I wrote 39k words in what, essentially, boils down to about 36 hours spread out over about five days.
I know that’s a record for me. One I’m extremely proud of. And in the process, I learned a couple of things.
The first thing was proof that, when I’m in the groove, when my mind is fixed in the story and interruptions are at a minimum, when I push myself, I can write a lot in a short amount of time. Words that I actually like. Most everything made it through the final pass. (Though I am still tweaking, editing, changing) I was taken over by the muse, and just focused and wrote. It was sort of liberating, and definitely awesome. And I really enjoyed that immersion, that absolute focus, and watching the story come to life.
The second thing is that I never want to do that again.
Yes, it was a great experience, but also stressful. I had that deadline constantly in the back of my mind. The worry that I wasn’t going to have enough words and that I wasn’t going to get it done in time. I’ve always written well under pressure, so having that riding me was a benefit. But oh my lord, was I stressed and worried. Especially because if I hadn’t managed all those words the weekend before last? I’d be in a very, very bad place right now. I think it’s better for my health if I don’t do such things again.
Get into the groove? Definitely. I’ve always liked to focus hard and write for ten hours on a day off, and I write better when I have a long uninterrupted stretch of time. Write three quarters of book in, basically, 2 and a half days? Nope. Consider that a lesson learned by yours truly, folks. I’m taking the next one at a much more leisurely pace.
Once I finish Ghostwalker and submit it, that is. 😀
Kris T. Bethke--Author of M/M Romance 