Real-life responsibilities hit me all at once in the last week and have really interfered with my writing. Now, I’m not going to lie, before the events of the past week, I was mostly getting in my own way of finishing the first draft of “Jaed and Aston”. But it feels different when external obligations are pulling you away from something you otherwise should be doing.

I’m also not insensitive to the importance of those external responsibilities. A family member passed away within twelve hours of another family member suffering a difficult injury. It’s been hectic to say the least. But we push forward.

Goals and Not Reaching Them

I’m at 144,000 words and change. Part of my plodding pace this month has been wanting to craft a great ending. Turns out the final sections of a story are the most difficult to get onto paper. After letting my narrative run relatively loosely for months, I suddenly have to bring all the threads back together into a consistent weaving of the story. Some characters I have endings planned out for. Others, I’m trying to decide how to get there.

However, with my ambitions to finish in April, I have also felt pressured (by myself exclusively) to finish, even when I don’t feel that close. I am definitely nearing the finish line, with only one or two sections remaining for each of my peripheral characters, and probably three or four each for my love-bird protagonists. But with as many as 20 sections left, that could take me another 30,000 words. I don’t think it will; I’ve gotten pretty good at condensing plot points so as not to drag the story out unnecessarily. But the challenge is still there.

I don’t think I’m going to update or push back my personal deadline. There are some events/travel plans coming up in May that I know will interfere with my writing, so I’d like to finish before then. But the hard deadlines and goals have not worked out for me over the last couple of months. I just want to finish as soon as possible without cutting to the end just to put a pin in it.

I will also be somewhat absent from RSPC as I finish. I’ve had a couple of slow weeks blogging as it is, but that was mostly due to travel and trying to focus on “Jaed and Aston” during my writing time. I will be sure to check in, however, on slow afternoons like today. Everyone have a good laugh today 🙂

Steve D