Update on the Writing-Publishing Streak
In Today's Journal
* Quote of the Day
* Here We Go Again
* Update on the Writing-Publishing Streak
* I Got a Spam Email
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Here We Go Again
Every time I start a novel—even when it's the sequel to one I just finished—I go through the same thing.
My conscious, critical mind pops in. "No, this doesn't feel right. Maybe you should write a short story, or write in a different series, or write a novel in a different genre.
Even at this point in my writing career, I still have to get over that initial hump. Every. Single. Time.
But I've been through it so many times, these days I just think, "Yeah, whatever. Just do what you do. Just put words on the page. Write what happens and who the characters are and how they react to what happens because of who they are."
And before I know it, the critical voice disappears, and I and the characters are racing through the story and I'm doing my best to keep up. :-)
Then I'm immersed. I blink and ten or twelve days have passed and I open the TNDJ template and type, "Welp, the novel wrapped yesterday."
Tip: What helps in my particular case is opening the story immediately after I answer any overnight emails and post the new issue of TNDJ.
Whether I start cycling or start writing, if I start doing something with the characters early, making my word count for that day is practically guaranteed.
Your results might differ, but cycling or getting words on the page early might work for you too.
Update on the Writing-Publishing Streak
I haven't been keeping tabs on the streak regularly. Now and then I check back to the last time I mentioned this, then add the new publications.
Streaks are important because they drive the writer to the keyboard and provide impetus to keep going. But with two novels available for pre-release sale at D2D and Amazon at any given time keeps me current with the next date on my release calendar.
I just keep writing and keep publishing, so Initially, this streak kind of snuck up on me.
With the publication of BO-42: Sam Granger yesterday, my writing-publishing streak has extended to 19 novels in 38 weeks. Pretty cool.
And yes, most of those were in the same series, though usually with a new cast of characters. But not all of them were. Some were in a different series, and one was a sequel to a previous one-off.
Back in early March when I last posted about this, I wrote
"When BO-38 goes live, that will extend my streak of publishing a novel every two weeks to 15 novels (and 30 weeks). There are only 52 weeks in a year, so that already isn’t half-bad."
But I've realized that although the math is correct, it's also invalid for comparison.
Since my timeframe for novels is every two weeks instead of every week, the equivalent for the Bradbury Challenge would be 52 novels in 104 weeks, right?
All of this puts me in mind of the Bradbury Challenge.
Back in the day, Ray Bradbury challenged all fiction writers who were striving to improve their craft to "write a short story every week for 52 weeks. Nobody can write 52 bad short stories in a row."
That works with novels too. I get new realizations and epiphanies almost every day while I'm writing.
I like to think Mr. Bradbury would have been pleased with my current novel streak of writing and publishing a new novel every two weeks for 38 weeks.
I like to think he'd probably congratulate me, but then he'd smile and say, "But you haven't reached 104 weeks yet."
Wouldn't that be fun? And only 33 novels to go. If I can keep it up, my 146th novel will also be the 52nd novel published in 104 weeks.
I Got a Spam Email
from "David@writerslife.org" offering me a "FREE writing course" to help me "write and publish your novel TODAY".
In reply (for fun) I copied and pasted the bio from the end matter of my current novel. :-)
Yeah, the email bounced (address unavailable) but it was still fun.
Of Interest
3 Days Left On Early Bird Sale I've long carried a torch for many of Dean's courses, but this is from his site on April 26. So if you want in, go take a look.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………… 730
Writing of Blackwell Ops 43: Sam Granger | The Quiz Master
Day 1…… 2242 words. To date…… 2242
Day 2…… 3315 words. To date…… 5557
Fiction for April……………………….. 96904
Fiction for 2025………………………. 363854
Nonfiction for April………………........ 17490
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 99020
2025 consumable words…………….. 456364
Average Fiction WPD (March)……... 3727
2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 9
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 25
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..... 113
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 295
Short story collections……………………. 29
Whatever you believe, unreasoning fear and the myths that outlining, revising, and rewriting will make your work better are lies. They will always slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
Writing fiction should never be something that stresses you out. It should be fun. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Because of WITD and because I endeavor to follow those Rules I am a prolific professional fiction writer. You can be too.
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Oh, and here’s My Bio. It’s always a good idea to vet the expertise of people who are giving you advice.
Questions are always welcome at harveystanbrough@gmail.com. But please limit yourself to the topics of writing and publishing.
Congrats on your streak! That's awesome! 👌