Everyone experiences flow differently. And during these years of writing, I’ve learned that flow is different even just when it comes to me. I can’t really say what motivates it, or what type of mood I have to be in. But today it was perfect and felt so right! I wish every writing day could be like this, or similar.

The past month or so have been very slow, I’ve pushed out words when I’ve thought I was in a writing mood or have just blindly stared at my document not getting a single word out. My finish line keeps getting pushed, but I’m also not too stressed about it since I know that anything I force out most likely won’t be as good as when it comes naturally. I also don’t want to dislike writing. That’s why I’m cherishing these days and am extra happy when I get this flow.

Today, my flow looked like this. I didn’t think it would work today, as it hasn’t lately. But once I started, I kept seeing images in my head, just a few paragraphs ahead, which made me poop out words like never before because I wanted to get to that picture, it was so clear. I didn’t know what I wanted to write to get there, the words just showed up on the white background. Unfortunately, I had to stop before I actually got to the visualization of that picture because I had a hot yoga class waiting. But now I believe that it will be very easy to continue to write tomorrow.

This post is meant to shine a small light on the nerdy side in me (I have to start small, there will be more). I’ve always been very organized and structured as a person, which is probably why I am now working as a project manager. I’ve both read and heard about different authors writing processes and they all vary greatly. Some just write without knowing where they are heading. Some have everything figured out from the start and some are in between. I’m the person in between. I know where I’m heading, I have my place for notes and thoughts (that’s another post coming), but I only have eight major milestones and the details in between just come to me. Literally whenever and wherever. I don’t have a say in it, AT ALL!

To the point. I’m nerdy because I love statistics. I write down every workout I do so I can get a pretty pie chart where I can see if I’m heading in the direction that is aligned with my goal. I am doing kind of the same with my book. From day one, I’ve kept track of when I’ve finished writing a chapter and how long they are.

The first summer, 2017, I wrote a lot and had eight chapters written within the first three months. Then I went to the Book Fair and got a professional analysis of my first chapter and got so inspired that I, for the 15 months, rewrote the first five chapters, turned them into six chapters, and tripled the amount of words. The difference in quality was insane! But after that I decided that I would save any rewriting until I was done with the first draft. So, since December 2018 I’ve been on track again and written approximately one chapter per month. I actually wrote 12 chapters in 2019. So far in 2020, I’ve finished two chapters and it’s not even the end of the first month. That’s boding well. My new and realistic goal is to be finished with the first draft on my birthday in April. That’s definitely doable.

Chapter Twenty-Five was finished this morning on the tram, at 6am on my way to the gym. I think I will get a total of thirty chapters when I’m done. As was what I said from the very beginning. I’m pretty impressed by my early estimations, 30 chapters and 100 000 words. I have 79 000 words and 25 chapters right now.

I will most likely summarize everything I can about this book when I’m done. That will be a nerdy post (If I am not too embarassed to post it, haha!)

The annual Book Fair in Gothenburg starts today and goes on until Sunday. I didn’t go at all last year. No idea why but I guess that’s why I want to get as much as possible out of it this year. Two years ago, I was there and got a first chapter analysis of my book. It was the starting point of a full year of rewriting half of everything I had so far. I got inspired and understood things that I didn’t before but felt somehow was not good enough. I added more suspense, more mystery, more questions to later answer. Four chapters and 7 000 words resulted in five chapters and almost 17 000 words.

Since then I have told myself that I will write the story, get the words down, before rewriting anything again. And it’s going forward, slowly, but in the right direction.

Since so much have happened in the past two years, I wanted to get this first chapter analysis again, but this year no one of the literary consultants wanted to read English. But that’s not gonna slow me down, I have so many programs I want to listen to that I almost feel overwhelmed. I added all the things I wanted to listen to in my calendar and I think I have to print out a map of the exhibition area and hope I will find all the places. Most of the lectures are about writing and I hope some things will help me reach my goal which is to have the first draft done by next summer.

This Book Fair I will also talk to publishing companies. I have no expectations really, but it would be nice to find out how the process of becoming a published author works. Although, I’m writing in English, why settle for a Swedish publisher? I’m thinking grand. Like Bloomsbury! Haha! Aim for the stars, reach the moon, right?!

Light blues are my priorities.

I recently read on  Writers Write that a debut fantasy within the fantasy category should land on approximately 100 000 words. Yesterday I hit the 50k mark and am therefore halfway done with my debut novel!

I am currently writing on the 16th chapter and as soon as that one is written, I will also have reached milestone 2 out of a total of 8 for this story. Initially, I thought that this would only result in one book, but the more I thought about the story and everything I wanted to have in it, I realized that it would be way too much for one book. At least as the debut. And now, done with 2 milestones, having the perfect cliffhanger for the first half of this duology after milestone 4, I am one hundred percent sure that it will be two books. And probably a third one later on.

I am so excited and thrilled when I see everything unfold inside my head right before I write it down.

I am proud of myself to actually have managed this. I am actually writing a book that might be finished in the not too distant future. And I really like the plot and believe in it. I think I would have stopped writing a long time ago if I didn’t.