As of today, July 2, I have written 72873 words.
I feel good about this total, but I do want to add more. There are rough guidelines for word counts for books, and I want to follow them, but I also know the story will be as long as it needs to be. That will just happen. I don’t want to add words just to reach some unofficial goal. When I finish adding all the details I plan to include, I’ll have to decide if the novel is long enough to be marketable.
I’ve shifted more to writing instead of research, although I continue reading from my sources and taking notes. I’m adding my notes to the margins of the draft and adding details each day.
One thing I’ve done is add some Aztec words. The Aztecs spoke the Nahuatl language, so I’m using them but writing them in italics.
For the structure of the book, I’m writing most of it in first person from the point of view of Sinapa, a Calusa prince I created. Between chapters, I am also including sections in third person on the actual history of when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived at the Calusa capital of Mound Key in Estero Bay, Florida.
I have also been compiling my sources into a bibliography, which I plan to include as an appendix in the novel. So far, I added have about 110 sources on the bibliography, and I have more to cite.