As for me, I did not write anything for my novel since I am still in the world building phase right now, specifically that elusive outline. I am pleased to say that I made much more progress than I did in my previous attempts. I still have the middle section of this novel to plan out but I am getting closer to where I need to be.

Right now I have the first one-third of the novel outlined enough so that I could possibly start writing that section. Not sure I will though. I do know that section well enough to know the cast of characters there. I will focus instead on doing the characterizations of all involved, even if I do not utilize all of the material I develop. I have found that as I do this characterization I get additional scenes for the book. They may not be scenes that specifically pertain to the overall plot but they do help display the personalities of the characters and their inner conflicts. As such, these scenes are a bit more important because stories about the characters, right?

Overall I am pleased with what I have accomplished so far. I don't usually set goals each week (I should). However, I think what I will do this time is set the goal to have the characterizations completed for the main character and the supporting role character completed by next week. A week may be more than enough than enough time or it may not be enough. I don't know. I do want to know these characters very well before I start working on the this book though, especially since I continually get new scenes from this process.

That's my weekly summary. How about yours?

quote:

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1. To finish Part 1 of MALZIRUN.

2. To outline the at least half of Part 2.

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I finished Part 1 of MALZIRUN, but I didn't outline Part 2. Decided instead to outline as I go. We'll see how well it works.

#

This week's goals....

Well, I've decided to make May my own NaNoWriMo and get in 50,000 words. Personally, I'm not a big fan of real word counts; I prefer MS word counts -- you know, 250 words per page. This means that 50,000 words translates into 200 pages.

To do this, I need to write between 6 and 7 pages a day in May. Therefore, this week's goal is pretty simple: write 50 pages.

I've managed at least a page a day one my new manuscript (which translates to a bit more since I'm using a small font that's more pleasing to my eyes). I'm still coming off of a major downshift on another project.

I got the illustrations in for FFO last night.

Goals for this week:

1) Kick it up to two pages a day (at least).

2) Get five pages edited on APTW a day.

3) Get a couple of pages edited on my WotF entry.

4) Sign the contract for "The Sad Girl" movie option and get it out in snail mail.

5) Get some feline sketches out to Deb.

6) Finish my owed WotF critique.

7) Work more on Sheena's critique.

I restarted Book Two (The Ignored Prophecy). I reworked the outline and am in the middle of chapter two. Pretty much all new material, since the story now starts in a very different way than it did before. Whether I'm posing the questions well enough is an issue. But we'll see. Beginnings always get revised anyway.

I've also done a fair amount of work on Book One (The Shaman's Curse), incorporating critiques.

I did not work on the synopsis. I really need to buckle down and do that. It's just not the most exciting thing I have to work on.

I also did not do world-building for Dreamer's Rose.

This week:

Get that synopsis fixed.

One of my short stories was just recently rejected, so I'm reviewing it a bit before I send it back out.

I recently made a theoretical physics realization (new to me, probably been known in the physics world for the last 500 years ) that has the potential to make one of my SF novels that much more complex. I've jotted down all my thoughts, and will get back to it when I'm finished my primary project.

I'm working on one crit, and will email the author shortly.

And, of course, ideas for my race story will not leave me alone...which means I'll be changing the batteries in my digital recorder fairly soon.

S!
S!...C!

(It's 39F here in Wyoming. I really need that sun.)

I submitted my first short story.

Wootawoo!

I honestly could care less if they buy it. (Who'm I kidding, so I do care a little bit.) Overall however, I'm just excited to have pressed the send button.

It's because of that challenge and the list you compiled IB that I did it, so thanks a ton for doing that.

As for Dragon Fate, I've looked at it a few times this week, but mostly I've been writting on my two other novel projects currently spinning around in my computer.

I'm bout 25,00 words into crappy novel number two, (CtD) and bout 5,000 words into crappy novel three. (no title yet, it's the story surrounding the advocate from character interviews.)

Have a finished draft of the first chapter of Blood of Princes.

@ InarticulateBabbler

I'm less than 200 pages from finishing MISTBORN 3: THE HERO OF AGES. You haven't seen nothing yet. It's proving to be one of the best trilogies I've read in a long, long time.

Of course this all depends heavily on what Sanderson does with these final 200 pages. But I'm not afraid to call him my new favorite writer.

After I finish what I'm reading now (Sam Barone's Dawn of Empire) I have to (and am looking forward to) read an advanced copy of Kevin J. Anderson's first book (in his first fantasy trilogy) Terra Incognita: The Edge of the World. I'm doing a map for book two (and possibly the last one, too). I might even have to skip to The Edge of the World before I finish Sam Barone's book.

And, I'm steadily plowing ahead on my current WIP.