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Welcome to this week's Novel Support Group (NSG). Anyone can join. If you're new, tell us a bit about who you are and what project you are working on. Feel free to update the NSG Work in Progress thread with your current projects. Although we can report on any number of things, here is a list of suggestions (suggestions welcomed).
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
Where did the time go? Certainly doesn't feel like Friday. Nothing done this week.
My goals for next week:
More Article Writing
Just do something.
What did I learn this week?
Things are busy at work again, still, whatever. Was hoping to learn something this week but it's been too hectic.
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Ah, well, William. Maybe what you learned is "the Red Queen's lesson" that sometimes you have to run as hard as you can just to stay in one place.
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I finished my sequel to Blood of the Land on Wednesday. It came in at 182,213 words and took 135 days--an average of 1,350 words a day.
I had a reread of the first book on Thursday and Friday and now it's time to get to work on the edits. Yikes.
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MAGIC'S FOOL: Figure out what changes I need to make to improve this story. Still working on it.
FIRE AND EARTH (formerly known as SEVEN STARS): Two more queries out this week. Nope. I sent three.
BLOOD WILL TELL: The hard part (for me)--marketing. Very little.
BLOOD IS THICKER: Let it rest. Easy one.
MAGIC'S APPRENTICE: Still on the back burner. Another easy one. I actually did just a little bit of work on this so I could put it up for critique with another group next month.
THE BARD'S GIFT: Get through Chapter 6. Not quite. I am in Chapter 5, though.
MAGIC'S FOOL: Keep thinking about what changes I need to make to improve this story.
FIRE AND EARTH (formerly known as SEVEN STARS): One more query out this week. That'll make two dozen. Then it's probably time to reassess whether the query needs review/revision.
BLOOD WILL TELL: The hard part (for me)--marketing.
BLOOD IS THICKER: Let it rest.
MAGIC'S APPRENTICE: Put the first three chapters up for critique by my other critique group (The Pied Pipers).
THE BARD'S GIFT: Let's make it through Chapter 7 this time.
Also, make revisions to "Apocalypse Cruise" to see if it can be saved. I think it has a chance. And revisions/additions to a novella "The Music Box" that I intend to e-pub next month.
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LAST WEEK'S GOALS Metzgerhund Retreat What I said: Finish one story, and write 4K new words. What actually happened: The 4K word goal was easy. I’m at the point with some of the stories where I’ve got the order of events fairly well mapped out, and the characters set, so all that’s left to do is the actual writing. I stopped keeping track once I pole vaulted over the 4K mark, but it would not surprise me to learn that I doubled it. Now, about that part of the goal where I was supposed to finish one of the stories…I, uh…the dog ate it.
(mainstream novel) What I said: Read the manuscript. What actually happened: I read some of it. Oh…during my daily walk through the woods, I’ve been having conversations with some of the characters. The squirrels and the deer probably think I’ve lost my mind.
THIS WEEK'S GOALS Metzgerhund Retreat: Let’s up the new word count to 6K.
(mainstream novel): Same as last week…read the manuscript. But, by this point, I should be ready to start the revision process. So, put that on my list of goals, too.
WHAT DID I LEARN? My knowledge and understanding of being a more efficient and productive writer has multiplied during the past few months; it gives me quite a rush just thinking about it. I’m fully accepting of the fact that I have so much more to discover and to comprehend before I’m anywhere near the level I want to attain, so I keep in mind the words of a phrase I’ve heard quite a few times in quite a few ways: “Undertake to do it joyfully.”
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I successfully workshopped my new opening to Null Prophet yesterday. Also worked a little on my North outline.
For next week, I've got 6 sets of comments to wade through, and decide what changes I want to make before querying again.
I'm also thinking about getting back to Unborn for a first revision. The second half is a mess, so I'll start by looking at the current outline and figuring out what major story changes I need to make.
North's been going pretty slow. I think what it needs at this point is to simmer in the back of my mind while I work on other things, and I'll add to the outline as ideas come to me.
Posts: 125 | Registered: Mar 2011
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Meredith You have two sets of goals for next week?
I wrote in Angel Kin, she is about to have a fight about fifty feet above the ground on planks of wood stretched between three double posts. It looks like some type of scaffolding and is real. I've had problems trying to figure out how to get her to that part of town and how to get her up there but I think I figured it out. It goes along with a test the bad guy shave her in the first chapter. She still doesn't know those who hired her and act like her friends are trying to seduce her to their side.
Worked on Stone, she beat a large animal form another dimension with help from Jason but instead of running from the police that show up she was suppose to meet with one of the special unit officers. I will have to change that.
One of the reasons I delayed posting this was so I could do some work on "Two Struggles". Finished revising chapter four started chapter five and spellchecked, proofreader chapter one. And sent it to someone to read.
Goals are to keep working on all three.
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A return to the NSG. I've not visited for some time. I have a trilogy in the making. The status of my Shattuk Downs novels. Meredith has seen one.
1. Her Mother's Daughter - Draft done. In to first readers. 2. Daughter Disinherited - Scenes all mapped out. In drafting mode. 13.5K words so far. 3. A Legacy Fulfilled - the last book has all of the scenes mapped out.
My scene maps keep me on a path, for the most part. I've run off the rails a little on the Disinherited path, but I'm writing towards a certain event, so then I'll be back on track. That's okay.
All of my other novel efforts are on hold until the Shattuk Downs series is written.
Next week, I intend to be at the halfway point for the second novel draft (50K words. All three books have a tentative 100K length.)
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I like that. At least it's better than falling behind. Perhaps in the process I'm getting exercise too.
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Was hoping to learn something this week but it's been too hectic.
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