Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt.

Don’t forget to click the link to see what everyone else has to say on this week’s subject. It’s at the end of my post.

What are you working on right now? (as far as writing goes) What’s going right? What’s going wrong?

At the end of June, I’d written just under 108,000 words this year. It’s not a bad total, but there was a problem.

I have noticed that this year, I’ve found it harder to concentrate on any one particular story. I’m not getting a clear picture like I used to. I get fragments of stories, in no kind of chronological order. In fact, sometimes, they’re not even connected and are obviously short stories or new projects.

As if I didn’t have enough to finish.

As well as my regular commitments to blogging, my Substack and my writing group, I have a particular story that I want to write. As it’s the next book in a long-running series, I have several people pestering me for it. However, it refuses to appear; in fact, it mocks me. I can see a sequel to this so far unwritten story, in far more clarity than I can the one I actually want to finish. If I hadn’t given the first chapter away at the end of book seven, I’d swap them around.

I think I need to change my understanding of the term writer’s Block. I always thought that it meant you couldn’t write anything.

At all.

Now, I’m not so sure. Surely, it can also mean being unable to finish a specific piece of writing due to constant distraction with other projects.

So far in my writing life, from 2011 to the present day, I’ve never had that problem. I think it’s because all I do is write down what I see happening in my head. I don’t have to sit and plan anything; I just stare at a screen behind my eyes and watch the action, while typing furiously to keep up.

It’s been disconcerting to come up against a problem that I never thought I’d encounter. It means that my word count has plummeted, from 2,000 words a day to between 500 and 1,000. Now that’s still good, I’m pleased, but my plans to finish a lot of my outstanding projects this year have fallen behind

So, does this count as writer’s block? After all, I’m still writing fiction, my blogs and Substack are on schedule, it’s just my thirteen or so outstanding novels that are suffering.

Then I had an idea to motivate myself. Every November, I write a new first draft in what used to be called the NaNoWriMo challenge. To complete the challenge, you needed to write 50,000 words in 30 days, 1666 words a day. I always book my editor for December 1^st to help motivate me. I’ve been doing that for a few years now, and it’s worked every time.

So, why not apply it in this case? But which project to choose? How about the easiest to finish?

My works in progress that are nearest to completion are two novellas. One is Crime Noir Sci-fi, while the other is a First Contact Space Opera.

Here are the current versions of their covers.

I need to write around 25,000 words to complete them both. Even at 500 words a day, that’s just less than two months of actual writing to add to what I’m already doing.

So, I picked September 1^st, and sent my editor an email. I even paid a holding deposit.

Now I have to get at least one of the novellas finished and submitted.

It’s working so far; over 10,000 words have been added since I gave myself that deadline, spread across both stories. If I can get them both done, I’ll send them both to her. Together, they’ll be about one novel’s worth of editing. If not, at least there should be one for her to look at.

It feels good to have a plan.

What do you think about this week’s subject?

Let me know by leaving me a comment.

While you’re here, please click the InLinkz link to check out what my fellow writers have to say about this week’s topic.

I’ll be back with another post on Thursday. See you then. Meanwhile, have a great week.

I’d love to get your comments, please leave them below. While you’re here, why not take a look around? There are some freebies and lots more content, about me, my writing and everything else that I do.