Three Days Remaining

Good afternoon, friends!

There are three days left in 2019.

That means there are three days left before 2020 starts.

And my one MILLION word challenge.

I’m doing it. I’m going to do it with a friend.

In fact, in a way, I’ve already started.

I started a book in November, at the very tail end of the month, and got 50,000 words done before the end of the month. Then I finished the book.

On Christmas Eve, I published the book.

I am so fucking proud of the book. I’m so proud of the book, I dedicated it to myself. I wrote it for me. I ignored all the things that I’ve heard and “learned” are bad ideas to do in books.

I wrote whatever came to mind. I used ellipses. I modeled a lot of characters, places, and situations on things that have happened to me, places I am familiar with, and people I know.

I didn’t hire an editor.

I made my own cover.

I made mistakes, and some of them are still in the book.

And then?

I started writing the next one.

I kicked to the curb the part of me that needs to start everything “new” and “fresh”, with new starts at New Start Times (New Year’s Day, Mondays, Weekends, Tomorrow), and just started writing because I have another story to tell with characters from the first book (Hi, Nat, Fizzy, and Danielle!) and I can’t let them wait because what if they get tired and leave me because I’m not paying them enough attention?

So I’m going to write 1,000,000 words next year, and I’m going to publish as many of them as I can. I’m going to publish them short, and long, and medium. I’m going to write fast so I can avoid my Inner Editor, my Critical Voice, the Thing inside me that tells me it’s bad, it’s crap, and that no Real Author writes like that.

Sometimes Life will get in the way. I will remember that sometimes it’ll be more important to be present with my family than meet a deadline. I will remember that if I don’t write 1,000,000 words, the world will not end. No one will be disappointed if I publish three books and then circumstances force me to give my attention to something else. No one will hate me if I write three books and have to stop.

I’m so excited.

There are only three days remaining.