There hasn’t been much to report lately, as my head has been well and truly buried in word production. In the way of a progress report, The Curse Merchant just broke the 40K word count mark, which is the half-way point to my September 1st goal. The new math now states that I need to increase my per diem word count to around 1800 words to reach my goal of finishing the first draft by September.

Mind you, this deadline is entirely arbitrary, but without some kind of goal to strive towards, I tend not to produce. Since setting this goal (special thanks to Michael Shean for making me open my big fat mouth and creating that deadline to begin with), I have found very little internal resistance when it comes time to sit down and write.

Another big motivation has been my wife, Courtney Sloan, who has just completed the second revision of her latest novel, Black Sun. Her achievement and the infectious energy that comes along with it is pushing me to reach a benchmark of my own. Regrettably, drafting is the longest single step in the writing process, and so I must remain content with the small word count goals I have reached.

I am happy to say that so far I am quite pleased with The Curse Merchant. Though my outline is keeping it shepherded along the path, it is still finding ways to surprise me!

For now, my world is writing, and more writing, until the thing is finished. Good thing I have a goal in mind, and appreciable sources of motivation from friends and my family!