January 15 was the deadline for the Sinful Flash Fiction Challenge. 7 flash fiction (or short story) pieces for each of the deadly sins.
I didn’t do it gracefully, but I finished within the deadline (Just!). I wrote two stories a day for the last two days. I’m not sure if this does or doesn’t show my ability to work under a deadline. I did it, just not well.
To be fair, I’ve had a death in the family to deal with over the last couple of weeks. A suicide. Not that any deaths are easy, but suicides are especially hard. Everyone has this feeling of “I should have known or seen it coming” which really means “I wish I could have prevented it”. Normally, there isn’t anything anyone can do to prevent it. It’s sad but think about it realistically, what would you have done if you’d seen it coming? Besides tying them up so they can’t hurt themselves or committing them, not much else is going to help.
Anyway, on a happier note, I’ve installed a word count chart on the side of my blog. I’ve ended up using an online tracking tool to keep track of my word counts since the start of the year. Mostly because I’ve been too lazy to go get a new daily planner, but also because my word count updates are now automated. I don’t have to post a blog entry about them now, although I still might if I have something spectacular to report.
Side note: Daily Diary – the service I’m using to track my word count – allows for people to compare results with others based on certain questions. So if you are trying to write daily, or often, you should sign up and add to your profile “How many words did you write today?” It’s great for adding a little bit of outside competition to your writing goals.
That’s all for now. Cheers.