The baby steps do matter

Last week I posted about finishing my first draft of Beekeeper. Over 79 days, I wrote 57,00 words. 

What I didn't say was that drafting Beekeeper was the first time in nearly a year where I was drafting something completely new. I'd spent so long revising Predacide that even last year's full draft was largely cobbled together from old scenes, with a handful of new ones scattered in; and unlike in years past I hadn't managed to draft my August short-story. 

And surprising no one, writing is hard. 

When I first started drafting in January, it felt like pulling teeth to write 100 words. I'd push myself to write 100, then 200, and wonder at how I ever managed a whole month of Nano sessions. 

And as much as I hate to say it, every day it got a little easier. Each morning I wrote a little bit more than I did the day before. There were some stops and starts, of course. We went to Vegas to see the Killers, and then certain executive orders began sending shockwaves through my industry. It became harder to write with all the uncertainty over my company's future. 

But I kept trying. And even though I lost some momentum, it came back. 

When I look at the graph of my daily word count, it looks like a mess. There's no pattern to it, just a lots of highs and lows, which is what this quarter has felt like. 

When I look by week, however, I see something different. I see progress, and the strengthening of my writing muscles. It gives me hope, that no matter what comes next, it will always be possible to start again.