Monday 6th September 2021 

I have to be honest and say that despite it being the start of another incredibly busy week, I had fun today.  I managed to get a 40 minute video out, conduct a 2 hour livestream on character and still get 4000 words written. 

Prompted by The First Draft, I’ve introduced a little productivity hack for myself. 

I hate going into a writing session not knowing what I need to write.  Often, I’ll have a clear plan for the next 2 or 3 scenes, have a good day and then find myself staring at a blank page come next session, unsure of what I should be writing now. 

I have my plot and outline so I know that, in The Accursed, we’re heading to the two teams meeting up.  I know there will be a fight.  But what I don’t know is the precise series of scenes I need to get there.  This story changes viewpoints a lot.  I’m sure this first draft has entire scenes that can be removed because I wrote a scene from the wrong POV.   Or had a procession of scenes where I cycled through the POVs.

I find things go well when I have a clear idea for the next two scenes ahead.  If I can be two scenes ahead of myself it gives me a little time to mentally prepare.  Because I did that yesterday, I wrote a scene that seemed to jump off the page today. 

Likewise, I don’t want to write myself into a corner with The First Draft.  I’m doing things to counter that.  I have numerous worlds, and the possibility for more.  I have 5 protagonists simply so I have the option to change viewpoint if needed.  And so, I also want to be two scenes ahead of myself. 

The way I’m doing this is via scene headings in Scrivener.  The Accursed originally had chapters.  Now I have probably a hundred or more scenes (and counting) each around 1000 words long. 

The First Draft will have chapters, or at least that’s what I’m calling them.  Because it’s a serial, I have no issue with 1000 word chapters.  And the plan is to write it in Scrivener with the next 2 scenes (or chapters) planned out. 

It’s little more than a single sentence description, but I think it’s really going to help me going forwards.  All it’s doing is formalising something I find I need to do anyway. 

Tomorrow I begin The First Draft so there are a few nerves about taking on such a project.  Will the engagement be there as it has been for the planning?  Do I have the capabilites as a writer to do a good enough first draft? 

I guess we’ll find out.  But if I remember to always have the next two scenes mapped out, I may actually be able to pull this off? 

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Past Years: 2020 – The Year of Being Fearsome | 2019 – The Year of Soldiering Through | 2018 – The Year of Priorities | 2017 – The Year Of The Offensive