Writing has continued at a reasonable pace the last few days. No land speed records as far as word counts go, but respectable work.
Since reading Nancy Mehl‘s Cozy in Kansas series and researching writer’s guidelines from various publishers, I’ve been better equipped to actually determine what needs to happen in each type of novel.
I know, for example, that cozy mysteries should be more light-hearted and humorous than a full-length or contemporary mystery. They are also shorter.
So I’ve been spending some of my writing day each day developing this information, internalizing it by writing it in my own words.
That work has led to ideas for each genre and those ideas have subsequently been developed, as well.
So far this week, I’ve written over 8,100 words in plotting and thinking.
It is sometimes frustrating to do so much writing and have nothing creative to show for it. But when I get anxious to start writing fiction, I remind myself that a house built on a poor foundation often collapses. The work I’m doing now is the foundation for future stories. Lord willing, the stories that result will be well-built and will stand the test of time.
I also turn to the Daily Writing Exercise, where my goal is to write 700 words of pure fiction each day.
Even so, every now and again, a bit of dialogue or some other bit of prose sneaks into my plotting notes!
Writing has continued at a reasonable pace the last few days. No land speed records as far as word counts go, but respectable work.