I finished up Chapter 12 at lunch today, adding another 1500 words and bringing my daily total to 3,862 words, which is my best day so far this year. The extra session brought me past the 30,000 word mark so that my 12-day total now stands at 30,076 words–an average of just over 2,500 words/day.
Chapter 12 really grew into a good climactic action sequence that shifts rapidly back and forth between two main viewpoints in what I think is a very entertaining way. In second draft, I think it will be an even stronger chapter because the implications and what is at stake will have more meaning as I back-fill from notes I’ve taken along the way. As it stands, there are 11 short scenes in the chapter that alternate viewpoints throughout an fairly complicated action sequence and that alone was fun to write.
And while I was completing the chapter an implication emerged that forms the basis of a major subplot for the second novel in the series (assuming the first one is successful, and my definition of successful = published). When I originally outlined this, I did so in the context of a trilogy, with a detailed outline for the work in progress and a loose plot summary for a second and third follow on story, the overall story arc leading up to an event that is revealing in the third book. Today, the catalyst for the second book emerged and it is wicked-cool (as I used to say when I lived in New England).
I’m feeling pretty good today with how things are going. That’s not to say that what I’ve written in perfect by any means. A substantial amount of rewriting will be required, but I think I have a strong, complex story with strong, complex characters and the whole concept of a novel is starting to gel in my brain.
Here are the revised stats for today:
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