The Proof Of Concept
Last month I made a comment regarding how I had once again started a writing project, and that I hadn’t a clue as to why. The reasoning I confess still escapes me. I think it’s just been a desire to keep the mind sharp while at the same time challenging myself to explore a more creative side.
Unlike last year’s project where I wanted to reflect on past events in a more autobiographical format, with really no intention on publication, this new project for 2025 (one must be careful how that reads) is a decisive departure from a more personal endeavor. It is a work of fiction, and the personal challenge to myself has been one of persistence and, if one prefers, a proof of concept to no one but myself that I can actually do it. Many people often anecdotally comment that they could “write this” or “create that.” It is a far different situation when one sits down and does the work. “I’ll get to it one day” is the cliche line of the procrastinator, and while I confess there are things I perpetually put off for another day, there are some more tangible items that forever nag at the recesses of the soul. So if I were to continually state, “I could do that,” or “I’ll get to it someday” the even money bet would be that someday would never come. Furthermore, there would a lifetime of regret that I never got around to it.
So I asked myself the standard question, “Why not now?” It is basically where I’ve been at since the start of the new year, and the ironic part of it all is I’m feeling a sense of minor accomplishment that I made a firm commitment to the endeavor of fiction writing as a whole.
As far as the actual writing process goes, I assigned myself to write every day that I could — allowing myself not so much breaks from writing, but rather acknowledging the fact there were days I would just not be able to. Writing around a day job, as I’m sure innumerable authors have found in the past (I do not consider myself an author with nothing published — I am an amateur writer who happens to compose) can be a daunting task. The writing process has to be conducting around the working hours, and as such, simply lengthens amount of time necessary to commit thoughts and ideas to prose.
With that as background my goal was to write, as indicated, every day I could, and complete minimum of 2,000 words a session. Much to my amazement this has been a somewhat easier barrier to break. I would consider raising my limit to 2,500 words per session, but that would be a silly escalation that would serve no purpose than to introduce unnecessary verbose prose into a reader’s mind, bog down the plot, all to achieve some personal benchmark. A chapter should be as long as it needs to be to convey the message of the storyline. As in everything there are logical breaks, and it are those breaks that allows the author to note that it’s time to close out the chapter. Having said this, on average, each of my writing sessions have been producing 2,500 to 2,800 words, and in only special situations key chapters have needed to reach 3,100 to 3,800. Those chapters are exceptions to the norm, however, and I’ve made a conscious effort to keep those lengthy entries at a minimum.
By implementing this process since the first of the year, I can finally say while I’m not finished with the manuscript — I am nearing its completion. Currently it stands a touch over 95,000+ words, and it may or may not break the 100K mark. Again, I have no intention of writing simply to stroke my ego by attaining some sort of word benchmark. A story tells the author when it is finished; not the other way around. My goal is simply to steer it along, properly explain it, or include with edits areas that might have been implied, but upon editing seem a bit vague. By the end it should stand alone as its own work, and put out into the world to live its own life without the author.
What happens after this? I do not know. Do I try getting it published? Do I attempt to self-publish? Who would read it? I can’t say. I’ve attempted to write the kind of book that I like to read, and hopefully others with shared interests would find it passable entertainment for themselves. Or they could find it totally implausible and a totally deplorable work. That would be for them to decide. For myself, the original goal was a proof of concept, no matter how hackneyed it all seemed to be. The goal was to complete it. Whether it’s any good isn’t my call.
Note:
This manuscript started while attempting to simply write a brief document in order to format a template to be used later. As I explained in a previous post, the project took on a life of its own after that. After completing what essentially was Chapter 1, I then began asking myself, “Who is this person?” To answer that question I ended up writing Chapter 2. From there, the writing process swept me over to where I was continually asking myself, “Who are these people? What has necessitated their actions?” From then on the story took me, and I simply went with wherever it took me. If you would like to go back and read chapter 1 you may find it here: