Wordcount: 72,500 approx.
Started on an IT course, meaning writing time almost disappeared.
Wordcount is pretty much unchanged. Possibly found someone who will make a book cover design for my book for free. (Will print a few copies for myself...hopefully they won't be both the first and last ever copies of the book in my life!)
Did a bit more writing and a bit more research. Some of the research was about Baybars' soothsayer. Also made significant progress concerning how to fix a problem with a large portion of the second book, which meant the Muslim and Christian stories were running at different times (years apart). This was a potentially confusing problem!
Made note to self for the 2nd draft (!) that the characters' backstories should be kept mostly secret for the first quarter of the book, making them, and perhaps some reasons for their motives less clear. Their backstories can be revealed slowly over the first quarter of the book. However tons of flashbacks is not really desired. Hmmm...perhaps I should leave thoughts about the second draft for later. At any rate, some of the earliest chapters will need moderate revision, whatever those revisions may include.
June 2008: 5 days spent on IT things. Lots of new research and discussions with Turkish author Yigit Bengi. End of month total book word count: 70,000 approx.
May 2008: Two and a half weeks holiday. Restructuring work of complex events and additional research. End of month total book word count: 62,000 approx.
April 2008: Alot of learning and 10 days illness! End of month total book word count: 57,000 approx.
March 2008: Definitely will be a duology. Edited chapter 11. Am learning alot from 6 new books. Developed characters further. End of month total book word count: 52,000 approx.
February 2008: Most chapters are turning out longer than planned, it will either be a thick novel, or two novels: a duology. I'm up to chapter 11, and was hoping to do a bit more but had to stop for a few days as some additional research was needed. End of month total book word count: 38,000 approx.
January 2008: The prologue and first four chapters are completed, to first draft. I intend to write the entire book to completion at this level, and then edit. End of month total book word count: 20,000 approx.
December 2007: Actual prose writing work has finally begun.
November 2007: Main planning and research ends. A detailed chapter-by-chapter plan for 'the novel', and most of the historical research is done.
November 2006: Main planning and research begins.