Every One is Different

Sitting here thinking about the whole writing thing, I came to the realization that the process has been different for each of my books. I don't know if this is a function of growing as a writer or of how each story needs to be told.

Spectacle came out in fits and spurts. Some days I would type furiously and the words would just flow onto the page. One day I wrote thirty pages or roughly 7000-8000 words - a personal best to this day. Other days I couldn't write a word, and often went for a week or more without adding anything. This book also took me nine months to get the first draft done. (And the first draft topped the scales at 147K - which meant a bunch more time spent editing.)

Caldera started out pretty much the same way, except after I got a major case of discouragement from Spectacles rejections and spent months not writing at all. Once I got over that, the book came out in regular chunks, though.

Blink was the first book where I committed myself to writing x amount of words every day, come hell or high water. I was participating in an online writers' community then, and a bunch of us promised to write at least 500 words a day. Most days I was hitting 1500, but some days getting those 500 words out was murder.

AWJ ended up being another fits and spurts thing. I was still committing myself to 500 words a day, but every day was a hard day. I knew what I wanted to say and where I was headed, but the words wouldn't come. (Oddly enough - or maybe not - this is the book now stuck in the editing phase. I want to finish it, but I can't seem to muster the urge to leave my WIP and edit this.)

RTL flew out of me. I started writing October 10th of '07 and finished the first draft on November 15th. Out of those days, I only missed writing on a couple. A few of those days, I managed around 5000 words. It was an amazing experience. I wish all writing could be that easy. I spent the next four months editing, and decided it was finished on February 25th.

Now I'm writing again, and the book I refer to as Manhunter (or New WIP) is coming together, but oddly. So far, I write gangbusters one night, and the next I'm spent. It's like I need a day off between sessions. The writing is draining to the point I'm physically tired afterwards. I don't get it. *shrug* Maybe the energy a straight suspense takes to write is more than any other writing I've done so far. I hope it's just me, otherwise Allison Brennan is one tired lady. Last night I cranked out 2500 words. Here's hoping I can repeat that tonight. I don't want to take every other day off. I want to write every night.

Your turn to tell me: Do you have a pattern to how you write? (Do you even bother to keep track of your progress?) Is each work different? Or if you're on your first, do you have a writing schedule?