30,000 Words and Running
Celebrating the little things
This month I started tracking my word count for the day.
I have this useful writing log that Shaunta Grimes created. Before I started writing this, my word count for the month sits at 32,489 words. This isn’t anywhere near a world record, but my heart swells with pride every time I look at it.
It motivates me to keep writing. I find myself recording ideas throughout the day. The past couple of nights I’ve been scribbling away, working on my fiction project Anomaly. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I’ll leave a link to part one.
I’ve been sitting down to write more lately.
I’ll wake up, go outside to check on my newborn puppies, make some coffee, and then sit down to write. When I first told my grandmother I wanted to write this summer instead of get a job, she was anything but happy. She slowly started to come around after I printed out some of my Medium stats and showed her.
Writing on Medium is one of the best things that’s happened to me.
Everyone is pretty welcoming. I’ve only had two negative encounters in my short time on here. Every clap, tweet, and response makes my day. I still get surprised when my phone lights up from a Medium notification. The responses are heartfelt and genuine.
I fall asleep replaying the fiction chapter I just finished penning. I wake up wondering what I write about that day. Writing has become a huge part of my life, and I love every bit of it. I used to only write for school, my best friend, and poetry for Instagram. It was sporadic and unorganized. Some days, I’d crank out 15–20 posts and be set for days. Other days, I couldn’t bring myself to post at all. Now that I’m writing here, I post almost every day. I might miss a Sunday every once in a while.
Writing for Th–Ink Queerly gave me something to look forward to.
I still remember the Saturday morning Darren Stehle made me a writer for his publication. I check the publication multiple times daily to see if there have been any new stories posted. I’ve met some amazing people since I started publishing with them.
Some amazing serialized fiction is being consistently cranked out by my fellow writers as well as nonfiction pieces. There’s a healthy group of new pieces published daily.
James Finn is publishing chapters to his novel David and the Lion’s Den. He wrote the novel five years ago and has decided to dive back in and share it with us. David is a young, gay painter trying to make it in New York. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere right? The genre bending novel has so much more to come. I highly recommend checking it out.
Eric Griggs teams up with Chloe Cuthbert, Saoirse, Kay Bolden, James Finn, and other Th–Ink Queerly writers. Bent Willows sits in the top ten on the fiction tag currently. It is set during the Civil War Era and the story unfolds through a series of letters. Beware, this story will command your attention and steal your time. You don’t want to miss out on this.
These are just a couple, but if you scroll through the fiction section on Th–Ink Queerly you’ll find a hefty selection.
It’s more than a publication. It’s a community. We help and encourage one another to write and share our stories. I couldn’t have asked for a better publication to start my Medium journey with.
I’ve penned over 30,000 words this month, but the month isn’t over yet. My pen and I are still scribbling away.
I would like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you that share a bit of your time with me. Every read, clap, tweet, and response means a lot to me. When I started, I wasn’t sure anyone would care about what I had to say. Then I closed my eyes and hit publish. Since then, I haven’t looked back. I appreciate everyone that’s given my words a chance. I hope you continue to enjoy my work and support me on my journey. ❤
