Structural support

I’m a little stunned by my productivity this week.

I wrote more than 7500 words, propelling my total word count past 95 000. There are still a few chapters to go before this draft is finished, but I’m definitely on track to finish in June.

I’m sure it helps that I took that “break” to work on short stories last week, but the biggest factor of my success is the structure I’ve got in place for this book. My scene-by-scene outline lets me alternate smoothly between my two main characters, always moving their individual stories forward, juggling various narrative arcs and subplots.

This doesn’t mean writing the book feels like paint-by-numbers, since I still have to work out the setting and action when I sit down to write each scene: the how and the where and sometimes the when. But the outline is providing the who and the why and the what next; it’s functioning as a scaffold for the whole book, stabilizing the overall structure and giving me the confidence that my story actually holds together.

The other major structural element that’s holding me steady is time management. My daily word-count goal and writing routine might seem constrictive, but they are habits that compel me to productivity. Sitting down at my desk at the same time every single morning keeps the book moving forward, day after day.