Dear Diary,
I've been stuck in a slump of sorts this week. I call it Spring Break and the kids are home. All. Day. Long. I honestly think this is the first time in my life I have ever looked forward to a Monday morning. That being said, is it Monday yet? My other problem is that I wrote a ton of great stuff on Day 7, but ever since then it's just been okay. And I guess I should be okay with that. At least I'm writing.
I sat in the tire shop yesterday getting new tires on my car, and I maybe wrote 465 words. In an hour and a half. It was pathetic. I did better tonight. I kind of think I got a little derailed for a minute there, but now I'm starting to get back on track. I've got a clear, definite end to this novel, so that's a bonus.
Actually, this story - the sequel to Escaped - has been through several rewrites. I think this is version 4 or 5. Each time everything changes. Characters, events, timelines. But the ending has always been the same. I always know exactly how this book needs to end.
So, here are today's stats. They aren't the best, but like I said earlier, writing is writing:
Goal: 70,000
Day 11 total: 2,751
Day 11 running total: 24,065
Words remaining: 45,935
I am almost to only 45K words left! This is kind of a milestone. My other big milestone for this week is my goal to be halfway finished. End of week 2, halfway to 70,000 words. Makes sense, right? Well I have just over 10,000 more words to write - closer to 11,000 - in order to hit my goal by Saturday night. Think I can do it? I have my fingers crossed.
So, an excerpt. You've come to expect it in my Dear Diary progress reports, haven't you? I'm not sure how many people are actually reading this, but if you are, thanks for reading! I hope you like the excerpts. I hope they make you look forward to the book. And also, if you want (but really, please do), leave a comment at the bottom for me. My word count will thank you for it next week, I'm sure.
She walked to the center of the parking lot, further from
her car than she would have preferred, and waited. Her phone vibrated again.
Turn around.
She turned around in a circle, arms outstretched.
Drop your purse and
slide it over.
She complied.
It was the same routine every time. Turn in a circle, hand
over her purse, and then wait for the search. She didn’t know who the man she
met with was – he always wore a hat and sunglasses – but he never strayed from
routine, and he always made sure their business was conducted within five
minutes or less.
“You lied to me,” his whisper echoed off the cement
structure.
“About what?” Samantha’s breath caught in her chest.
“You told me our mutual friend was out of state,” he
growled, stepping closer to her.
“She is,” Samantha whispered. Her heart pounded furiously as
he stepped closer again. If he knew she had lied, then his boss probably knew
she had lied. And if his boss knew she had lied – She swallowed the lump
forming in her throat and wiped her sweaty palms on the sides of her chocolate
colored suit pants.
“No, she isn’t.”
He shook his head as he drew nearer still. He reminded
himself to be careful. She’d never seen his face, and he didn’t want to slip
up. If she could identify him, it would be bad for both of them. His career
would be in jeopardy, and so would her life. His boss had been very clear about
that. He pulled his sunglasses down, just enough that he could see over the
tops of them, and stared at her.
“Really? You’re going to lie to my face now?” His laugh
echoed through the empty lot. “I saw her today. I know she’s still here.”
Samantha’s face blanched. She grasped at her chest with her
hand, desperate to feel her heartbeat under her palm. Her heart skipped a beat
and then began beating even faster. She took a small step backwards.
“Nope, you’re not going anywhere until you explain,” he pulled a gun out
from the waistband of his pants. “Start talking, now.”Thanks for reading! Here's to hitting 35,000 words by Saturday!
XOXO,
Jo
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