Broken Wings: Milestones

January is almost over now, so it seems like a good time to reflect back on how the first 30 days of 2012 have gone.  That, and the fact that I hit a major milestone last night.

One of the biggest problems I faced when working on Broken Wings was not knowing where I was up to.  Every time I shelved the project & came back for another round I would start at the beginning again.  The result was that the opening chapters have been tweaked within a mere inch of their lives, while later chapters languish in drafting hell, never to see the editor's pen.  I needed to come up with a way to tell myself "no, leave this alone, work on something else".

Last year I came up with the idea of locking chapters.  While it had no effect on the novel itself, it was a visual reminder that, no matter how much I wanted to, those chapters were off limits for the time being.  As I progress - learning, creating, remembering more about the world in which my novel is set - I come across information that I want to change back in Chapters 1 or 2.  But these chapters are locked, all I can do is make a note for myself and carry on.

Last night I "locked" chapter 14 of 28.  That officially puts me halfway through.  Now, I know that when I reach the other end I'm going to "unlock" chapter 1 and start the process over, but the fact that "halfway" is somewhat... misguided is not the point.

This is the first time I've been able to (and I can't emphasise this strongly enough) SEE the progress I've been making.  And I can tell you this: it feels great.  Knowing I can progress means knowing I can keep going.  My efforts aren't futile.

Maybe in a month from now I'll be coming back and saying that I've completed my first rewrite.  Maybe in two months.  Either way, it's a day that's coming & a day I can track my progress towards.