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April 19, 2021

Novel #7 Finished!

Yesterday, I wrote “The End” on novel #7, a horror mystery set here in my hometown in western New York State.

I began from a #StoryStarter that I originally tweeted on January 21.

I started outlining February 15, did a little research, began writing March 21 and ended April 18 (29 days actual writing).

In a little less than two months, I spent 7% of my time researching, 53% outlining, and 39% writing.

The first draft came out at 40,553 words, my shortest book yet—101% of my preliminary 40K-word goal.

I averaged 1398.4 words per day, although that number is skewed by the higher amounts I wrote on Saturdays and Sundays. I averaged 526.66 words per scene. (I like short scenes and chapters. Do you?)

Today I took a much-needed day off from writing to (of course) write this and catch up on some reading.

Tomorrow I’ll think about what’s next!

The End

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  • Tags novel writing, outlining

2 replies on “Novel #7 Finished!”

Stuart Dankersays:
April 19, 2021 at 9:17 pm

Whoa! Number seven! Congrats on getting through it. I myself am on manuscript number four, and while it doesn’t get any easier, it does get more familiar, so when I’m faced with the sagging middle, unsure of where to go, I’ll at least know that it’s normal. Anyway, thanks for this post!

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Priscilla Bettissays:
April 20, 2021 at 6:48 am

Congratulations, and good luck with the edits!

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