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I did manage to end Part One. I didn't get back to the outline or clear up enough of the short to get it out to market. I did do an extra illustration this month.
How'd you all do?
Goals for next week: Finish next chapter, work on outline for collaboration.
Special Note: Good luck to our NaNoWriMo participants!!! They count as novel work too, so you're welcome to drop a line about your progress, or discuss any stumbling blocks. Remember, we're all pulling for you!
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At 25,000 words on Crashin' the Real, just had what I've got read by the publisher, who said he loves it and keep going. Always a relief when the guy who wanted it likes it. Am shooting to finish within the next two weeks. Cross you fingers and send me good vibes?
Posts: 1304 | Registered: May 2007
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That's very cool deb, and my fingers are crossed for you, although that is going to make typing more complicated for me.
Well, it's a tight race, but I am hopeful that my GenPets story might win the contest, or at least place in the top 3. That's all I've worked on this week. BC, I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to finish chapter 3. It's been one of those weeks.
Next week's goal: Write 13,000 words. That sounds so crazy--how did I do this last year?
[This message has been edited by Unwritten (edited October 31, 2008).]
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I didn't finish my chapter. It just wasn't happening. Everything I wrote I hated, but near the end of the week I found what I wanted. So, I think this week will go much better.
New Goal (well not really new, actually it's the same one) is to finish the current chapter that was kicking my butt last week.
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Aighty fellow writers, I'm back. The forced sabatical has seemed to do me some good. I was deep in the re-write stage before all of the brown stuff (no relation to mrs brown) hit the fan. I've wanted to write so badly but been in such an awkward mindframe lately, that I haven't done much more than blog or fall asleep at the computer. I do not think that the little beds in hopsitals were ever designed to be slept on. My son's fine. Back to trying to kill himself on a daily basis. That makes my heart warm and my mind want to escape from reality every night.
Since my son's discharge Friday I've managed to get through one chapter of the re-write, and seemed to be so gung-ho that the chapter turned into three.
Question for others; have you ever had what you thoguht of as solid 'script but then you go back and find there are 7K words worth of details that were missing? I'm excited about the new stuff.
goals for this week: ride the high and try to get another 2 chapters of golden rewrite outta this thing.
I will get my comments on most recent reads out, too... Satate, hoping the story overwhelms you this week until you have to get it all out.
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Deb- many good vibes for you! Regansgame- glad to hear your little one is better.
Work on Part Two comes slowly. I have little discoveries all the time, but I haven't been able to actually write lately. Very frustrating.
I've also been feeling a little down. It's odd, but it's almost harder to write the rest of the novel after the first chapter was so well receieved. Like a silly voice saying, "That was a fluke! You'll never do so well again!" And no, that is NOT fishing for compliments about any other chapters, but rather me wondering if anyone else has strategies for dealing with that kind of voice.
In any case, I shall not acheive anything by worrying about whether or not I'll write, so I'm going to go and try to write now.
Goal this week: Keep thinking and having small bursts of inspiration, and writing what I can.
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Unfortunately, it's been my experience that to become an expert at anything means persevering when any normal person would have given up long before. And continuing to write because you gotta even when you think it could suck is one of those points normal people never get past.
Plus, I would never give you a compliment you didn't deserve, BC. I love you too much! And I've read a ton of stuff that you've written. No fluke, chiquita. Get going.
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BC, the only advice I can give you is, keep the end that your working towards in sight. When your at a loss, go to the next place you need to go to get there. You can backfill or smooth anything out later.
Remember, we've focused on getting the beginning right so much around her, that it's become necessary to hone Chapter One. Maybe think of each new chapter as a new chapter one and the old one as a prologue. Anything to get you through.
I just keep pushing along. I'm not afraid to make leaps and jumps in time, plot or veer off the path because it is a first draft (rough sketch). As long as I get to my destination, I can clean up the trip in my there-and-back-again memoirs (the subsequent draft or drafts). The first draft is really for you.
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Thanks, guys. I'm going to remember that Deb... "I'm tough! I'm an expert!" And yeah, IB, I think I get too hung up on getting each chapter perfect. Bad habit for a first draft.
So I had a few good breakthroughs even in the last day. Now that I've resigned myself to dropping my original idea for the second half of the story, the new idea is coming along great.
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So, I'm back. I think I've managed to get everything in my house de-loused - children, dogs, cats, husband, sofa, beds, bedding. Sigh, I'm exhausted.
Let's see. Last update I was trying to rewrite a character intro and he didn't like the new version. We mediated our differences and I did a time jump to get us past the part we both hated. I rewrote the reappearance of another character but that may end on the cutting room floor in edits.
I need to transition from where I am back into the BIG battle. Once I get this @#%$^ transition done, the rest should smooth out since I already know what I need to keep, cut, rewrite and add for it to work.
So, this week's goal - do the !#%#$ transition which should only be a page or two of moving from town X to the battle. Get back comments on an outline. Get two crits back to the authors.
I decide to forego NaNo this year. Too many other projects to deal with.
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de-lousing??? One of my worst nightmares. I feel your pain, and hope it's all over for you. Writing is a great way to escape to an alternative world for a while, as I'm sure you're aware. Just don't forget that eventually you have to return to this world. Melanie
Posts: 938 | Registered: May 2008
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Yup. You would think with a private school lice wouldn't be an issue, but 1/2 the school was sent home for a week with it last week. We ended up shaving the boys heads down to their scalp. Yikes! But at least they can go back to school. And with one new case of bugs this week, are less likely to be reinfested.
Between that and the heat snap (80s) that brought out the fleas (hence the de-lousing of the pets) and the mealy worms in the horses' grain, I've had enough with vermin for a while.
Still working on the fleas and keeping my fingers crossed on the other. My scalp inches when I think of it. Off to scratch my head, again. Sigh.
Our warm-spell was 64 degrees—not a whole lot of concern—but there seems to be epidemics of lice everywhere. Fortunately, we haven't found a sign of it.
My Father-in-law butchers deer, so our real concern is deer ticks and lime disease. <shudder> None of it's good.
On the other hand, I have finishedanother chapter—the first one of Part Two—and have finally gotten to the birth of the Continental Marines. Following the natural progression of their missions (after being frozen in the Delaware, getting "yellow jack" and having to hunt down deserters is all in store before the actual mission begins) will lead me fearfully close to the 150,000 words/600 page mark.
[This message has been edited by InarticulateBabbler (edited November 05, 2008).]
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IB, I'm hoping to get more time in on the first part for you this weekend too. But since the "week" here breaks on Friday (why does it do that, BTW?), it will show up for next week's goals.
We'll be in the 70s again on Friday. Weird weather.
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Actually, it doesn't break on Friday, it starts on Friday. Why? Because it's a boost into the weekend, a reminder of our goals (which we set each Friday) on the most common days off.
Good reason?
kings_falcon, also, I have reworked the first 140 odd pages--sorting out typos of all kinds. But, hey, I'm at 232 pages (58,000 words)now!
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How does that work deb? Do you get any say in what it's going to look like or is it a big surprise. I bet you are jazzed. I would be too!
Posts: 938 | Registered: May 2008
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it worked like this: The publisher gave me some suggestions for artists, I had a couple I was interested in myself. I checked out work by each of them, and then contacted my favorites to discuss. There was one guy whose work I really liked, who was willing to work under the publisher's framework (a couple of people indicated they were interested, but it's a percentage job, and they didn't get back to me.)
Then the artist and I talked about the book, and I sent him a copy, along with a list of characters and descriptions of them. I also had an idea for the cover, but after he went through everything, he countered with a way better idea, and when I liked it, he drafted it out, we got it approved by the publisher and Bam! Natt's working on a full color, cleaned up version right now.
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That's all I've worked on this week. BC, I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to finish chapter 3. It's been one of those weeks.
