More words?

Yep!

So, how are ya on this fine Friday the 13th? I didn't think I'd be writing a blog post this week because December is supposed to be my mental break month.

I mean, it's the end of the year and I'm usually exhausted by this point, so I prefer to spend my time reading and spring cleaning. Thinking about new ideas...

Yet, in typical 2024-style, that's not what happened.

Instead of sitting back and taking it easy after finishing the first draft of a novel last month, I ended up spending the beginning of this month making additions to that story. I also updated my research and inspirational pics last weekend. Hell, I even wrote a bunch of backstory notes and figured out several timelines on my phone.

When I said this story was eating my brain, I wasn't kidding. At the beginning of the week, after I made the latest lot of changes and additions, the word count jumped to 88k. Yikes.

Then THIS happened. 😳

Yep. You read that right. I ended up starting another story. And here's how it went:

• Tuesday: 1,968w
• Wednesday: 5,500w (+3,532w)
• Thursday: 9,503w (+4,003w)
• Friday: 14,376 (+4,873w)

As you can see, I ended up writing quite a few new words. I honestly didn't plan to start another project so late in the year, but the words just came out of nowhere on Tuesday. So, I typed them out on my phone and thought that would be it, but the character didn't stop. The next day I woke up with more of the story and everything started coming together, and I went with it.

And now, well, you can see how the word count is going.

The thing about this story is that it's not something new that came out of nowhere. It's directly related to the WIP I worked on last month. It's got the same characters and setting. Pretty much takes place at the same time, but it's from the POV of a different character. One who wouldn't shut up. This guy wanted his story told weeks ago, but I just thought it was a funny/cute thought. I honestly didn't think I would actually start writing it.

But hey, I'm not going to fight my muse. Like I mentioned above, 2024 has played by its own rules since the beginning. In some awful ways, it hasn't been a very kind year in regards to my writing... yet, a lot of cool stuff DID happen.

Anyway, there you have it. I started a new WIP that is a direct companion to the novel I wrote during November. I've never done this before while a story was still in first draft status. And I honestly don't think I'll finish this first draft by the end of the year. I still don't even know if this will be a novella or novel. *shrug*

Asides from the above, I also read a very cool ARC.

Well, that's it for today.

Have a great weekend!