OMIGOSH I did it!

Okay, I was not a fan of the outline going into this, but now I totally am.  I finished the first draft this weekend, and despite the lack of explosions, I am quite tickled with it.

1.       Read the section of the outline for the scene I was about to write

2.       Check the allotted word count

3.       Write only what the outline told me to (kept me focused)

4.       Go back and make sure I covered everything required in the scene

5.       Check the word count after completing each section

I started to get scared because I was 150 words over in the first two scenes, which is a lot in a 10,000 word piece.  The good thing is, I over-allotted words for my turning point/revelation, and my climax.

In the end, I had 9,240 words.  Yay!  Words to spare.

Now, what is really awesome about this is since I stuck to my outline, I have no extraneous scenes to edit.  Every scene is important to draw the plotline forward.  There are no “Little Darling” scenes that I have to pull my hair out over cutting.  It’s a great place to be.

There are a few scenes that I need to go back and edit before beta-reading.  One I purposely wrote as “tell” because I wasn’t sure how to “show” her walking across a snow bank.  Overall, I am in great shape, and I am happy with the story.

And I cringe to say it— but I never would have finished it that quickly without the outline.

Now— to Edit, Beta Read, and Polish before the submission deadline.

The clock is ticking