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Clare is back from Jamaica and has a cold. So, if you think she normally has a sultry voice, you’re going to love her on this episode!
TB kicks off by telling us about her latest disaster. She’s fractured her hand but kept on writing (kinda) through the pain. Fiction doesn’t stop for fractures in her household! She’s within touching distance of finishing her Cotswolds novel, due out in June. Whoop! Clare also says that in between lounging on a Jamaican beach and drinking ALL the rum punch, she too has moved her novel forward and is now over halfway through her first draft. Kudos.
Clare & TB were overwhelmed with comments this week, a lovely problem to have, so please keep them coming. They promise a shout-out, and they love to hear from you.
The topic of the week is word counts: should you care about them? Both Clare & TB give a definitive yes and no answer. Don’t you just hate that? The thing is, though, word counts can be motivating if used correctly, but don’t use them as a stick to beat yourself with. That’s not helpful.
Clare shares her best and worst word count months so far this year, causing TB’s jaw to drop. TB says she struggles sometimes with keeping her head above water in her drive to hit her word counts. However, both agree some kind of measurement to track your progress – word count or hour count – is essential if you want to make this your career and have the ability to plan ahead. Clare has a light bulb moment and is overjoyed!
Clare mentions Neil Gaiman doesn’t use word counts, rather he counts the number of pages he fills in his notebook. (Listen to the interview on the Tim Ferriss podcast here: https://tim.blog/2019/03/28/neil-gaiman/). Clare & TB both agree writing in sprints and with no distractions will help you get your words down and achieve your word count goals.
Two good books on the subject are Chris Fox’s 5,000 Words Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter (https://www.amazon.com/000-Words-Hour-Faster-Smarter-ebook/dp/B00XIQKBT8) and Rachel Aaron’s 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love (https://www.amazon.com/2k-10k-Writing-Faster-Better-ebook/dp/B009NKXAWS).
If you have a comment about the episode, please leave it in the comments below or email lesbianswhowrite@gmail.com Also, if you have a suggested topic for an episode, please let Clare and TB know! Join them next week when they’re going to be discussing lesbian fiction genres.
I count my writing progress in scenes and chapters completed, usually starting the day with a goal in mind.
Ah, that’s interesting. I’m curious, on average, do you write a chapter a day or over a few days? It sounds like a good way to track progress without getting bogged down by the number of words. Thanks so much for listening! TB
Unrelated to books or writing, but I’m with Clare. Peanut butter is disgusting (tried it twice – once as a kid, once as an adult. never again)!
You know what they say: third time is a charm. Try it with chocolate ice cream 😉
I do appreciate you weighing in on the ice cream saga. This is serious business. Although, you’re siding with Clare. I may have to resort to bribery to get you to the peanut butter dark side. Or, do you like mint chocolate chip? Fingers crossed!
Thanks so much for listening! TB
I enjoy listening to each of your beginning ‘what have you been up to’ segments. No matter what life throws at either of you, the writing continues. TB your, “I still sit down each day and say “Ok”, was gold. I’m glad the word count goals fluctuate between 2k & 4k. Floor to Ceiling goal explanation was helpful. I’m like Neil Gaiman, I write in a notebook w/ a fountain pen because it helps me think through what’s going on in my mind.
Hi Donna!
I’m going to start employing floor to ceiling goal setting. It seems like a great way to get past the “bad” day mentality and will hopefully keep me in the positive zone.
And, totally awesome you have something in common with Neil Gaiman. He’s one of my faves!
Thanks so much for listening! TB