In an effort to help many of us slackers to write, this note is to be used as a prompt to get us to write more than once a month or so. by regularly reporting whether we write or not, we can keep ourselves honest, to try to write sometime during the week, just so we can say we wrote. We all know that new writing is writing. Some might not realize that editing is writing, even if it is the work of others, or critiquing the works of others. I tend to write by editing. I will get some slop on the page, then expand it up to something better. I will do many passes, concentrating on different parts of the work to improve. Poetry, technical writing, blogging, writing assignments, world or character development, and even E-mails can be writing as long as they are wordy and pertain to story or writing. Other things are writing too, but you must decide that it is writing. there is no limit to how much you need to write to have written. If you wrote the RIGHT WORD, then you have written. Most of us look for a good increase in words, though.
As for me, I can say I wrote. It was not a lot, but I did write. I am writing by editing right now. I wrote my story plot out in my story idea style, and am now adding details. Early in the week, I removed a couple sections I missed when I split the story in half by the character's point of view. I added some additional words after that. In total, my final word count came out ten words shorter than last week's report. I have had a busy week, with several projects getting in the way. I did not have very much time to write on my story.
I fell a story idea behind this week. I had a meeting on Thursday and fell an idea behind. I made up for it Friday morning, then fell behind because the day went way too long. The weekend never let me catch up either. Including what I am posting tonight, I now have 59 story ideas. most of the top twenty look like they will be fun to write. While counting the ideas, I noticed quite a few that are deeper in the list are ones where I noted a concept, but had nothing to go with it, nothing to make it workable. It might be a situation, but no WHY to it. those tend to be the ones that don't get written. They are futile examples of story ideas.
I had to renew my driver's license this weekend. They had changed the rules for getting a license and it is taking longer than expected. I did not make an appointment, and just showed up in line. The appointments have priority. the line started fairly fast at first, then stopped. I spent hours outside in line, then got inside and spent hours inside. they had twelve stations in the place, and my estimate of one person being called each minute, now appears wrong because the place never had that many people in there. that was why the lines were going so slow. they only allowed a certain number of people inside at a time. It will be a while before I will have to suffer that again. I did work on teaching myself crochet. Unlike writing, this takes all my concentration. time goes fast.
Using the above as a story idea, He practiced magic for decades. He was now wealthy enough to concentrate on his own studies without having to be bothered by clients. He had nearly a dozen lesser magicians working for him, keeping the clients away from him. One can never totally escape from some clients, but the staff he had was competent enough to do what his clients wanted him to do. He was studying far seeing, past seeing, and other realm seeing. When looking into the past, he found he could see books that were open in the very distant past. He would sit and write down the words in the books he saw. Most of the time, he never saw the whole spells as they covered many pages, but there were some rather interesting bits and pieces he could work with. One day he was looking into a book of the past. someone would change the pages one at a time and let it sit long enough for him to see. Mid way through the book, he saw a comment about when heaven reached a critical number of souls, the whole human race would join the god and be as him. He never saw the number it was supposed to be, He searched texts for more on that, but never saw a number. that failed so he decided he had to see if he could far see the realm of heaven and see how full it was. He searched many worlds, and then found what he knew was heaven. It was quite empty. He knew there should be more people there. time had gone so long. A spirit saw him and addressed him. He could not escape and had to speak to it. he asked why so few people. the spirit said getting in was hard. One must find the gates to know. the spirit released him. He knew he had to go to heaven It was so wonderful. For about a month, he sort of walked around, thinking of heaven, wondering if he should speed his journey there. He then decided to find the gates of heaven. He got back to work, and first searched texts for word of heaven. he found some bits and pieces. he then used that to far see other realms. It took some time. He finally found the gates of heaven. He knew nothing about what it meant, approval to enter heaven was run by the driver's license bureau. the spirits stood in a very long line, going on beyond view. The clerks worked slowly, hitting buttons and shuffling papers. Every once in a while a number would be called out. A spirit wold come forward. Spirits would have to go to another place and be served by a clerk then return back. Most of the spirits had to head back toward the end of the line. he realized that those sent to the back of the line, did not have all the information they needed to pass. Watching them, he then realized that all of the spirits were being sent back. One was sent through the gate but he could feel that was rare. He came awake back in his castle. He immediately changed his studies to finding out how to live forever. there was no way he was going to get stuck in line if he could help it.
posted
I wrote a 4600 word short story for the Ladies of Trade Town anthology. It's been critted, edited and is going out in the mail tomorrow.
Posts: 1993 | Registered: Jul 2009
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posted
Nah, not a thing. I had time but I put it to other use. I got this DVD set of an old favorite TV show---yes, that show, the one I wrote Internet Fan Fiction for---and I've spent my time renewing my acquaintance and seeing what it is I saw in it in the first place. (And I've still got a ways to go before I reach the end.)
Posts: 8809 | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
I've been revising and reworking a short story I wrote about a month back. I'm considering entering that into this quarter's WotF instead of the one I've been working on.
The critiques I've been getting back have been, while great, pretty universal in the determination that there's still a lot of work to be done.
My other story, while not critted as extensively, is simpler and thus may be more ready to go. More character, less big idea. I've still got a month, so I'll have to see.
You may see me prowling around for a few last minute crits on that one before too long.
posted
Yep, I wrote 5,500 more words over the weekend on "The Knights Invisible", plus I sorted out some timing and structural issues with the outline.
Posts: 1469 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Got a story polished, worked on another one, critted some stories and mentally worked out my next short story.
Posts: 2626 | Registered: Apr 2008
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posted
Yes, I wrote for DeCo and for the same short story that I'd worked on the week before. My most productive day was Sunday, when I rediscovered Write or Die.
Posts: 1139 | Registered: May 2008
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posted
I didn't write Monday. Monday was a very bad night. It about did me in. But, Yesterday and today I've been diligently working on my collaborative outline.
Posts: 3687 | Registered: Jan 2007
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posted
Yeah, I did. Not totally out of my funk. I think its I am just too tired in the evening which is when I write. But the ideas are there and I am struggling but still managing to put them down, not as fast as I am accustomed to but moving forward at anyrate.
Posts: 1168 | Registered: Mar 2008
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