Funland: Day One

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I was working full-time on my second novel while I look around for another IT contract, and that I'd post progress updates in the interest of science and other interested parties.  I can't, after all, be the first writer to have considered such an approach.  If it turns out to be hugely productive then I'm sure someone somewhere will find that information useful - and likewise if I end up living on the streets in a house made out of the faded, pee-stained pages of my 'masterpiece'.

I'd actually planned to start this yesterday, but I ran out of time, making that title completely inaccurate and misleading.  The plan, then, is to write a novel of around 100'000 words, provisionally called Funland (a quick search of Amazon will tell you why that's only a working title), at a rate of at least 10'000 words a week.  Since I don't want to pull down seven day weeks, I've broken that up as 1800 words a weekday and 500 each on Saturday and Sunday, or 2000 words a weekday if I know I'm going to be busy on the weekend.

The good news is that I finished my first day at about 2150 words.  Turns out 2000 isn't such a big deal after all.  Today I've just broken the 4K mark and I plan to do a bit more before I clock off.  Perhaps more importantly, I'm pretty happy with what I'm turning out, the concentrated time doesn't seem to be equating to a drop-off in quality.  So not a bad start all told.  But ... I have this early stuff pretty well planned out.  Whether I can keep that rate up for scenes that I'm less clear on is a whole 'nother question.

 As for mental and physical health, it's a little early to tell, but I made it to the gym yesterday and had a walk round the block today, and I haven't had any real desire to chop my ears off or start barking like a dog. I'm listening to lots of jazz, as a fairly unobtrusive means of breaking the silence.

Of course, that may be a sign of craziness in itself.  I hope I don't turn into a beatnik.

Finally, I've also added a little wordometer thang over on the right there.  It's just sad how proud I am to have figured that one out...