Where Are We? - November 2024

Writing

Well, that was certainly a month! Between secular responsibilities and commitments, illness, and turning 30 in Berlin, this may have been the worst month to decide to take on a challenge to write 50,000 words. Did we do it? Had I opted to write during my stay in Berlin, I might have just made it but instead, I decided to enjoy the city. We hit just over 40,000 words and learned a lot.

One lesson was that this challenge was either made by a sadist or a hermit because dedicating that much time to writing whilst holding down a job, having social commitments, and suffering any spanners that get thrown in the works is complete madness (gods help any parents trying this!). Another is that you’ll need a very, VERY strong outline to complete a solid draft in that time. My own was sectioned chapter by chapter and was over 3,000 words long. And it wasn’t thorough enough! You end up writing to meet the word count and though some ideas in your head are pretty solid, others can spew onto the page half-baked for want of speed over quality, creating more of a “zero draft” than a first draft.

But a draft of SOMETHING is what you end up with and that’s one of the positives of the experience. It makes you realise how much you can actually write when hyper focused. Another bonus was meeting people in the writing group I joined to help and encourage each other on the journey (we do love shared suffering). So it was—in the end, once the chaos was over—a very enlightening challenge.

Would I recommend it?

I’d never recommend anyone gun for 50k without planning near-complete absence from society for the month. Cancel your plans, take time off work, and prepare one hell of an outline. Sticking to a strict plan is necessary to avoid cramming later.

For the rest of us mere mortals, the challenge is best reduced to something more achievable and that will look different for each person. You could get an excellent 10k written in a month with proper planning. Even 30k might be manageable if you want to test a speed of 1k a day. But anyone who knuckles down to power through a month of writing between their busy schedules is to be commended because this challenge is not easy!

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Life

Yep. Turned 30 this month. Spent it in Berlin with a friend exploring the city. Visited Museum Island, went up the TV Tower for a view of the city, floated around the Christmas markets and much more. It was a rich visit in an amazing city. Far too much to see to get it all done inside a week! On the actual birthday? Let’s just say I went to a spa.

Having pushed writing to its limit, we barely played much this week and certainly didn’t have time to read.

I did just finish the second and final season of Arcane on Netflix and it did not disappoint. Well written characters, a gorgeous art style and a solid (often heart-wrenching) story. There’s little more you could ask for in a series and I’d recommend it unreservedly to anyone yet to watch it.

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Art of the Season - Autumn 2024

The final piece of commissioned art for Blood Reign comes from the artist who did the cover for the novel, and she’s outdone herself with this one. I’ll resist adding too much context but receiving Mira’s depiction of the Sinners’ Den is the perfect treat to end the month! The characters look so regal and the whole scene reminds me of a classic art piece.

You can find more of her work on her Instagram, @mira.sand