Five down one to go! 730 x 730 challenge – week 12

Is always a motivator when there’s an eager audience awaiting the next installment of a series. My eldest daughter Sophie is that audience for Zombie RiZing. While only two books have been released (ZR3: Life and Beath due April 5),  I am well ahead of that on my first drafts. As week 12 of the challenge begun I was heading into the final stages of the first draft of ZR5: Beath Becomes Her. At the same time a kids weekend was nearing, giving me the perfect incentive to smash through the remainder of the draft so as reader 1.0 could get her hands on the draft.

I finished the draft on Thursday and Friday – smashing out almost 4000 words!

I find the end of a novel the easiest part to write, when I plan right! If I’ve paid the right amount of attention to the main story, the character’s journeys and the sub-plots during the writing process, then the end is just hitting pay-dirt on all the little threads I’ve set-up. It’s a bit like cross-country skiing to the top of the mountain, then dropping the skis over the edge and letting gravity take you home. It’s a good feeling.

Now I’m getting my teeth stuck into the final book of the first season of Zombie RiZing – Beath Defying. There’s definitely more downhill skiing ahead as all the series’ larger story threads (and minor ones) pay off, with a smattering of scene setting for series 2. I’m only part way in but loving it already.

When I don’t plan right I end up with where War & Quel has been for some time. Trickling. Now however, I finally nailed how to wrap up the story (maybe inspired by wrapping ZR5). I had the general idea, but the final details came to me in the early hours one morning and I put them on PC the next morning. I’m finally back on track and spent the latter part of the week finishing a rough edit of the first 60k words to put my head in the space to write the conclusion.

Oh, and I past the 70k words mark this week too. Exciting stuff!

Weekly total: 5688 (+578)

Overall total: 70,166 (+8846)