Book 1 & Baby Steps

Word Count: 68, 000


Not far to go now before the first draft is completed. I didn't think I would get this far with this book. It was so disheartening when I had to scrap my previous two versions (particularly version one which was 50, 000 words in) and the whole book had changed. The same premise was there but I'd taken the bare bones and shifted the focus. I'd worked on the original two versions and knew them so this new version was a stranger to me.


I'll let you in on something... I nearly scrapped the whole thing. I'd put too much work in and now this new book didn't feel like 'my' book. So I gave myself three 'baby steps', three little goals:

• Complete Chapter One
• Write Three Chapters
• Write 10, 000 words

I felt like I had a mammoth task ahead of me and it was daunting but what harm would writing one chapter do? Then after that three chapters wasn't such a leap. I decided I would write 10, 000 words and then reassess my feelings on the book.


By the time I had completed the baby steps, I was into the book and related to my main character and I was actually enjoying writing it so I carried on. I still make baby steps for myself. I don't need them in the same way as I did at the beginning but they do help keep me motivated. Instead of seeing 50, 000 words ahead of me, it is never more than 10, 000 on my goals.


It always feels great to cross out a goal.