60,000 Words and Counting!
September 2026 | The Writing Life
Well, this is a milestone I’m rather excited about! I've officially passed 60,000 words on I'm Sorry, I Love You, and I have to admit, seeing that number on my screen feels pretty incredible.
When I first sat down to write this book, I knew the story I wanted to tell. I'd carried it around in my head for years, thought about the characters, imagined scenes and even written the beginning and the end. But turning all those ideas into an actual novel? That was another matter entirely. But once I got started, I hit momentum like I didn't expect. The words just flowed. The chapters just came. And the more I dedicated time to my story, the more it flowed... And now, here I am, with 60,000 words behind me and a story that's starting to resemble the book I've imagined writing for so long.
It's a rather wonderful feeling!!
Finding my rhythm
One of the biggest things I've learned is just how important it is to make time and space for writing. That probably sounds obvious, but between work, family and everything else going on in life, it's very easy for the things we want to do to get pushed aside by the things we have to do.
Since my writing retreat at Mt Barney in July, I've been determined not to lose the momentum I found there. I've been making writing a priority, finding time wherever I can and, perhaps most importantly, learning to trust the process a little more. I even set up my own little writing space in a corner of my bedroom!!
Some days I'll sit down and the words just flow. Other days I'll spend far too long trying to work out why a particular scene isn't quite working, or whether a character would really say or do something I've written. And occasionally I'll find myself going back over something I've already written, changing a few words, changing them back and wondering why I touched it in the first place.
It's the life of a writer, I guess.
When the story takes on a life of its own
One of the things that's surprised me most about writing I'm Sorry, I Love You is how the story has evolved along the way. While I've always known the story I wanted to tell, I've discovered that revisiting the past has a way of bringing things to the surface that I hadn't necessarily expected. As I've started unraveling the threads of the story, memories have come flooding back. Some I'd almost forgotten, others I hadn't thought about in years. And with each one, I've found myself looking at the story a little differently.
Even with a structure to guide me, the way I've chosen to tell it has evolved in ways I never imagined. A memory might lead me down a different path, or a moment I'd originally thought insignificant suddenly becomes an important part of the story. It's been fascinating watching everything come together, almost as though the story is revealing itself to me as I write.
Of course, it hasn't always been easy. There have been confronting moments that have taken me right back to experiences I'd rather not revisit. But there have also been moments of pure happiness, remembering the laughter, the love and the little things that meant so much. It's been quite the emotional roller coaster, sometimes all in the space of a single writing session!
But I think that's what makes this experience so special. I'm not simply remembering the past. I'm finding new ways to tell a story I've carried with me for years, and discovering just how much there is to it along the way.
More than just a number
As exciting as reaching 60,000 words is, I think what means the most is everything those words represent. The hours spent writing, the ideas that have finally found their place, the chapters that have challenged me and the moments when I've managed to capture something exactly as I imagined it. It's also been a reminder of just how much I've enjoyed giving myself the time to do something purely because I love it.
For so many years, writing has been something I've done professionally. But writing fiction, particularly a story that's so personal to me, has been an entirely different experience.
There's no brief to follow, no client to please and no one asking me to make something sound a little more 'strategic'. Just me, my imagination and a story I really want to tell. And while I know there's still plenty of work ahead, I'm proud of what I've achieved so far.
The next chapter
My goal is to finish the first draft before the end of the year. There's still a fair bit of story left to tell, and I know the editing process will bring its own challenges. But for now, I'm trying to enjoy this part of the journey rather than getting too caught up in everything that comes next. Because somewhere along the way, something I've dreamed about doing for years has become something I'm actually doing.
I'm writing a novel. And at 60,000 words and counting, I'm getting closer to the day when I can finally say I've written one.
Now, back to that manuscript!
Selena
