…is off to a slow start. As of now (7:12 p.m. Sunday), I’ve completed exactly half of the word quota I need in order to make 50,000 words in 30 days.

I’m trying to write my novel the way they write soap operas: Start with a broad overview of the storyline, then elaborate that into a scene-by-scene breakdown, then fill in the actual dialogue and descriptions. I roughly have breakdowns for the first week’s worth of chapters, and am trudging through turning the second chapter into pristine prose.

If I’d been truly on the proverbial bean, I’d have had all the chapter breakdowns, and a couple thousand words o’ text, done by now. With luck and gumption, I may be able to catch up.