Weekly Writing Update!

 

So, here’s my little chart for how my writing has been going. I’d honestly say I’m pretty happy with the progress. I’ve already exceeded my monthly word goal of 31,000 words – right now, I’m sitting at 40.5k. I’m still planning on writing at least 1k a day, so… progress is pretty delightful. Though I’m not writing as much on my novel as I’d like, I’m loving my fanfiction. It’s really burning my creative fuel, and that’s exactly what I need. My muse and I are sweet lovers again, and I plan on keeping it that way.

This 1k a day thing is really working for me. I can usually pass it up easily, but on the days when writing isn’t coming as smoothly, it’s still completely manageable. I would say this is key to setting goals for yourself – don’t overshoot. Don’t do something that isn’t attainable. You can always exceed your goal, after all. It feels even better when you do!

I’m going to start posting daily writing prompts again coming Monday, and I hope I can keep up with it. I wanted to do it for my writing group, because I don’t want us to all give up, just because it isn’t November anymore. We’ve been doing writedecks though, and that’s a lot of fun.

So, I’m keeping this fairly short – just wanted to give a writing update! How are all of you doing? Getting your writing done? Setting goals? Meeting them? Breaking them? Let me know!

 

Until next time, keep reading and writing!

Author Amanda McCormick

Twitter | Patreon | NaNo Page

Why Fanfiction can be Awesome

A lot of people that I know in the writing world used to write fanfiction. They say it in the past tense, like it’s a bad thing. They speak as though they’re too mature for it now. I can admit hadn’t written fanfiction in so many years… until I played Fallout 4. I saw a storyline that was absolutely astounding, and… then… it… suddenly… stopped…

There was so much potential there, for that story. I was sparked with inspiration, and I realized that I really wanted to write a tiny snippet of a story, just to satisfy my need to see the rest of that potential played out.

(Yeah, it’s about Paladin Danse.)

Of course, I don’t have the ability to write a tiny snippet of anything. The fanfiction in question is currently 35,000 words, and scaling easily up to the size of a novel. Not only have I written this, but in writing about my character in the game… I realized that I really wanted to develop him further. Though you’re given basic parameters for who you are, I had an entire backstory in my mind. He was a character unto himself… and it’s inspired over 50,000 words of separate fanfiction/stories/planning… and I’m not even sorry about it. Fanfiction is okay.

It’s good for so many reasons. The positive response, and the people who you can connect with through a shared fandom is a wonderful feeling. I’ve been working on my novel separately, of course, but I’ve also been working on fanfiction. I’ve been told by multiple people that they enjoy it, and why… and it’s a nice feeling. Sometimes, as a writer, you just need that boost.

So, never feel bad about following your mind, even if it’s in fanfiction. I’ve been more inspired writing these stories than I have in a long, long while. It’s part of what’s been making my 1k a day so easy to do. I’ve been able to write fanfiction, get my gears going, and then work on my novel on the wave of that inspiration. Follow your muse, always!

Until next time, I just wanted to give you guys this small update and inspiration for the day! Enjoy yourselves! Keep reading and writing!

 

Author Amanda McCormick

Twitter | Patreon | NaNo Page

In My Absence

I’ve actually been getting a lot done. I’ve been playing a ton of Fallout still – go on. Marvel at my gorgeous Danse now.

So, yeah. That’s a thing. I’ve seriously been just a wee bit obsessive about the whole thing, but this is how I game. I do need to show you the fruits of my effort though, because I’m pretty happy with it. It’s netted me around 14,00o words in the last…. 4 days? My ‘Write 1,000 words a day’ goal was seriously lacking before… and then I decided that while I was reading Limbo again and trying to decide what I wanted to do with it, I’d just deviate and write something that was completely self serving.

That completely self serving thing was, for the first time in a LONG time, a fanfiction.

Yeah, that’s right, I’m writing fanfiction. xD Heh.

Honestly though, I think that’s a lot of what inspires people to want to write – they read or see a story, and they think that they could have done it different, better. I’m not saying that Fallout 4 wasn’t amazing, but there were some… choice paths that I really would have preferred to do in a different fashion. So, I’m writing about that. That’s right – I’m writing a Paladin Danse fanfiction, and I have no shame.

And it’s honestly an amazing exercise. I’m writing a ton, and I’m really enjoying myself. After writing so rigorously for NaNo on something completely original, writing in a world that already has a built base is pretty fun. Of course, in some ways, fanfiction is harder – you have to keep completely in character if you want to be valid… and yet you still have to change the characters and develop them; after all, you’re writing it for a reason, aren’t you?

So, yeah. I’m at nearly 15,000 words on that (I’d only meant for it to be a few thousand, but I can’t even short fanfiction correctly) and I’m not even sad about it.

I hope that you guys have been doing well, and that your writing has been flourishing in the wake of NaNo! Let me know how you’re doing!

 

Until next time, keep reading and writing!

Author Amanda McCormick