bradsalomons I’ve been spending a lot of time #writing and drinking #coffee but progress on the novel has been a little slow this year so far. I had a great big push late in 2024 to get though the second half and then hit a bit of a block.

Many writing folks will tell you to push through the block and put in the effort and just write, and I did that, getting in my daily word count on other side projects. And that was fine to a point, but none of it was dislodging the plot block in the novel.

Last week I decided to brute force the damn thing and so I’ve set my daily word goal a bit lower and have been writing a bare minimum of words into the novel regardless of other factors.

Specifically, where I was usually tasking myself with sitting down and writing a scene, usually amounting to between 1000-1500 words, now I’m setting the daily goal of 250 words. Yeah, that’s a lot less, but after a week of generously meeting my goal each day I’m nearly 2000 words ahead of where i was last Monday, and that accounts for (sadly) more than half of the words I’ve written in 2025 on this project.

Happily, progress is progress is progress, and the “just write” advice is definitely locked in and valid.

adventuredog Just a bit of #sidewalkart on a #winter #walk

adventuredog #march has come in like a big wet lamb melting all the snow and leaving a lot of #puddles and moments of #reflection in its wake

8r4dsfeets #running in slush is not for those with cold feets

8r4d The weather has been holding above freezing for some good pre-spring #running tho the trails are generously wet and slushy, so… adventure!

8r4d Great photo grad photo? I had to sit in the waiting area…

8r4d It’s grad photo day at the kid’s school. Her choice of prop? The dog of course.

8r4d #datenight and #shakespeare at the #theatre

pixelazy Our #running adventure this morning took us up to the top of Rabbit Hill for a view of #downtown

8r4d Tho #winter is nearly over the #running paths are #icy and a mess, but we prevailed.

8r4d The annual dinner and #dance show

8r4d You can’t see the cold on this chilly #winter drive but maybe you can see the windchill.