Week 4 Pep Talk

So the Week 4 pep talk is pretty lackluster, simply because it assumes you’ve already hit 35,000 words and can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Essentially it’s all downhill from here (or there, I should say, since I haven't made it that far...).

Tips: Take it easy on your typing-wearied body. Stretching, massages, eyedrops, etc. Check your novel notes file for any good bits you may have missed/forgotten. Keep going after you hit 50,000. Even if it’s only so you can delete the crappier parts and still have 50,000 good words to show your friends and neighbors. When you get there, brag about it to everyone who’ll listen (Baty suggests sending everyone a screenshot of the title page with your word count by e-mail.)

Exercises: If you’re almost done, finish the novel by hand (i.e., with pen and paper). I’m not even going to dignify that with the justification provided in the book. Whatever. In social settings, steer conversations back to your book and the fact that you are a novelist, but don’t mention it’s your first novel. Always refer to it as “my most recent novel.” (I prefer the phrase “my latest novel,” but to each his own.)