Getting Ready....

Today, I'm getting ready for my Week o' Work, my own mini-NanoWriMo, wherein I'm going to see if I can get between 10,000 and 15,000 words written and in some kind of decent shape in a week. I've written under pressure before because I had to; this time, it's because I want to, so it's already feeling different -- less like a horrible chore and more like just a challenge.

Before I embark on that challenge, I'm preparing. Yesterday, I got out my handy dandy file cards and wrote brief notes for each of the scenes I hope to write. At present, I've got seven -- there may or may not be an eighth. I figured out where to start and in whose point of view. That sounds simple, but trust me, it was not.

The plan is to write two scenes on Monday, two on Tuesday, two on Wednesday, one on Thursday, print it up and revise on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, input changes on Friday afternoon and see if I've got something basically acceptable.

I'm also preparing in another way -- I'm doing laundry today and getting a few secretarial tasks out of the way. I'm reading material to remind myself of the who and where of the story. I'm preparing a blog ahead of time for Tuesday, on a subject that comes up often when you write historicals -- the difference between the way it really was and the changes writers make for dramatic effect. And I'm going to bed early. I've had a cold all week, and while it wasn't a bad one, I could use a good night's rest.

So, don't look for a blog first thing tomorrow. However, I hope to check in tomorrow night and every evening to let you know how it's going. And since exercise is part of the plan, look for my regular Weight Loss Challenge post on Friday.