Word Counts

15,000 words a day, ladies and gentlemen, is more than I can manage. That is what I learned over the last few days. I was on a retreat in Florida, so I had plenty of downtime. Sunday and Monday, I worked almost non-stop on Thorn and Shadow, and I only managed a little over 10,000 words total. Oh well. 5,000 words a day is not bad, and if I ever do this writing thing full time, I'm sure I could push past that. We shall see.

In the meantime, please enjoy the very first rough appearance of the opening sentences of Thorn and Shadow:

The shapes of men materialized out of the dust clouds, bodies wreathed in loose cloth of black and gray. Hoods and masks hid their faces, but they moved with purpose, marching in ranks. Though the distance was great, Adhi saw the glint of polished blades, of long silver spears and curved scimitars, catching the heavy rays of the lowering sun as it sank beneath the dunes.

“Have they come to behold the garden or to murder us?” Kathiri asked, poised on the edge of the low wall. “What do you think, little sister?"