I worked hard on my rhymes for a few weeks, and now I’m taking a break from that project and going back to my novel. I know that sounds silly, since I was working on the rhymes to take a break from the novel. What can I say but that I’m moody and that it’s easier to swing with my moods than it is to fight them.
So, over the last couple of days, I reread parts of the novel and took stock. The word count stands at just over 37,000. That’s less than the previous word count (50,000), but only because I removed most of the irrelevant/inconsistent/duplicate passages. What’s left is a genuine rough draft.
Obviously, I don’t have enough words yet. There are many scenes left to write, but I’m feeling optimistic. I made a lot of progress last time I worked on it, and I also left myself a clear trail of breadcrumbs to follow by organizing the text into chronological order, finishing the outline, and making a list of “jumping-off points” for writing the remaining scenes. It’s like a kit now. I have all the pieces plus a manual that explains how to fit them together. No more wandering around in the dark!