Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

Work on the new novel is moving along pretty well, now, and I’ve achieved what (for me) is a rather brisk pace. I’m not threatening to break my personal best, set back when I was under contract to deliver the Fallen Cloud Saga, and I’m nowhere near the blistering pace consistently set by some writers I know (cough cough Barb Hendee cough), but I’m not complaining. I’m about halfway through Chapter Three (regular readers may note that I’m now posting progress in chapter increments, not in scenes) and settling into a new groove.

Experience, however, has taught me that “settling into a new groove” is, by itself, insufficient for success. New behavior can easily be scuttled when faced with distractions or downturns, especially in early days, when anything shiny is a temptation to wander.

To keep things moving, I need something more.

Since ramping up on this project, I’ve been able to work my job, fulfill my duties around the house, spend some quality time with the missus, enjoy a bit of a social life, chill a bit with games or a drive in Pepper, and still find time to write consistently, every day, even if it’s only a few paragraphs penned while sitting in the back of the bus on my way to work. As a basher, this every-day progression, as small as it might be, is critical to my momentum. If I stop for longer than a day or two, Newton’s First Law of Motion sets up shop, hires staff, and opens for business. When that happens, it can take a good long while for me to get back up to speed. Writing every day keeps the book, the characters, the plot, the next scene, the desire, all fresh in my mind, which in turn makes it easier to write every day.

Win-win.

But this momentum needs maintenance (because, Newton), and so, to avoid becoming stymied or sidetracked by other projects, the clear solution is the same one that kept me on target while writing the Fallen Cloud Saga: a deadline.

I have a milestone birthday coming up—I’ll be sixty this December . . . first time I’ve said that in public . . . [shiver]—and that seems like a good target, both symbolically and calendrically.

Finishing this book in eight months will be a big stretch, and if I do it, I’ll be close to my “under contract” pace. I may not make it, but it is achievable, which is an excellent quality in a goal. This being a self-imposed deadline, the penalty for failure is not as harsh, but I really want to meet this goal.

Of course, setting this goal is important, but so is going public with it. I don’t expect readers to hold my feet to the fire, but by shouting it on the virtual street corner, I’m testifying to my commitment.

And so, thus committed, onward.

k