• What were your goals last week and did you accomplish them?
• Describe what you worked on.
• Set goals for next week.
• Did you learn something during this week?

Here is a list of things that you can do each week as we work on our novels (suggestions welcomed).

• Writing on a novel
• Characterization
• World Building
• Relevant research

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Last Week's Goals

I did not get as many words written this week as I have in the past weeks. I only got 3,200 words written during my Tue/Thur writing days. The first day was because I got to the bookstore and realized I had forgotten to copy my weekend work from my desktop to my laptop. So, I had to go home and I only wrote for an hour or so. Still, 1,500 words during that time is a good pace.

Thursday I was just distracted. I don't know if it was the new story idea I came up with last week or the fact I have the WHOLE week off next week and figured, "hey, I have all next week to do this." Either way, this week was not as successful and it could have been.

My goals for next week:

• Write scenes

I really should be able to write THE END on this book next week. Not much else planned other than that. If I do, then I'll start working on some basic outlines for new story ideas while my wife goes through this first draft.

What did I learn this week?

I see that I need to learn to be able to handle distraction when I get cool new ideas.

On the Shelf:
THE SHAMAN'S CURSE
THE IGNORED PROPHECY

DREAMER'S ROSE: Continue to let it rest.
Easy goal.

MAGE STORM: Keep no less than six queries out at any time.
Yes.

SEVEN STARS: Write all the way through to "THE END".
Yes! Yes! Yes!

BLOOD WILL TELL: Begin making some of the revisions suggested by the latest readers.
Just started.

OTHER:
Update my blog twice a week.
Again. Yes.

I guess it's been a good week.

Next Week's Goals:

On the Shelf:
THE SHAMAN'S CURSE
THE IGNORED PROPHECY

I'm jotting down ideas of how these two might be changed.

DREAMER'S ROSE:
Continue to let it rest.

MAGE STORM:
Keep no less than six queries out at any time. I've got a few that are aging, so I'll have to get on this.

SEVEN STARS:
Let it rest.

BLOOD WILL TELL: Start working through the revisions suggested by the latest readers. I think it's going to be a stronger story.

OTHER:
Update my blog twice a week.

I’m working on my second novel, but I never sent the first one out (it started to look unpublishable in contrast to my current WIP). It’s epic fantasy, called THE NULL PROPHET, and I’ll post my first 13 on the NSG Work in Progress thread.

Last week:
I revised 5 chapters, cutting 1,200 words from my MS.

Next week:
Here I have a bit of a dilemma. My plan was to continue revising, but I’m worried about over-editing. I posted about it in the Open Discussions forum, and I’d appreciate any advice about where to go from here.

So I guess my goal for next week is to figure out my plan, and to write (or work on something writing-related) every day.

I know I wrote on New Mage a bunch and I know I didn't write as much as I wanted. Of course part of that is because I played too much the last couple of nights. Anyway, I didn't quite get her out of the trap I led for her. Well, she all the way out but she's not home yet so the scene and chapter isn't quite over. Hmmm, I could have the next chapter start with the drive home.

While at work the other day I came up with a reason for her temper tantrum against her one male friend when her friends finally showed up. Originally I just thought it was the whole situation: being completely drained of her power, almost raped, almost knifed, being all but helpless during most of it than she accidently almost kills to innocent bystanders. She didn't come that close to killing them but she felt like it. And on top of it all she's not used to having friends so she's not always sure how to be. But I thought up another reason that might be better. A Trick was cast on her, it magnifies her negative feelings toward people she knows while at the same time draws her to a cult leader.

And I revised more the fourth chapter of Bright Lights. Added things to help clarify happenings within scenes. But again not as much as I wanted to. I should be done by now with chapter four. I'm close. I want to get chapter five revised by 29th. But for some reason I believed in looong chapters while writing that novel.

"Storm Born" is coming along. I thought it might be just under the 84,000 minimum count I wanted. But it hit me the other day. I haven't been really describing the city where my MC lives and so far I haven't really brought his sister into the picture. I think I will use a made up city but I still could have him take certain highways through the city, go visit a new half underground mall that is suppose to use less energy but looks like a sunken pyramid built by drunk aliens. When I revise it if I add different parts of the city like that it will bring it up, probably over the 84,000 words.

I am not sure about two upcoming scenes in the book. One is almost there. My MV is in Fairy where he has fought a unicorn with camouflage coloring so tends to blend in with the vegetation and then he wrestled with an elven guard. Now he is about to be sent home. I have three choices, he gets sent home but waylaid to a pocket universe where a certain spell has grown sentient.. a friendly spell... and he talks to it before landing home. Or my MC is sent back to the "gate" he used to get to Fairy if he goes that way, he can do the unicorn a favor and it no longer wants to kill him and may even help in two chapters. Or much like the first scenario my MC is sent from the mini castle where he is and lands a block away from his house.

The second scene I'm not sure about my MC is at the place where the bad guy is opening a "gate" to let a certain demi-wargod back into our world. But there's a shield around the place so my MC can't get in. But since the bad guy learned his wizardry in Fairy the shield isn't touching iron. My MC has to break through or rip out some of the iron seats so he can growl under the shield. I am not sure how he does it. The unicorn comes and helps, a certain hell hound helps, a dwarf comes along to help. The dwarf is a friend of his half dwarven friend. Of it could be something else. Maybe someone else he befriended. Or even the half troll thug who was trying to beat him up a while ago. Not sure how my MC would help that guy to make him want to help my MC though.

So that means two of my novels will be within the correct range of words. I wondered if any of the three would be. That still leaves New Mage short but if I decide to go the way of E publishing I won't have to worry about making it long enough. But that means I will have to decide which way I want to go with the other two.

And I add that yesterday I managed to get in a spot of yard work-helped take down the St. Patrick's day lights before the rain started and later helped my wife take some pictures of her easter bunnies and Solar Fat Cat, instead of writing.

I want to get this one moving. It's just sitting on my shelf and that's a crime.

Now I transcribe my notes into the computer and print again. Then I send to some alphas. Hopefully soon.