I just finished the first draft of The Hostage Heart! I literally could scream, I’m so excited.
Yeah. I’m seriously thrilled.
And, because I’m very organized and stats-based like this, here are the final stats for the first draft of HH. I’m sure I missed something somewhere along the way, but it’s pretty accurate. I did this mainly for my own amusement and so I could give myself a pat on the back when I finished. I’m big into the sense of accomplishment these days.
Date began: May 5, 2012
Date completed: October 6, 2012 (almost exactly 5 months, how cool is that?)
hours spent pre-writing: 11 hours, 15 minutes
hours spent writing: 37 hours, 11 minutes
word count: 107,847
page count: 415
average WPM: 48
hours spent editing: 26 hours, 25 minutes
total pages edited: 431 (keep in mind some chapters I edited like a hundred times)
So, in case anyone out there was wondering, that’s what it takes to write a first draft. Sometimes, when I think about the fact that it took me five months to write for 37 hours, that’s kind of awful. But other times I think, “I wrote a first draft in five months. Awesome!”
I’m sticking with the awesome.
It’s a messy first draft. Right now, the ending is pretty atrocious. But that’s what rewrites are for. That’s why we edit. I might be a messy first drafter, but I’m a pretty good editor.
For now, I’m setting HH aside and working on GBI (The Good, the Bad, and the Infertile, until I can come up with a better title). I’m going to outline a little more on that one, do some good planning, and then write the first draft as quickly as my fingers will move. I’ll come back to HH in a few months, when I have fresh eyes, and start looking at some serious edits of the projects.
For now, I’m going to reward myself with a few episodes of Modern Family and some cuddling with the hubby. I guess I should go tell him I finished HH. He’ll be so excited!
Happy weekend, everyone! It’s been a good one for me.
