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Welcome to another week. I failed to get to that pesky outline, but I may be able to focus more energy on it soon. However, I did accomplish some things:
I just signed a contract for my second professional publication.
Bernard Cornwell recommended both a US agent and a UK agent for me. (Which is very cool.)
I finished that chapter, and my WIP—as of last night—was 70,250 words (281 pages).
I still haven't heard back from six other submitted stories, but I'm patient. (One of them has been out for just over six months—and they usually reject in 3.)
Goals for this week:
1) Knock out this chapter. 2) Get to that damned outline. 3) Get another Flash cleaned up and subbed. 4) Get skadder's design done (which, if he's reading this, I HAVE started. It'll have an element we didn't discuss.)
How's everyone else's WIPs? (That includes Nanos.)
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YEA IB!!!!!!! Which story was picked up? Was the agent recommendation for the WIP? That's awesome!
Goals:
1) get the finished short stories off the computer and into the mail; 2) Finish the battle re-write; 3) Get comments back to IB on his stuff; and 4) give IB more grief .
The rewrite is creeping over what I want for the word count so editing will be fun. Isn't it always?
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Yeah, the Agent recommendation was for my current WIP (Storm's Fury). It seems historical fiction is my forte. Which is good, because my fantasy writing always ran more toward historical—as you well knowkings_falcon. Apparently, the money is better for historical (as it's lumped in with mainstream fiction), so, it might be a way out of my day job.
I'm definitely going to have to do more intense outlining in the future—if I intend to write on more than one work at a time, which I do—and keep my writing-bible locked up so it can't disappear.
Oh, and another goal, that I didn't mention, is to get to BC's critique.
I think my last goal was to finish the chapter, but I didn't. I barely wrote on it. Instead I ended up doing some outlining. I tried before but for some I needed to write it out by hand. I guess the computer's format felt to restricting to me. It felt good to get it out in written format, now I don't have to worry about forgetting details.
So this week I'm going to finish the chapter. I'm really hoping to get this chapter done and start on the next. I'm about halfway done with this chapter so that shouldn't be too hard.
I managed to get writing again, after many weeks of hair-pulling. I'll probably have to re-write much of it, but at least it feels like I'm making good progress.
I just arrived in California to spend the week with family, so my goal this week is to relax, and to work on all the papers due before the end of the semester.
I am two thirds done with the steampunk story, as I am still contemplating how much the villain knows, and how much I can hold back and reveal at the end. Then back to Harper street, possibly with a new chapter to send out next weekend - that would be the pre-chapter that starts the book now with a murder. Which I believe IAB and Wouldbe suggested in the beginning. Sigh. I'm a slow learner.
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In the past two days, I have pulled off a stunning recovery, and I'm going to bed tired but past 30,000 words. That means I accomplished my goal of 12,000 words this week. It feels good. And it all feels like genius-even the 2000 words I just wrote--about having my main character do some laundry and take a shower (alright, that may be a slight exageration, but you get the picture).
My goal this week is to write 19,000 words. That 19,000 words has to contain the resolution of this poor, poor character's fate, the whole story arc for another character, their romance and an ending.
It sounds impossible, especially since my husband just informed me that he's taking Wednesday off so he can paint our family room. When I asked him if I'd still have a computer, he said, "We'll see." He gets pretty grumpy here towards the end of November.
IB, I think that's fantastic. It couldn't happen to a nicer person. Melanie
[This message has been edited by Unwritten (edited November 22, 2008).]
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I know it seems that lately I've had about as much dedication to this writer's group as a three-year-old, but I've been furiously trying to catch up after my crisis-induced hiatus and get prepared for the upcoming holiday storm. I've managed 80 pages of 12pt, single spaced re-write, which almost makes up for the three weeks I went without writing much of anything other than stuffy philosophying on life. I have managed to get Dr. Marksberry's past from 'cruel intentions' extreme to just plain old cruel for those of you who know the story, I think this bothered me, too. This week is Thanksgiving and I'll be on the road, but I'd like to get to another 2 chapters. I really should have this done by now. My next story has been trying to seduce me away.
As a side note, I'm working through Wikipedia's Figure of Speech list, taking a new figure of speech each day, spending a half-hour or so, trying to learn it, and then applying it. I've been doing this in one of my characters blogs on the MySpace for writing warm-ups (Sam Kent's Creative Writing for the Criminally Insane, loads of fun and I learn something too!). For those in re-write stages, I'd recommend a self-refresher course on these gramatical devices. I'd forgotton 2/3s, but using them is like adding custom trim to your home. That little added extra-something that makes the average job look really good. Just Wiki-search 'figure of speech' and you'll find enough to keep you busy for a month.
If there is anymore on Graveyard or Sorcerer -- y'all please send it my way. I'm one of those passenger seat readers, and I'll print before my trip. Hope everyone enjoys their holidays.
I just wanted you all to know that as of this moment my Nanowrimo book has 40,001 words in it. Up until I hit that number, I wasn't 100% sure I was going to finish in time, but now I think it may actually happen!