Overall, January was a successful month. Considering that I was limping back into writing after an extended hiatus (Bad Elizabeth!) My word count increased from 34 000 to 47 000, which, obviously, means that I wrote 13 000 words through the month. I claim a win!

Confession: I feel like I’m hitting the wall a little bit.

While I’m getting the word count up there, I’m not convinced that I’m really advancing the story. I’m writing from several different characters’ perspectives (each character gets a “chapter”). It’s taking me a long time to settle into writing each character, and most of that getting to know them is ultimately going to be cut. Its sole purpose is to find the character’s voice, because this motley crew won’t tell me anything! I have to nudge them around a bit until they decide which direction they’ll deign to go.

My next conundrum is who to write next? Spoiler alert: I’m a planner at heart. I tried pantsing this novel (which was actually supposed to be a collection of short stories. Hmm.. One day, I’ll probably tell that tale). Clearly, that didn’t work. Once I recognised that this is, in fact, a novel, I did take a minute to loosely plan the structure and some major plot points. Now I’m in the weeds, and I think I may be getting a little bit lost.

What do I do when I feel lost? I plan!

I’ve got some options. I’ve largely been writing this in order – there’s been a little jumping around (I wrote the prologue chapters after I’d written about three of the main chapters – which was as soon as I figured out that I’d need to set the scene!) I have the option of working on the novella section – it’s where the bulk of the action takes place. I may jump over there and write a couple of key scenes, until I’m inspired to sort out another character. I may also just pick a new character and see where I’m led (which has been my process so far!) It’s in the back of my mind, and, as with literally every thing I’ve ever decided, I’m confident that the answer will appear when I’m at the point of moving forward.

All in all, I’m feeling pretty good about my progress. I can do better- and I’ve set myself a target for February: to reach 75 000 words. (Spoiler Alert: I’m already behind schedule).

Here’s the thing about where I am: setting a target isn’t really about the target. The real goal is to keep plugging away enough that I measure noticeable progress over the course of the month. If I have a goal, I’m more likely to sit down when I don’t feel like it and churn out a thousand words. In January, I am convinced that added about 4000 words that way. So, I’m going to be happy if I exceed 13 000 words this month – which was January’s progress. (I’ve also got my eye on the prize of finishing my first draft by the end of March – but I have to see how February goes before I make that commitment!)

The other thing about January was that potential answers to a couple of my bigger self-publishing questions slid across my metaphorical desk. I have leads. That means I can put my head down and keep my eye on the writing, because, when the time comes to face my next steps, I have a starting point.