Update #5

Ten weeks ago, I came up with the biggest writing challenge I have ever attempted. (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!) For my summer project, I would write 80,000 words in only 10 weeks. That meant that I was writing approximately 1,142 words a day for 70 days straight.

Most days I hit that mark if not beyond. Some days, I struggled with only a couple hundred words. Some days I missed all together. I have learned that keeping a consistent schedule and writing first thing in the morning does wonders for my writing capabilities. I also learned that being held accountable, in person and online, is a huge motivating factor for myself.

So, finally, after ten weeks of writing nearly every day, my goal word count was 80,000 words. As of today, I have a grand total of . . .

88,298 Words

To be more precise, I am in the middle of Chapter 22, on page 295, at 88,298 words.

With that in mind, I have NOT finished my book yet! It will probably require 1-2 more chapters to provide adequate resolution and still leave my readers on a cliffhanger. I’ll be sure to post up my FINAL UPDATE next week (hopefully!) A few of you have asked me for more details about my book, and I am happy to finally share more with you!

Working Title: The Runic Saga

This will be a three-to-five book series of YA contemporary fantasy with Nordic influences. On Monday, I will be posting my book blurb/pitch! I would absolutely LOVE your feedback on what works, what doesn’t, and any advice you might have for writing a blurb that catches the reader’s attention.

I look forward to hearing your feedback on Monday!

Happy Writing Everyone

Thank you to everyone who commented on these posts with encouragement. You are so appreciated!

©KaylaAnnAuthor2020

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80,000 Word Challenge

80,000 Word Count Challenge Update (4)

July 24, 2020July 23, 2020 kaylaannauthor

Update #4

I can’t believe it’s already been eight weeks into this challenge! About two months ago, I started my 80,000 Word Count in 10 Weeks Challenge. (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!)

After eight weeks of writing nearly every day, my goal word count was 64,000 words. I currently have a grand total of . . .

64,368 Words

To be more precise, I am in the midst of Chapter 16. I have 216 pages and 64,368 words.

About two days ago, I was 1,500 words ahead of my daily writing goal. Then, the past two days happened, and they were not nearly as productive as I had hoped. Thanks to that extra buffering space, I still met my writing goal. It just goes to show that some days are going to be better writing days than others!

I can’t believe I only have TWO WEEKS LEFT! Supposedly in two weeks, I will hit 80,000 words and finish my contemporary fantasy fiction novel. I’ll be honest, I don’t think both of those things will happen. I have faith that I can finish strong and hit the word count goal, but my book has grown even more than I expected. It will need to go beyond the 80,000 word mark to give it the proper ending. As I head into the climax of my book, I am excited for what my characters will reveal and how this book will continue to unfold before me! Keep your eye out for the #pitch (in the coming weeks).

Happy Writing Everyone!

©KaylaAnnAuthor2020

80,000 Word Challenge

80,000 Word Count Challenge Update (3)

July 10, 2020July 9, 2020 kaylaannauthor

It’s Time for Update #3!

I started this 80,000 Word Count in 10 Weeks challenge six weeks ago. (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!) As of today, I have officially passed the half way point of my 2020 Summer Challenge.

After six weeks of writing every day, (okay okay, I actually missed one day due to illness) my goal word count was 48,000 words. I currently have a grand total of . . .

48,072 Words

To be more precise, I am in the midst of Chapter 12. I have 159 pages and 48,072words.

Looking at the above graph, I can see that I had a bit of an extra lead at my last update, but I lost that lead this last week after I needed to take a personal day. But hey, at least I hit my word count goal!

There were a couple of scenes over the past two weeks that I have been looking forward to writing since the start of this challenge and wow, they evolved into so much more than they were in the original draft! (PROOF that REWRITING, NOT revising, works! I’ll have more to say about that at a later date.)

Now that I have finished those fun scenes, I have to deal with the fallout, leaving me looking something like . . .

I know the next four weeks will be the toughest as I am completely changing the original ending of my first draft! I appreciate all the encouragement you have sent my way so far and hope that all of your writing adventures are going just as well!

May Your Ink Never Run Dry &

May Your Cups of Tea Always Remain Warm

©KaylaAnnAuthor2020

80,000 Word Challenge, Blogs / Life

80,000 Word Count Challenge Update (2)

June 26, 2020June 26, 2020 kaylaannauthor

It’s Time for Update #2!

Alright, so it has been one full month since I posted the start to my 80,000 Word Count in 10 Weeks Challenge! (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!) Today, I am here again keeping myself accountable!

After four weeks of writing every day, my goal word count was 32,000 words. I have a grand total of . . .

32,595 Words

To be more precise, I am at the beginning of Chapter 8. I have 107 pages and 32595 ,words.

Throughout this writing challenge, I have held to my technique of stopping after a certain point, even when I REALLY wanted to keep writing (which is why I am so close to my target goal). I really believe that this is part of the reason why I have been successful so far. I avoid burnout and block all at the same time! (You can read about how to do that HERE).

I have six weeks left of my writing challenge and I am feeling confident in reaching my goal. Part of that is because of my techniques and dedication, sure, but another part of that is the support I get in person and online! Thank you for joining me and supporting me in this challenge.

I would love to hear more about YOUR projects so that I can support you in return! In the comments below let me know what you’re working on or drop me a link to your latest project!

©KaylaAnnAuthor2020

80,000 Word Challenge, Uncategorized

80,000 Word Count Challenge Update (1)

June 12, 2020June 11, 2020 kaylaannauthor

Hey Everyone!

Alright, so it has been two weeks since I posted the start to my 80,000 Word Count in 10 Weeks Challenge! (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!) Today, I am keeping myself accountable and letting you know how it’s going.

After two weeks of writing every day, (well, okay, ALMOST every day, I took one day off for my one year anniversary) my goal word count was 16,000 words. I have a grand total of . . .

16,160 Words

To be more precise, I am in my fourth chapter. I have 54 pages and 16,160 words.

I am pretty pleased with how I have been able to stay on track with this project. I sometimes believe the start of any new project/challenge is the easiest because we are filled with so much passion and energy. I can feel this ebbing as I head into my third week and I know that this project will only require more from me as I continue forward. I won’t lie, somedays, the words just flowed, and other days, well, other days I was Ron . . .

Thank you Hayley Cavanaugh for showing me this meme!

My goal is to be able to keep up this pace for the next eight weeks by continuing some tips and tricks I have been implementing along the way:

Keeping a notepad handy so that I can jot down any ideas
Try plotting out the next chapter ahead of time to refer to when I need direction
Creating character boards on Pinterest (for fun and to keep my creativity flowing!)
Stopping at a certain point (THIS ONE IS KEY)
- Once I hit my desired word count for that day, I wrap up my current thoughts and even if I have an idea for where I am going next, I jot down the general ideas (so I don’t forget them) but then I leave them for tomorrow. I’ll be explaining in an upcoming blog post why this tactic works!

Anyhow, that is it for my first update! Thank you to everyone supporting me; I hope to be able to share more about this project (plot, title, etc.) SOON!

©KaylaAnnAuthor2020

The Agency Games

The Agency Games: An Update (3)

March 22, 2018March 20, 2018 kaylaannauthor

Well it’s that time of the month again, time for my monthly update on my work in progress:

The Agency Games

(a working title)

The Agency Games is a nonfiction book which analyzes human agency within the popular Hunger Games trilogy. I will be doing in-depth character analyses of individuals such as: Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, Haymitch Abernathy, Cinna, Primrose Everdeen, and more in trying to understand how human agency is discovered, maintained, tested, lost, and regained in a dystopian society and how that relates to us as readers.

The goal is to write approximately 500 words per day so that I can meet my goal of 75,000 words by May 31st to send to the publishers.

On January 22nd, 2018, I posted by first update. I was at a total of 22,000 words.
On February 22nd (after a VERY productive month having written 19,000 words), I was at a total of 41,000 words having written 3,500 words more than my original goal.

There were 28 days between February 22nd and March 22nd, and at 500 words per day, my goal was to write 14,000 words. Meaning, that I should be at 55,000 words.

Let’s see how I did . . .

(Drum roll Please)

Image result for drumroll please gif

55,200 words!

Okay, I won’t lie, I am totally surprised by that number! There have been some days this past month where I have been unable to write at all because I was so busy with work and wedding planning.

I knew that I was behind so these past few days I have been cranking out 1,000 words a day in an effort to catch up and man, am I happy to know that I was able to catch up!

March Chart

While my most productive month was the time between January 22nd and February 22nd, I am pretty dang happy that I was able to meet my quota for this month!

The closer I get to the end, the harder it gets. I can feel myself burning out just a bit, but I will continue pushing forward. I am really hoping to finish all 75,000 words by April 22nd so that I can spend a couple weeks looking it over one last time before I send it out.

That means that I need to write approximately 20,000 words in 31 days which is approximately 665 words a day. It might not happen but I sure am going to push myself as hard as I can!

Thank you again to everyone who is offering their support and encouragement! I appreciate you guys more than you know!

Image result for thank you gif

The Agency Games

The Agency Games: An Update (2)

February 22, 2018February 15, 2018 kaylaannauthor

Hey Everyone, here is my monthly update on my book: (working title) The Agency Games!

On January 22nd, 2018, I posted by first update. I was at a total of 22,000 words and 88 pages.

The goal was to write approximately 500 words per day so that I can meet my goal of 75,000 words by May 31st to send to the publishers. As you might remember, I had a slight bump in the road when I had to completely re-do my Cinna and Haymitch chapter.

There were 31 days in between January 22nd and February 22nd, meaning that at 500 words per day, I should have written approximately 15,500 words with a grand total of 37,500 words. So, let’s see how I did. . .

Image result for drum roll please gif

As of February 22nd, 2018, I have a grand total. . .

41,000 Words!

I knew I was on track, but it turns out I was actually doing more than I thought. Between January 22nd and February 22nd, I wrote 19,000 words!

February Chart — The red shows my word count for January The blue shows my word count as of February The Green shows my Goal for May 31st

I am over halfway to my goal! And it feels a lot like this:

Image result for Caesar shouting gif hunger games

As great as this feels, I cannot slack off now! I still need 34,000 words and that requires the same level of dedication and accountability as before. I would love to finish all the rough drafts early so that I have more time to go over it as a whole before sending it to the editors, but we shall see!

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me, supported me, and reminded me to write.

**A Special Shout-out to TShaw who has been my writing buddy for months and E. Michael Helms who continuously reminds me to stay on track with my writing goals!