Word counts are deceiving in my non-fiction book, since as I write, I’m deleting the research notes I had left for myself. That makes it look like the word count is not going up by much, which can be a little disappointing as I’m watching that bar in Scrivener. But in terms of actual forward progress, I completed most of a “How-to” section today, so that feels good.
The nice thing about non-fiction is that I know what I have to get across and that the progress I make is moving me toward the goal of finishing my first draft and eventually publishing the book. I don’t get that sense with fiction, since I’ve had so many false starts and discarded drafts. There’s always a worry there that the work I accomplish today might be tossed out a week or month or so later.
Given my current disposition and the demands on my time, I feel like if I could just keep writing non-fiction in a field where there is a potential for sales (unlike my current niche), I would be happier about the writing process and would be in a better position to establish a backlist an consistent income.
Ultimately, though, I enjoy fiction more and, while it is a longer-term goal and requires a lot more effort, that is where I want to succeed. I just need to develop the skills to get there.