My word count for March was less than it was for February, which means there was yet another slowdown. But there are several reasons why I am definitely not worried about things.
- First, at 23,985, my word count for March was well over the monthly goal of 19,000 words.
- Second, I had two big wins during the month. My poem, “The Tobacco People” was accepted for publication and is coming out on May 1, 2026.
- I also finished the first draft of All That Mattered on March 29th, and began posting it online the next day. Posting should complete on April 19 or April 20.
- Third, I was able to get a web site up about the Scarecrow and Mrs. King universe I’ve been creating, which I’ve officially named Legends Lost. My primary reason for setting up this site was so that I could have a reference guide for myself, but I’ve intentionally written as though other SMK fans are the audience. Preliminary evidence suggests I’m getting a few visits.
- Fourth, I kept up the blogging schedule for four out of five weeks in the month. That’s not the ideal, but I’ve already gotten back on track after the skipped week, which suggests my pace is still sustainable.
Of all of these, in my mind, the biggest indicator was All That Mattered. It took me eleven months to write the first draft of its predecessor, Standing in the Dark — and that excludes the five-month false start that preceded it. I got the first draft of All That Mattered done in three-and-a-half months, and while it’s shorter, it also shows a fair bit of improvement in the writing itself.
That is a huge difference. It also let me prove two things to myself:
- Writing one novel wasn’t a fluke. Writing a second proves that I can actually do it.
- While it takes effort, I am capable of writing at a professional-level pace and quality. I’m also able to show continuous improvement as a writer.
To be honest, that’s really a good bit more than a simple win, although I’m still excited about the pending publication of “The Tobacco People.”
April is very likely to have a noticeably reduced word count as I’m using it as a decompression month. I might work on a few projects here and there, and I’ll keep up with the blogging, but I won’t have a single focus the way I did during the first three months of 2026. (I’m also going to be traveling twice during the month, and the second trip in particular will not include any time for writing.)
This is both intentional and planned — I had this in mind as far back as December of last year — as it gives me a chance to rest and reset between big projects.
My next big project will be the first draft of Headwaters, which I plan to start promptly on May 1. I’m looking forward to it. And I’m really looking forward to seeing how long I can sustain this particular writing pace. So far, it seems like it’s going to be steady.