Here’s today’s progress on the alternate-history battlefield adventure about a widowed nurse from a Confederate hospital aboard a west-bound train pulled by a Union war engine — now with military intrigue, steampunk Texas rangers, undead political separatists, murderous plots, bushwackers, bandits, sabotage, and epic scenes of mayhem:

Project: Dreadnought
New Words: 2165 (pretty good for only a couple of hours)
Present Total Word Count: 46,248 words
Goal: 120,000 words (revised goal)

Things Accomplished in Fiction: Mercy hooked up with a Salvation Army mission in desperate need of a nurse (in exchange for a night’s lodging); encountered this story’s first instance of blight poisoning via the drugs that have made it to the front lines; was utterly freaked out.

Things Accomplished in Real Life: Did day-job reading (no holiday rest for the wicked! I got a little behind last week); gathered more housewares for Goodwill; performed some writer business paperwork duties.

Reason for Stopping: Going to nab Caitlin for a jaunt down to Pacific Place, where we’ll pick up Psynde when she gets off work — then we’ll all run out to the Goodwill and maybe, I dunno, vittles. But Caitlin’ll be here at 3:00, and I need to go change clothes/take care of some stuff before she arrives. At least I got my 2k in! I’ll try to write more this evening.