Found:

One brain.  Measurement 5″ x 7″.

Please reply if yours ASAP.  Is turning brown after the rain.

If no claims, will be pickled for emergency use.

For the last several months I’ve kept track of my word counts so I can see the trend and remember (in the face of all those zeros) I really am making progress.  No more roiling anxiety that I’m not delivering–I’m more mellow and willing to hang out with my family when I see a trail.  Funny that the success of the whole day hinges on what I managed to accomplish as a writer–I give every day to being a mother, which is my most important role by choice, but all the pieces need to be in balance.

So if it’s useful to you writing buddies, here are my word counts for May, June and July, and each month I’ll start posting the last month’s progress.  Each day I try to claim an hour to write, whether it’s in the wee morning hours or during the babe’s afternoon nap.  Some days I get lucky and win more.  Each “word” comes from all of my writing–journaling, notes, worldbuilding… because as mom of four kids, at this stage it’s not just about completing a draft (which is only a portion of novel-writing anyways) but keeping my sanity.  I keep track of draft progress separately, which I’ll post, too.

July
TOTAL words: 18993
TOTAL WIP count: 31,000 on the dot

June
TOTAL words: 20174
TOTAL WIP count: 23614 words

May
TOTAL words: 17213
TOTAL WIP count: 7541 words

May and June I made quite a bit of progress on my WIP but it’s slowing down for July and August.  I’ve reached the middle and have lots of details to hammer out.  Lots of brainstorming, which is my favorite part because the characters can literally go anywhere, in spite of the outline I keep.

Someday I dream of being more prolific, but meanwhile, well, there are kids to love!