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A writing experiment

Posted on September 28, 2024 in

I guess it was perfectly predictable, but since returning to the world of regular, paid work, my writing productivity has soared. Turns out I thrive on the stimulation of time constraints. Now I’m on a bit of a writing roll, I’ve decided to give myself a plan to work to.

Twice a week I’ll be posting the latest progress with The Chemical Tiger on substack. I’m aiming for a ~2000 word chapter with each post. At 4000 words a week, I’ll complete a first draft of 90,000 words well before this time next year.

The first few lines of each chapter and wordcount progress vs plan will be available to anyone who signs up to the free plan on substack.

https://fionaerskine.substack.com/about

Maybe you’d like to write your own novel along with me? The more the merrier. We can replace NaNoWriMo (the sadly discredited National Novel Writing Month) with InYrFc (International Year of Fiction).

Just let me know if you’d like a blank copy of the magic spreadsheet.

I’m keeping the bulk of the writing behind a paywall. Not because I think this first draft is going to be worth the US$30 annual fee (although if you feel like supporting me as a paid subscriber,  you’d be most welcome!) but because I don’t want to inflict all the boring bits and wrong turns of a first draft on the unsuspecting.

There’s a loose plan (in that I know the endpoint, which ties in with my latest novel Losing Control),  but in between I want my characters to lead the way, to do their thing and tell me what this story is really all about.

I have nothing but admiration for book doctors and editors. I would never publish a book without professional edits.

BUT

You can only edit a finished manuscript.

This experiment is to help me get there.

I do hope some of you will come along for the ride.

https://fionaerskine.substack.com/