Day Twenty-four - 45,652 words and counting

This month, I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

After today, I'll have exactly one week left in the month. I could completely slack off for three of those days and still make my goal, but what's the good of slacking? I've built up that buffer because I enjoy writing enough to do more than the bare minimum, and I shouldn't stop that.

And so however much I write between now and October 31st, my counters will all reset on November 1. The new total for the month of November will be 50,670 words, which is a straight 1,689 words a day. It's a target that has worked well for me so far, and why mess with a good thing?

As of today, I'm adding a new total at the bottom--Est(imated) Completion. This total represents how long I think the finished novel will be, and the number of days to completion if I continue to write at a pace of 1,689 words per day. I reserve the right to change the final word count as I get closer to the end. I can't decide whether 250,000 is an underestimate or an overestimate, which tells me it's probably a pretty good estimate.

Now, where to go from here? The quick answer is Chapter 12, which is accurate but unhelpful. I had previously promised that I would no longer be following Bryony's every move, and I hold to that. So I'll start with the fast forward, which establishes the pattern. Then I'll pick the first thing that breaks that pattern--namely, a run-in with Mistress Gessica. We'll see how far into this scene we get today.

As it turns out, I never got to Gessica, but I think I set it up right. For that confrontation, you'll have to wait until tomorrow...

...as Chapter 12 continues.

Today's Total: 1,810 / 1,689 words (107.2%)
Progress to Date: 45,652 / 40,527 words (112.6%, 3.0 days ahead)
Total Progress: 45,652 / 52,347 words (87.2%)
Est. Completion: 45,652 / 250,000 words (18.3%, 121 days to go)