rolanni | On Growing Like Topsy (Reply)

The section of Fledgling that has been rewritten now encompasses 80,127 words. In theory, there are a mere 19,863 words "to go." Alas, that is too few words to contain the Rest of the Story; at this point, I'm looking for The Compleat Fledgling to clock in at about 120,000 words. I really want to have this book done and outta here by December 15; if I can get all four days at the end of next week as Writing Days, I may make that. If the day-job would settle ferghodsake down so I could hear myself think at the end of the shift, I'd take it kindly. I can't keep the story's flow in my head unless I work with it every day, and working with it every day hasn't been in the cards for months.

We've got two other books under contract with Baen -- Saltation and the sequel to Scout's Progress. (Also, there's this short story that I want to write, but that's Extra Credit, really) Given that I'm hoping to be turning in Fledgling on Saltation's original due date (with Toni's agreement, nice lady that she is), we're going to have to be looking veeerrrrryyyyy carefully at the re-negotiated deadlines for those two books. I know Baen is doing a Good Thing by shortening the publication time between books (received wisdom: you cannot have a Career on one book a year), but it's no good if we can't write 'em that fast.

Sigh. Time to remind myself that I worked hard to get to a place where this kind of stuff is a problem...