5 K words in one week is not bad. And they’re words I liked. I had to stop tonight to write this blog, but lately the flow has been flowing. I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s going well. At least writing has been going well. Life overall is as complicated as always.

The stress has been high this week and one way it manifests itself is in it’s impact on my stomach. Any other anxiety girlies out there who can sympathize? The meds I’ve been taking to reduce my inflammation make it worse. Nice how that dovetails together. (Not). I decided to stop taking the meds and try to reduce the inflammation through diet and lifestyle changes. There’s not a lot of consistent information on the best way to do that so I’m adding turmeric and black pepper to just about everything and sticking with healthy fats, loads of veggies and Omega-3 foods. I’m a fan of veggies and fish so it’s not a hardship.

I was trying to think of a title for this week’s blog, like a theme of this week. But I came up empty. This week was bonkers, highs and lows all over the place. One high was that got to have my oldest home from college for the weekend. Another high, I made chili for my husband’s birthday dinner and it rocked. I love making chili since the ingredients are the same basic mix, but after it starts to come together, I add additional spice according to taste. I cook it low and slow adding this and that like a witch’s brew. It’s slightly different every time I make it, but always good. It’s a fun kind of cooking.

This week I took my Word doc and split it up into chapters and transferred it to Scrivener. Like my chili, the Word doc is flexible and fun. I’m adding this scene and that bit of dialog. It’s a big stew of good ideas and sloppy bits. Once it’s in Scrivener any issues with structure stand out. It’s a shift in the progress of the work itself. Suddenly I need to pay attention to the pacing and plot. It’s a good thing, but painful. What Scrivener does well is make it easy to move scenes and chapters around. Laying it all out helps. If you’re the kind of writer who jumps around in a story, it’s a boon. You can write that second scene in Chapter two and jump to Chapter nineteen with ease. Things start to get locked down as well. It’s not one big mix anymore. You’ve nailed the jello to the tree.

I’m about a 1/4th of the way through this novel. 20k is always the breaking point for me. If it’s not good enough by that point, I shelve it and move on. I feel good about this one though. I think it will pass the test. I’ve fallen in love with these characters. I want to see them find a happy ending. Considering where I started with my female MC, that’s a significant change. I’ve got my pom-poms out routing for her happy ending. Nothing is more motivating than wanting to write the ending a character deserves. We’ll see what next week brings.