Awhile ago, another blogger posted a question about the habit of posting word counters on our blogs. Why do we need/use them? I didn’t answer then. I will now. The counters keep me honest. It’s easy to stop a new project when no one knows I’ve started. Easy to spin my wheels on mid-draft revision and never climb higher on the narrative arc. Easy to…you get the point.

When I was drafting Soul Enchilada and revising Soul Enchilada and revising Soul Enchilada some more before the official revisions of Soul Enchilada, the word counters served has both my private anchor and my public nag. As I begin the early writing of the draft of what could turn out to be the second novel, I’m eschewing the word counter. I don’t have the luxury of starting something I won’t finish, and there is an editor out there to keep me accountable.

I’ve met my daily goal of at least 1k words for four straight days.

The working title of what may become the second book is Human Identification. It will change. They always do. I won’t know if I have something for awhile, and I’m scheduled to take ideas with AEV soon, so it’s premature to call this a book, much less the second book. Let’s face it, though, this is not my second novel. If I finish, it will be my eighth.

Next week, first galleys copyedits will be in my greedy little hands. A few blurbs have come in, and they are more delightful than I deserve. I’ll share when I can.