Hang your head in shame, or stand up and cheer. The answer to the title of the note tells you which to do. This note is for those who write one every couple months or those who write once or twice a month. This is a prompt to get all of us to write with more regularity. Once a week is all this note is asking, though many of us will write most days of a week. By posting whether you wrote or not, you will have the incentive to start writing regularly, as it becomes shameful to not say you wrote. You see this note coming, and you get to work just so you can say you wrote.
I am short on time, but In previous notes, I have listed some things that count as writing. The short answer is, if you have to ask, then yes it is writing. If it pertains in any way to writing, then yes it is writing.
On the story idea front, I am down to 46 story ideas, including what I am posting tonight. Not horrible but not as much as I like. It tells you that I have dug into the top of the note list as of late. I am not yet into the notes that I looked at and rejected at least once, yet, but I am getting close.
On my last Waxy story, I decided I am done with it. My writing partner read through it, but she said it really needs some work.
The editor for the publication sent my first Waxy story to the editor, My writing partner and she is going over it now. When I get it back, nothing else matters. I must get that thing cleaned up correctly. I started my third Waxy story and have started the writing, but dislike the later plot. Even so, it is now on Page 4 at 2513 words. I was hoping to talk to a friend of mine about some plotting but I have not had a chance to see him.
I am almost finished with two of my projects for the art show. I made a cannon that looks good. I had hoped my cannon was going to be furniture quality, but I made a few little errors in it. It is a good toy, but not furniture quality. I have gaps in joints and all sorts of little errors, along with some dings and dents on the barrel. The overall effect is good though. I also have one of my two fairy carvings nearly done. I got a good effect on her, though I could point out things I am not happy with. She is no worse than any other fairy carving I have ever done. I am not going to complain. I have a vase with three faces I am carving into it to finish and a second fairy to finish carving, and that will be all the major projects needed for the art show. After they are done, I can then do fun work, with no pressure as they won't have a deadline. Of course, if either of these projects are not ready for the art show, it won't be horrible as I have more than the table can hold anyway. Just my turnings and just my carvings can fill the table, and I will be displaying both. The worst part, is that while I more than the table can hold, I don't have enough to really do some big time sales where volume is needed. The renaissance festival was on down here this past month and I was unable to go. Partly for money and partly for getting stuff done for the art show. If I got into the festival, I would likely run out of stock in one day. That is how little production I have. I looked into being a vendor several years ago and my reality check bounced.
Using the above as a starting point, Interstellar travel was perfected accidentally. a mistake in the drive system made going to the stars possible, and it also opened up a new communication band which turned out to be well used by aliens. Tracking down the sources, they figured out where a nearby market space station was located. Some investors took a chance and loaded a fleet of ships with what amounted to a month's production of goods and went to the space station. A little bit of negotiation gave them a nice site to display their wares. They assumed that they would take a while to sell what they had since it was a month's production. They got a space for quite a time. they put high prices on their goods with raw materials and alien items as payment. they opened their doors and the merchants walked through. Each merchant purchased just a few of anything, but by the end of the day, the shelves were empty. Their ships were full of their payment and they owed for another nine months for the space. They sent their ships back and the planet was scoured for even slightly used things, anything they could get into the ships. Factories suddenly go to full power. Every ship that could be fitted with an interstellar drive arrived with a full load. two days after they re-opened their doors, the shelves were empty again. There was no way the home planet could produce enough to keep the store open. They were stuck with a long commitment and was not sure they could even get out of it.
posted
I finished editing and submitted a literary short story, and then I also a finished draft of another short story (a fantasy story) which I sent to my writing group for a critique. I'm taking notes for/planning another story (sf), as well. I'm hoping to submit the finished one by the end of the month, and the science fiction one...well, who knows!
posted
Just under 8K this week, well short of my goal. One of the days was a disaster schedule-wise, but then, these things happen. Story currently just shy of 100K, which probably makes it about as long as all other fiction I've ever written put together.
Posts: 921 | Registered: Nov 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hey, elilyn, no writing is ever wasted. Who knows, that essay may lead to an idea you can use someday in some future story.
Posts: 8826 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yes I did. Started something new, and worked on some old. The only thing I didnt do is submit last week. I will have to make up for it this week.
Posts: 1168 | Registered: Mar 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yay, two weeks in a row, I get to post yes in here.
I wrote another 4k, which was my goal for the week. Small goal, but I'm just getting back into writing after a year and a half off, so I'm being realistic. This week, the goal is 5k. I plan to move it up about every other week if it goes well. So far, Elemental is up to 15k and I'm fairly happy with it. Early going, I know, but it's nice to feel good about my writing, makes me want to keep doing it.
I also started a blog about my writing, a place for me to work through general writing problems, and record the things I'm learning about writing and about myself as a writer.
posted
I am doing better all the time! Awhile back, there was a thread about just doing 500 words per day. (Supposely would add up to two novels per year!)
I thought it was a wonderful idea; I can do 500 per day. It has been very motivating. I don't psych myself out; I just write 500. There are often times when I write more, but that "minimum" is what keeps me going.
Meredith, I read all your blog entries. Crossing my fingers for Seven Stars and Blood Will Tell.
posted
2K today! Yay! Plus I'm making a wedding dress for a friend of mine, plus I worked for 3 hours, did carpool, made dinner...
Posts: 14 | Registered: Feb 2011
| IP: Logged |
quote:Hey, elilyn, no writing is ever wasted. Who knows, that essay may lead to an idea you can use someday in some future story.
Thanks, I hope so.
Actually I got the idea (at least in part) for the story I'm writing now from an essay I did on how woman could gain power in Medieval Europe, so you are more right than you know!
I still wish I could have worked on it this week though, seems to be the only way I get to relax anymore.
posted
I finished the revisions on my current story, printed it up, and mailed it away. After that I took a little rest, and spent a little time rereading some old unfinished stories to see which one I would work on next---unless something original comes to me before then.
Posts: 8809 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:The only thing I didn't do is submit last week.
I agree, my inbox is 50 pages lighter than it should be.
As for myself, I've given up (temporarily) on my WIP. 2k words in 4 weeks isn't a book in the making. I need some type of infusion or inspiration and all the books and movies and crime shows I'm watching aren't helping...
So, I've switched over to editing my 2nd novel which is complete. This way I can query it out or just pub it myself. I'm undecided in that dept. I'll probably wait until I get an opinion or two from readers.
I just hate the idea of it sitting on someone's desk for nine months unread when it could be out there on someone's kindle. If they were to dig it half as much as I do then I'd be very pleased.
Or it could get crushed and I could crawl under my desk for a week.
posted
I'm in my final push to finish (for the very first time) a complete draft of a novel!
I took this Monday and Tuesday off my 9-5 graphic design job and devoted myself entirely to writing (and a little bit of Wii, but mostly writing). In the past week I've written 15,000 words! Hooray!
Now that I'm writing against an outline, I can tell that my first draft is going to be so unnecessarily long. I'm currently at 60,000 words and I have at least 30,000 to go in order to finish the story, and it's supposed to be a fantasy book for middle grade, 9-12. I over-write trivial scenes and under-write important ones, which I'm sure will add up to an interesting (read: painful) rewrite in which many babies are killed. I've never written a whole novel before, though, so I can't be penalized for learning as I go
At first, I was afraid that creating an outline would make it really difficult or boring, since I had a hard time using a plot outline with my last (now abandoned) novel. But this time I'm focusing a lot more on the basic "what's going to happen" rather than the "how it's going to happen" and that's really working for me so far. Let's hope it keeps working!
So yay! My first success in a long time. Two days of being a devoted writer, instead of just writing for fun, has made the whole concept of being an author very appealing. I will be returning to the office with the overwhelming desire to quit my job and use my savings as the deadline for finishing, polishing and selling my novel.
Stupid mortgage, always getting in the way of my impulsive decisions.
posted
I wrote, still working on revising that one story. When you;re just working about ten minutes a day on writing and/or revising stories it takes a while...for me anyway. I think I can be done by Friday. Next week I can start that other non-human story I mentioned on another thread.
I wrote on all three of my novels. Well, worked on revising one. With all the new stuff I'm adding that one will be over 90,000 or did I say that last week?
I added three or four posts to my blog--got one response I need to respond to.
I responded to another person's blog twice and there will be a third time. Amazing enough I can relate to each of her three comments about her writing.
A couple of E-mails.
Posts here.
A critique or two.
I did send out some stories last weekend. Got one back and sent it out again. And got back a response from another one that is likely a rejection and so I need to figure out where to send that one. I think most of the places I would send it to I have stories out to.
In my mind, I wrote the beginning of two stories. One was just something I played with while waiting for something online but if I can figure out what happens to the MC I will write the whole story. I figure it would be a simple SF story. The other beginning was inspired by two of my wives crafts. Last night she talked about taking pics of her fairy riding a ladybug and a fairy riding a snail so I came up with an opening and tonight while we were actually taking the pictures I came up with the rest of it. A pretty basic, simple fantasy but come to think of it maybe too simple.
In my mind kinda worked on a couple of more ideas; one a space adventure, and a UF idea.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
I will have to make up for it this week.
