Year of Words: September — Trials and Errors

This month has been another tough one: settling back into routine after a luxuriously long break always is. But I’ve done my best to keep things on the writing front moving, even if it’s only putting one word in front of another.

The numbers tell the story: only 6332 this September, with most days not reaching three-figures worth of words. In the end, I scrapped my attempts at Part III of Pine and started over. This (probably fourth or fifth) attempt at this section is still pretty poor, but I’m so much more okay with it than I would have been before the start of this year-long quest. I’m finding that I’m more and more satisfied with mere progress, in whatever form that might take. Maybe satisfied isn’t the right word — I think I’m just getting better at identifying the value in ‘bad’ writing. Instead of dismissing it completely, I’ve been wading through the muck and drawing out my intentions, finding what didn’t work and why, learning by trial and error rather than being paralysed by perfectionism. I remember a piece of general study advice that applies here: if you can’t figure out what something is, find out what it isn’t, and work from there.

But it hasn’t just been a month of struggling through Part III. For a big chunk at the start of the month, while I was dealing with the emotional drain of settling back into work, I’ve been trying other stuff. A non-fiction-esque historical piece about an important era of Nerai’s history. A complete timeline for Nerai in a truly monstrous spreadsheet. A self-indulgent bonus scene for Rook. A piece in the style of Brennan Lee Mulligan, describing a setting aloud to his table of D&D players. None of it is going to end up anywhere special, but it’s important to try. To grow, to learn. Practice doesn’t always make perfect, but it sure does help.

After all, it’s not a year of short stories or a year of novels, or a year of continually producing excellent, publishable work. It’s a year of words, and on that front I’ve found great success. 2024’s total is standing tall at 83k, and I’m all but guaranteed to hit 100k by the end, which is such an incredible feat for a plodding, procrastinating plotter like me.

As for next month, I’m deciding to keep it plan-free. I’ll keep on keeping on, one word at a time. So until then, fare well, wherever you fare, — H