secret_history | Entries tagged with shithead

Okay, so it's the end of Day 6, and now that I look at the clock I realize it's officially Day 7.

Yesterday was a nightmare in terms of wordcount. I think I wrote maybe 200 words all day, due to circumstances I have complained about in two other places now, so I won't go into it again.

Today, however, kicked ass. I went to the writing jam organized by

ai731, and wrote about 2,000 words. Then I went to water my parents' plants, and wrote about 1,500 more.

Wordcount now stands at 13,731. The evil competitive side of me looks at the rankings, sees that I'm fifth in Montreal, and preens. Of course, for one shining moment somewhere around Day 2 I was second, but since I was tenth yesterday I'm not complaining. Right now, being in the top ten is pretty good.

Yes, I'm being petty and competitive. Those of you who know me and who actually bother to read this journal may not have realized exactly how obsessive and small-minded I can be about this sort of thing. It's not an aspect of my personality that I like. Don't get me wrong: I don't resent other people for doing better than me. However, I usually end up hating myself if I don't do better than other people. Don't ask, I don't really understand it myself, except to know that I have deep-seated issues equating academic success with self-worth, and wordcount seems to fall nicely into that category.

Anyway, the point is that right now I'm feeling a bit smug, and actually kind of proud of myself that I'm not thinking that I'm a total loser for being "only" fifth. Right now, fifth is looking pretty damned awesome. Shithead is sitting in a corner and sulking, and every now and then I turn around in my chair and throw rotten fruit at him. It feels great.

I keep meaning to post my stuff here, but now I realize I have a scene to fix first, so I guess it'll have to wait. Or, maybe I'll just post the Prologue. It doesn't need fixing right now. Editing in December, yes, but no fixing for plot reasons.

Oh, right, mustn't forget the wordcount meter:

As mentioned in my other LJ,

mousme, I had to fend off a stealth ninja attack by Shithead todaay, but otherwise things are going well.

Current wordcount is 7,532, which is not bad. Not quite as much writing as the first two days, but still around 1,700 words, which isn't too bad, all things considered. I'm about one day's worth of writing ahead of where I would be if I was writing the "minimum" of 1,667 words a day.

Granted, all that's an artificial standard by which to judge progress. Some people won't be writing much this week and will blitz their way through 50,000 words later on. Still, it's good for me to know that I am capable of producing this much verbiage on short notice, and within a consistent framework. Lord knows I can blather on about nothing for ages, but blathering on in a coherent manner on the same topic consistently is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

So, without further ado, I shall post my wordcount meter and hit the hay.