• 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

=-=-=-=-=

Last Week's Goals

I did poorly last week, barely writing / world building anything. Bad week.

My goals for next week:

• Short Story

With the world building that I did the previous weeks, I came up with a possible short story idea that I want to explore. I will likely work on this since I'm not doing any writing anyway lately. At least it is in the same world as the book I finished recently.

What did I learn this week?

Not much this week.

--William
 

DREAMER'S ROSE: Nothing for this month.
Easy goal.

MAGE STORM: Nothing this week unless I get some comments on the new query letter.
Another easy goal.

SEVEN STARS: Keep working on the second draft. I need to work on a couple of other things, too, so the goal will be four chapters this week. That'll be through Chapter 12.
Yes.

BLOOD WILL TELL: Continue the chapter exchange(s)
Yes again.

OTHER:
Update my blog twice a week.
Work on revisions to another short story.
Spend some time preparing for Agent's Day next Saturday.Next Week's Goals:
Yes to all.

Another pretty good week.

Next Week's Goals:

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

Keep jotting down ideas of how these two might be changed.

DREAMER'S ROSE:
Nothing for this month.

MAGE STORM:
Revise the query letter. Make any revisions that come out of the first chapter critique on Agent's Day. Get ready to start sending queries out again.

SEVEN STARS:
Keep working on the second draft. What with losing a day to Agents Day, the goal will be four chapters again this week. That'll be through Chapter 16.

BLOOD WILL TELL:
Continue the chapter exchange(s) and make revisions.

OTHER:
Update my blog twice a week.
Attend Agent's Day on Saturday.
 

Last week I made it my goal to just get through the short story I'm working on. I did that, and now I'm just editing.

Describe what you worked on.

A short story with the working title of "Beyond the Metal Veil" about a psychologist who gets tasked with treating the first sentient AI.

Set goals for next week.

To write another short story.

Did you learn something during this week?

I've been learning a lot about the publishing world. I've never tried to publish anything before, so this is all new to me. I discovered these boards, so that was new, too.

[This message has been edited by jcavonpark (edited May 13, 2011).]
 

THE NULL PROPHET: Let it rest. Finish at least one critique for each exchange.
Yes. I've been thinking a lot about the feedback I'm getting, and a couple changes I could make that would fix a lot of the problems.

MINDWALKER: 1,000 words/day, 8,000 for the week.
No and Yes. Hit 1,000 4/7 days, but 8,057 overall I introduced the last of my main characters this week, which was probably the roughest part. Now that he's falling into place, I'm getting some good momentum heading toward the 50% mark.

Next Week:

THE NULL PROPHET: Continue exchanges.

MINDWALKER: 1,000 words/day, 8,000 for the week.

[This message has been edited by EmilyS (edited May 15, 2011).]
 

But the much more exciting news is that I believe I've found my bridge scene.

You know, the one that gets you from main plot body to climactic conclusion? It's been many months now of thinking on and off and after a lovely three hour car ride alone yesterday I think I've got it.

Now... to write it.

Axe
 

Work I've done recently on Hudson Valley School:
-Finished the re-write of the 2nd half of the "Briar's Day" chapter (3rd chapter of the book. I should probably take another look at the end of it (last few paragraphs in a couple of weeks.
-Began work on a total re-writing of the "Arden" chapter (2nd chapter). I'd been pretty happy with my original draft of this one at first, but, with distance, realized I had to more or less scrap it in toto.
-Also currently doing some specific world building work re: magic and magical tools that should help me see what tools my antagonists will need to acquire to accomplish their goals.

Goals for the coming week:
-Continue work on the Arden chapter.
-Continue the world building work.

-Ostara
 

ostarahollyoak, glad you're doing better and working...on writing that is.

I absolutely no work on New Mage--shame on me even though there was a reason.

I finished my revision on Bright Lights, this is the reason nothing on New Mage. But as I was going over it I decided my MC needed a couple of injuries in her fight with the Bad guy. So a cracked rib and a strained wrist. But I decided to go back and have the bad guy give her the crack rib instead of a guard as she runs out of the castle.

Worked on conclusion of "Storm Born". My MC is about to face the bad guy wizard. I decided that he needed a bit of help, which has been bothering me for a while, and instead of his ex-fiance and ex-friend--they do show up--it will be another wizard. It's one that has been showing up ever so often through out the book. My MC and him are sort of friends, if anyone can be a friend to a wizard that is slightly crazy and is likely to do anything at anytime or get very angry at something small. And this wizard will be able to see the bad wizard get pushed into the other dimension. That is something else that I have been sort of wrestling with.
But I'm still not satisfied with the conclusion. It doesn't seem dramatic enough. My MC is injured, he goes through a period of felling as a failure because of all the clues he missed or misinterpreted. He is in a dangerous predicament, maybe he needs to fall down and crawl to the bad guy. Maybe a race to see who wins the zombies to get him before he gets the bad guy. He can't move fast after all.

Someone want to check it out for me? After I'm done of course.

[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited May 18, 2011).]
 

But, praise God, I was scrambling to find a new XP disk (I can't afford any of these new fangles OSes), and after about a week of trying to save files, I get back on and the virus is gone. Of course I downloaded new software and found and prisoned 3 viruses, but the one causing the obvious problems (like not being able to get online or access any system tool) was gone.

Fortunately, I did get lots of revision work done on New Arbor Day because I keep my current copy backed up on a thumbdrive that goes with me and then backs up onto my desktop and laptop. Good stuff, my WCE partners have really been helping me get the lead out...though my wordcount hasn't fluctuated much, I think its more meat than starch.