Writing Update October 2022

September’s writing update got skipped, because I had very little energy for anything other than work last month. I did manage to do some writing during September, but I wasn’t up for much blogging. My goal this month is to get ahead a little bit now that I have more energy.

September’s Word Count

The first half of September was mediocre for me on the writing front, but a fresh idea hit me midway through. That helped significantly. While I fell short of the 15k goal I set heading into the month, I did make it to 13,423 words. That is a pretty decent number for my current mental capacity.

My goal for October is also 15 grand. I’m somewhat hopeful about it, because I’m feeling like there’s a good writing rhythm coming upon me right now. The words have come easier lately when I’ve sat down to work on a story. This is coming as such a huge relief after the summer I had.

100-for-100 Finisher

The 100 Words for 100 Days challenge (hosted by GoTeenWriters) was successful again for me this summer. It wasn’t my best effort, and that disappointed me, but I found it was due to uncontrollable issues. I’m still dealing with Long-Covid symptoms such as short-term memory loss, severe lack of focus, and low energy. These are not present all the time; they come in waves that are unpredictable. That meant that many of the days during this writing challenge proved to be bare-minimum word counts, though I was happily surprised when a few thousand-plus days sneaked in the mix.

Dealing with the disappointment was another challenge altogether, and one I am proud to have made through with God’s help. If not for His encouragement along the way, I would have shut my laptop and stopped trying to muddle through the madness that was my brain during the oppressive-heat days of summer 2022. Instead, I listened to His whispers to my heart and kept staring at the screen, pecking out a few words here and there each day until I made it all the way through the challenge.

It never ceases to amaze me how God inspires certain people to message me with a kind word at the perfect time — right when I most needed to hear it. He also had me listen to a specific playlist that had a particular song with a lyric that rang true to my soul at that precise moment. It was really the little details that made the most impact on my attitude and helped me shift my outlook from disappointed to hopeful, and I know God was in those details. It became clear to me with each new one that God had designed them in order to push me through my difficulties into new levels of dedication for the writing journey He long ago called me to pursue.

After all the hundred days were here and gone, my word count had added up more than I thought. I reached the peak of 51,244 words, and I can now be happy with that number thanks to God’s tender care of my heart over the summer. His unending, never-failing love astounds me every time, and I am incredibly blessed to have experienced it in fine detail this summer. Thank You, dear Yahweh!

New WIP (Again)

Surprise, surprise, I got a new story idea again. This time, it’s a trio of stories that will make up a novella collection. The theme for this particular collection is marriage of convenience. This is interesting, because I write contemporary stories more often than historical, which means I had to get really creative with motives for these convenience marriages.

While I’m not yet discussing plots or characters, I can tell you this much: the outlines for all three novellas came together in about two weeks’ worth of time. That’s incredibly fast for me. Yet, they each have twists that surprised me and characters I adore and intricate family dynamics that should help the words flow freely as I work on the first drafts.

In fact, I’m already working on the first story’s first draft, and it’s coming along pretty well so far. I’m currently rooting for some larger-word-count days for the remainder of this month. Not to make up for the summer, no. But to set my sights on my sense of normal — while also bringing along the determination and renewed hope I gained through the 100-for-100 challenge — and to prepare for another Write In Faith Camp session in November!

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Last week, I shared with you that Write In Faith Camp will be in November and that registration is now open. That continues through this Friday on this page.

If you’re still on the fence about joining, take a look at what one of WIF Camp’s participants said about her experiences during previous camp sessions.

WIF Camp has helped me stay more on track with my writing goals the months I have participated. I like that it is a smaller group, so not super busy, but still active enough that there are people to sprint with most of the time.

Faith Blum

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