Day 3 of editing a draft in a month

Daily goal: 4,140 words/day.

Today: 6,866 words 😭 (I'm barely ahead of goal- I just keep adding more to the book)

57 Pages Edited so Far

Draft 2 Goal: Increase Conflict and Suspense

Learning: I write characters' actions while forgetting their reactions

Every scene in a book is comprised of actions and reactions. In my first draft, I wrote very few reactions.

Example: the main character turns down a promotion she's worked for years to get, and quits her dream company to move to a mysterious city that she can't leave or contact her family from. When she gets to that city, I just have her move forward- I never show her missing her job or her family, or being scared that's she's in a different society that she can't escape. Adding her reactions to these things creates crucial tension and connection.

Learning: 4k words of editing is so much more than just 4k words of editing

On top of the editing, there's also new writing involved and it can be a lot more work than it appears.

When I was doing the 50k/30 days goal, my avg daily writing goal was just under 1700 words.

Today, I not only edited 4,573 words, but wrote an additional 2,293 words on top of that. That writing alone is equal to one of my most prolific days during my last challenge, WITHOUT adding on the editing piece. Holy hell.

Today was an 8 hour day, which isn't bad. It's 9:30 pm and I feel SO ready for bed. This work is exhausting (but I also absolutely love it).

I've also been trying to read a chapter of 'Conflict and Suspense' every night, so I can learn craft and immediately apply it to my editing. This 30 day sprint is a sprint for sure!