Work In Progress

After taking Anna Hackett's online Short Story, Big Impact class, I realize I have to start at the beginning: plotting. I have two characters I like and a situation but no real plot. So that's my writing for the moment. It doesn't produce any word count, but it still counts, right?
 
I'm new at tracking my writing. Most writer blogs I've looked at indicate they write hundreds, if not thousands, of words a day. I assume that's after they've developed their characters, plot, etc. Or do they just get an idea and start writing?
 
I don't know.
 
I put a meter on this blog today to keep track of how many words I've written versus how many are required. My 300 words look insignificant next to the ultimate 15,000, but it does give me incentive to write. It's hard to concentrate on plotting, though, when all I really want to do is write more words so the meter will increase.
 
It's like getting a gold star in grade school.
 
I want to shine!

Starting Over

I'm reinventing myself...again.

As I get closer to retirement it's become obvious I won't have enough money to sustain my trailer-trash life style. (I thought I was going to die before I turned 30 so I never saved money or invested in a nice house.) Since I already write, even if just in my head, I plan to write to supplement my income. Something I've never tried before. I hope keeping this journal of my progress will keep me on track.

The first step: start small.

I'm taking an online short story class given by Anna Hackett. She's written several ebooks for Nocturne Bites. Check out her website and her ebooks on the Harlequin website. Great teacher and I'm a fan of her writing.