Feeling like I might actually get to 'The End' this time!

After numerous attempts to write a training course and getting part way into writing it, then coming to a grinding halt because I felt like I was waffling far too excessively, I changed tactic.


I downloaded a Mind map and dumped my ideas and thoughts into the freebie program in short and concise statements that I knew I would understand later. 


At the end, I switched the mind map over to Outline view, but the program wouldn't allow me to print out the outline, only the actual mind map. *Sigh*  So I painstakingly hand wrote into a fresh spiral notebook each of the bullet points in the outline (though I altered the list to only have a two step hierarchy on paper than the however many hierarchy created by the program).

And that, my friends, changed everything.

I typed each of those bullet points into Microsoft Word (using the outline view mode) and in less than half an hour I had the structure all set down.  Then, starting with the last entries (using normal mode), I inserted Section and Page breaks, until just the skeletal outline was on about 30 pages instead of 2.

With great determination, the next day I deliberately started working on writing Section 30.  I knew it would be my hardest part of writing the content, so rather than putting it off and starting on all the easy bits (which was really tempting, and, to be honest, mostly already done at first draft level), I forced myself to start with the hardest parts first.

That first writing session took me five hours, and the words took a while before they started to come out, but by the time I was finished, I had 1. missed having lunch (not good, I have diabetes) and 2. had increased my word count from 2,712 words to 6,799 words!  I had got through that hard last section, and then moved straight to another hard section (I think around section 24 or so) while I was on a roll.

Anyway, it is now two weeks later and my word count has grown to  35, 268 words.  I still have a long way to go to get everything out of my head and onto paper, before I can then chop out unnecessary points and to rewrite, edit and polish the manuscript to a readable (by another person) level. 


And it has been a FUN journey this time.  Once I cracked that 10,000 word mark, something inside me just knew it would be different this time - this time I wouldn't be going back to the drawing board, this time, I will actually get to writing 'The End' (Though, that will be the first two words that I will then need to edit out).