Ever since taking myself more seriously, things have been getting better and better. Although it's not something that happens overnight, I can actually sense that things are heading in a positive direction.
Well, for the most part.
This past week, I've done an incredible amount of writing. And I'm just a few thousand words from having my best week since the end of February. Coincidentally, that's about when I was doing the Vocal.media challenge for 30 days.
So, this next week, I am setting a goal to surpass that record of 23,801 words. I just don't think I have enough time to break it this time around. I would need nearly 5,000 words per day over the next three days. I've done this before, but not with having to balance clients and videos today. Though, with being home alone this weekend, I could get some serious writing in.
Can I Finish Kingmaker By Next Friday?
As the story unfolds, I realize that I am just roughly two chapters away from finishing my next book. Of course, the editing process is going to take a massive chunk of time. That's why I am thinking the book might not be ready until a week or two before Christmas. I still need cover art and a slew of other, non-written elements.
Aside from VII on Wattpad, this is perhaps my favorite book I've ever written. Though, I think that about every new story I begin to write. Ever since publishing A Freelancer's Tale, I don't really look at my stories the same way. Instead of deleting or throwing them away because I think they "suck," I embrace the tale and enjoy myself.
A lot of this shift in mentality is how I feel about myself as a freelancer. Over the years, I've made leaps and bounds in my level of self-confidence. Sure, I still have a ways to go in terms of self-improvement, but things are simply so much easier to handle from a mental perspective nowadays.
In any case, I might actually be finished with Kingmaker before the end of next week. Especially since I plan to put a good chunk of time into it tomorrow (Saturday).
Still Trying to Balance the Blogs
Perhaps the hardest part of being me is being able to balance everything I do throughout the week. Blogs, videos, books, and clients take up large swaths of time. Trying to make sure everything gets adequate attention to be successful takes a lot out of me.
Nonetheless, I still plan on trying to get all three of my major websites on a routine schedule before the end of the month. This is because Google and site followers love consistent publishing. That is as long as you write something people want to read.
The hardest part about my day is when something takes a bit longer to do than the time I have scheduled. Then, something on the back end of the day gets postponed. Usually, it's client work that forces me to move things around. But they are who pay my bills, so, clients take priority.
I have confidence I can get things rolling again, though. It's just a matter of refining my time management a bit more and making sure I waste as little time as possible in my 8-hour day. It's all about keeping efficient.
Looking Forward to NaNoWriMo in November
One of the reasons I am making a push to finish Kingmaker before October 31st is so that I can work on VII for NaNoWriMo. This is a story I have on Wattpad that I haven't finished. Not only that, but it's also a bit cringe-worthy when reading. After all, I started the storyline back in 2016, and I've grown considerably as a writer since then.
So, I plan on rewriting the entire book and actually finishing it on Wattpad. The only part I am missing is the end, which I've already planned and started writing. But again, this was quite some time ago and I've learned a lot over the past six years.
Wow...it's really been six years since I started writing that story.
To finish VII during NaNoWriMo, I plan on using a new writing app. It's part of the series of content I'm making for WriterSanctuary's YouTube channel and blog: writing apps for authors. So far, I've tested out Reedsy, Campfire, Hemingway, and a bit of Scrivener.
Making Next Week an Awesome One!
Technically, my week doesn't end until Sunday. And I plan on doing a lot of writing over the weekend. Yet, I plan on making next week even better. I've gone so far as to set my all-time best week's word count as a goal in my spreadsheet to see how many words I have to write each day.
Now, you don't need to go to such lengths to have an awesome week. Simply doing more than you did before can do wonders for your self-confidence and pride. And that helps you build momentum as a writer. Not everyone will come out of the gate as a New York Times best-selling author.
In many cases, the journey alone is worth taking those first few steps to move forward.