Well, here we are… July 31st.

I did not meet my goal for July. Not at all.

I’m afraid I did not account for the possibility of a chronic back issue flaring up and making it almost impossible for me to sit in a chair, the last two-ish weeks.

But that’s okay.

I’ve looked over my calendar, counted the weeks to the end of the year, and re-examined what I consider feasible. I think I set my sights a tad too high for coming off of “Fires,” leaving aside the issue with my back that has been beaten into submission once again, and I’ve adjusted accordingly.

My goal for August 1st through December 31st is 750,000 words of new fiction.

So, let’s check my math.

There are 22 weeks left in the year, starting August 1st, and I’m going to approach my writing with the same dedication that everyone else puts toward their ‘day jobs,’ except I don’t consider what I do ‘work’ or ‘a job’ or any similar words that might lead someone to say or think, “Ughh… I’ve got to go to work,” with a heavy, heartbreaking sigh.

So, that means 8 hours per day by 5 days per week. That’s 880 hours.

Now, setting a goal of 750,000 new words of fiction by the end of the year means that I only have to write an average of 852.27 words per hour each writing day to meet my goal.

And folks, I consider that very doable. So, I’ll restart the goal tomorrow (i.e. August 1st).

I hope the intervening days have treated you and yours well. Stay safe out there.