Fast Draft Week 1

I was grumpy last night.  Well, this morning, technically, but I was still on the stretch of consciousness that started Sunday morning, so I call it the same day. 

Anyway.

I was irritated because I can count, and even when pushing along Fast Draft guidelines, I only racked up 6 hours (well, 359 minutes) of writing in (on the average) 22 minute bursts, and only 12,500 words.  Demoralizing.  No huge chunks of time spent.  No half-the-novel-done.

Just now, in tallying how many hours I’d actually done, I reflexively did what I said I wouldn’t, and looked at production rates.

This last week I wrote 2,089 words per hour for six hours.

Okay, I’m still somewhat bristly over the “only six hours” bit, and would like to see that quadrupled or at least … doubled, if we’re being realistic … but the 2k per hour is making me feel fairly perky.  It isn’t a “I can write soooo fast” thing.  It’s a realization that, at that rate, even if I only manage ten hours a week, that’s a novel draft in a month.  The rate at which I seem happy writing is permitting me more options than I recognized.

I can probably continue at this pace.  I don’t feel burned out.  In fact, I am enjoying the writing much more since I’ve been doing it more frequently.  Perhaps I should explore the concept of writing in many short bursts instead of looking for hours that I can devote to the process.

It’s a thought, anyway. 

Okay, break’s over.  Back on my head.

EDIT  On the other hand, if I am comfortable, am happy with the progress, and enjoy the process at however-often-I-can a week, whether that is 6 hours or 60, perhaps I should stick to that instead of aiming for a strict this-many-hours-a-week … which is really, probably, this-many-arbitrary-and-ego-based-hours-a-week.  

Hm.

Crossposted from Epinephrine & Sophistry