Friday, October 12, 2007

The Armor of Light

I officially changed the title of my book to The Armor of Light today. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Of course, whatever publisher ends up taking on the series (keeping the faith here, folks) will probably end up changing the title anyway, but I want to like what I've got while I'm writing it, you know?

I've set a goal for myself of 1,000 words per day. I wrote a short prologue last year and yesterday I polished it up a bit, added some more to it, and wrote another thousand words for chapter one. At first I thought I'd written another 2,000, but later realized I was counting the prologue too. I was rather happy with that. Okay, that's putting it mildly. I was flying high for a couple of hours thinking I'd doubled my goal, but was still happy knowing I'd hit it, at least. I would have written more if I'd had more time.

Today was a wake-up call for me. I've complained for so long about the fact that I never seem to have time to write. Well, yesterday I worked for seven hours and had a bazillion other things to do, including spending time with my kids, but somehow I managed to squeeze in over a thousand words. If I can manage to write on a day like yesterday, certainly I can find some time on the not-so-busy days. One hour. That's all it takes to write a thousand words if I park my rear in the chair and pound away at the keys. Surely I can find and hour, even if it's only in 15 minute increments. A thousand words a day, every day, would get two to three first draft books done in a single year. One hour a day to accomplish so much.

I decided to track my writing progress here on my blog. I like the accountability factor, much like Tristi Pinkston's tracking of her weight loss. Maybe someday I'll be courageous enough to post that on my blog too, but for now, writing progress is going up, and I plan to keep it up!

Quote of the Day: "A word is a bud attempting to become a twig. How can one not dream while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the right to dream."

-Gaston Bachelard

10 comments:

jenica said...

this is a great idea! i know you can do it!

Tristi Pinkston said...

Accountability is a fabulous thing!

And you are absolutely right -- if you just park it and pound it out, it can get done. But you've got to want it, and you certainly do have that desire.

April said...

I think that is a great idea, and I'm sure you will do it! I think I may steal your tickers...

What is a good goal when revising? How many pages should I try to revise each day? And does that mean already in manuscript form? I type the whole thing in manuscript form..I find it's easier that way, but 5 pages of that is only about 2 in times new roman...

April said...

oh and I really like the new title!

Karen E. Hoover said...

Thanks Jenica!

Karen E. Hoover said...

Tristi - Yes it is! Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Karen E. Hoover said...

April - Steal away! I got the link from Tristi's blog. Go to www.tickerfactory.com and you can design your own, or feel free to use my design. :D

As far as a revision goal is concerned, it's hard to say. I tend to go in spurts. I'll get a huge chunk done and then not do it for a couple of days, then repeat the process. But then, I hate revisions, so I try to get it over with ASAP. I don't know what your schedule is, so I couldn't give you any definite advice. The best I can say is to give yourself a goal that is attainable so you can be motivated by your success as you go.

I'm glad you like the title. I do too!

Pendragon Inman said...

Nerak, the title totally stole my breath. I REALLY REALLY REALLY like it... it fascinates me to no end. I want to know more about it already... and the photo of the trees and the light only made me drool more. SOOOooooo cool!

Unknown said...

I like the title. I like it a lot.

Julie Wright said...

I love that title! I also love that you're writing. You are a great writer and SHOULD be writing. I plan to say I knew you when . . . and hope you'll still want to hang with me when you're famous.