FantasyEarly draft
Forging the Blade
by Dan E. Arndt
Nerida learns she is the granddaughter of Merlin and Nimue, then has to forge a new blade before magic dies.
384 words110,000-130,000
Older draft has 19,876 words in reserve.
Area One Pennwriters
The FFB Challenge
Finish the F*!&@*g Book.
A hard-rock progress board for the manuscripts that have been waiting, lingering and generally refusing to become finished books.
8Projects on the board
249,198Known words already drafted
670,000+Words in declared finish lines
44%Known progress toward stated goals
World Tour Schedule
No excuses. No encores. Just the book.
The challenge runs like a tour: kickoff, check-ins, the saggy middle, the black moment, the end and the big show-off at conference.
Jul 2026 Kickoff, Erie, PA
Aug 2026 First Draft Check-In
Nov 2026 The Saggy Middle
Feb 2027 The Black Moment
Apr 2027 The End
May 2027 Show It Off - PW Conf
Progress Board
Everyone gets a finish line.
Ranges use the first number as the visible progress target for now, so a 60,000-80,000 goal starts celebrating at 60,000 and keeps room for bonus words.
Group momentum
44% of the known starting board is drafted.
No one has crossed the finish line yet. Good. That means the scoreboard still has drama.
Mystery/ThrillerMost of the way, but not finished
STOLEN - A Romeo's Mystery
by Todd Main
A group of retirees free a local girl from a human trafficking ring.
55,000 words70,000
FantasyThe messy middle
Kinkaid's Freedom - Brotherhood of the One GOd
by Todd Main
An ex-merc looks for freedom from his past.
Handwritten and hard to count100,000
Starting count still needs a clean number.
Historical FictionEarly draft
On Buffalo Street
by Carla Swick
A family saga about Mom and Dad raising ten children through the chaos, humor, hardship and changing culture of the 1960s and 1970s.
58,223 words60,000-80,000
Also known as The Big Blue House on Buffalo Street.
Soft boiled mysteryThe messy middle
Book'd Up
by Linda Roller
A middle-aged reporter in full blown crisis finds a new career, makes serious mistakes and finds a dead landlord.
39,291 words80,000
The dead guy has been on the floor for nearly two years.
YA Urban fantasyThe messy middle
An Untitled Unfinished Book Started Decades Ago
by Debra (Debbie) Sanchez
Main characters from two different worlds and times learn of hidden talents to overcome evil.
34,000 words70,000+
Started in 1976-77. The characters will not leave her alone.
Contemporary Romance/Women's FictionOn the board
More Than One Lifetime
by Susan Gable
Her mother taught her how to die. A small town and its country doc are about to teach her how to live.
26,000 words80,000-85,000
Susan lap one.
Romantic SuspenseOn the board
The Flyboy's Vow
by Susan Gable
An honor-above-all military-turned-SARs helicopter pilot and his do-what-you-must paramedic navigate falling in love while seeking justice for men who did not make it home due to a crooked CO.
36,300 words100,000-110,000
Susan lap two. Still sporting.
Survivor Class of 2027
The shirt is the trophy.
The board exists to make progress visible. The shirt exists to make finishing feel like joining the band.
