abandoned...

So I decided that I'd start a new system with my novella. I'd keep a writing log.

At the start of a writing session the first thing I do is open my log - a Word document- and put in the session number, the date and the intended writing, then the time I start writing. Then I just reduce it to the bottom tray so it can't be forgotten about at the end.

Obviously when I finish I make sure I have a printed copy of the work done as well as the copy on my computer and a memory stick (just in case anything happens to the computer).
The final bit is to fill in the finish time of that session, save it and close the files.

So far this has been the most successful method I've tried and I'll be doing it with my short stories and novels too.
(Previously I've tried this system with a notebook but I just kept forgetting to put the details in.)

Now not only will I be able to see how I'm progressing, but by the time I've finished I'll have an idea of how long particular types of writing take me. So in future I can plan out my time better and ensure that I've given myself long enough to meet competition deadlines...

Too often I've intended to do a particular project and found I don't have enough time for it. (I have to say I can't just manage 10-20 minutes here and there- it just doesn't work for me...)

For now the log is a useful tool...

The Novella Progresses...

I've been keeping to my planned writing sessions for the novella and it has certainly made me think hard about my characters and who they are deep down.

Dragging the depths of my brain hasn't found anything too disturbing, it's just jiggled a few ideas around and made me review my previous thoughts on certain characters, elements that were there but hadn't been so obvious before now made more sense.

So, happy with the character sheets I moved onto my chapter outlines.

I had my synopsis, but it was a basic synopsis and the story had developed more since it was originally written.

So I started with Chapter1: written in bold. Well I knew what happened in this chapter, what I was aiming to show and why, it was already written and had been sat untouched for a couple of years.

But I'd not been happy with my previous attempt at writing Chapter 2, so had abandoned it.

Even though I knew the story I was going to write, I just couldn't decide how to start chapter 2, so panic!!!

Reminding myself I didn't need to write chapter two now, just the outline I took a deep breath and started typing. Very quickly I was outlining the next chapter and suddenly the first four were done.

Once I started I was surprised how easily it all came out.

Three pages in total and the story outlined in 15 chapters.

(I type with a couple of fingers, so my chapter outlines of just under a thousand words took two hours.)

I certainly feel more confident about this project, but I suspect it won't fit the pocket novel formula by the time is is done.

But the end is a long way off yet...