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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. 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
I did a terrible job with my goals for last week. In fact, I don't remember doing anything for those goals last week. Lately I have been slacking quite a bit.
My goals for next week:
Find a goal, something; accomplish it
I just need to do something for my novel this week. Anything.
What did I learn this week?
Not much to say this week unfortunately. I learned nothing this week save to reinforce that I like to procrastinate.
Dreamer's Rose: Get to what is currently Chapter 32. And then some. I'm just ready to start Chapter 41. I'm at about 70K words right now. I've got two chapters of new material to write and probably three chapters of existing material to edit for consistency. Then I will reach THE END. Woo Hoo. I love it when it flows.
The Shaman's Curse: Go through the first five chapters with the checklists for beats, paragraphs, and saying it only once. Keep working on the query. Force myself to go back over the synopsis. Fail. Didn't even look at it.
The Ignored Prophecy: Let it rest a bit longer, except for the chapter exchange. Easy goal.
Blood Will Tell: Let it rest at least another week. Another easy goal
This Week's Goals:
Dreamer's Rose: Get through to THE END. It will feel really good to complete this one. It fought me for a long time there.
The Shaman's Curse: Same as last week. Go through the first five chapters with the checklists for beats, paragraphs, and saying it only once. Keep working on the query. Force myself to go back over the synopsis. Now that I'm about to finish Dreamer's Rose, maybe I can get back to this and start sending it out again.
The Ignored Prophecy: Continue to let it rest. I'm considering a major revision to the first chapters. I want to hear back from my chapter exchange on what I'm thinking about doing.
Blood Will Tell: I will probably pick up the revisions on this one when I finish Dreamer's Rose. And it's not too early to start working on the query letter and synopsis.
What I learned: Even when I'm not sure how to approach something, the best way is just to sit down and start writing. I may not think I know what to put there, but sure enough, when my fingers touch the keys, something will come if I just start typing.
[This message has been edited by Meredith (edited October 23, 2009).]
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LAST WEEK'S GOALS I've been back home long enough, so you'd think my mind would finally be back up to speed. Except, I haven't really felt that way...until last night. It was one of those writing sessions where I almost forgot to go to bed. I missed that feeling.
I didn't do as well these past 7 days as I wanted, but forward progress was maintained. Somewhat.
THIS WEEK'S GOALS
mainstream novel: The word count is picking back up. Plus, the conclusions for several of my story arcs are coming together quite nicely.
Metzgerhund Empire: Same as last time: my invitation to swap agent query letters still stands. I'll be glad to read yours, even though I still won't yet let mine be seen by anyone with a pulse.
science fiction novel: Still on target to finish my primary research phase by the end of 2009, and resume writing by January 2010.
'Infrastructure' (aka the Mass Cleaning and Reorganization Project): Did a tornado go through my office when I wasn't paying attention? Anyway...I will strive to rediscover yet another portion of my office floor.
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK As it's been said here and on many other writing boards: even when you don't know what to write, or even if you don't even feel like you want to write, just sit thyself down and write anyway. Something. Anything. I've always known this particular writer's axiom, but it's nice to feel the adrenaline rush of discovering its truism all over again.
S! S!
[This message has been edited by Crank (edited October 23, 2009).]
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So TGS totally took over my life last week and I didn't finish any of my other goals, but I won't complain :-)
Goals for this week: 1) Outline rest of Mudlarks to regain momentum here. 2) List changes I'd like to make on TGS now that I can see the whole. 3) Do all that Real Life Stuff that's becoming increasing pressing, the more I procrastinate it...
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I didn't make my goals this week, but it was not from lack of effort. I got stuck a really important emotional scene that I just couldn't get to work. I wrote five different drafts of it. It isn't perfect yet, but I think I finally got it to the state where I can move on and come back to it later.
I just now typed the two magic words, "THE END" on the last page of Dreamer's Rose. Woo Hoo! After all the ups and downs with this one it sure feels good.
This one fought me for a while, but I finally wrestled it into submission. (Actually, I finally figured out how the story wanted me to write it. Then it just told me what to write. I love it when that happens. )
Just one more week until Nano, and I'm torn between wanting to keep my momentum going with editing Earth's Gate and needing to do some more world building.
I took a long bus ride and spent at least an hour thinking up names for towns in the world. It was fun--I was listening to music and trying to have each song inspire me with at least one name.
This week: I need to think up some throw away characters and rethink the ending. That's all noncomputer Nano stuff, so I'm going to continue editing Earth's Gate. Chapter 18 today. I think I'm down to the last 100 pages or so, but they will be as much work as these first 200 pages have been.
The first 100 pages of my novel have been edited to death, and I remember working on the end chapters at some point, but I'm not sure I've ever touched some of these middle chapters since I first wrote them. Loads of work.
I love it when I've got a ton of writing to do! I just wish I could give up sleeping for a month. That would help. Melanie
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Thanks, Unwritten. Good luck to you on NaNo, too. I'm not doing it this year. Maybe next. I don't have anything ripe enough to play with at the moment. I'll be working on revisions to The Ignored Prophecy and Blood Will Tell. Also on those pesky synopses and query letters.
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I didn't really set any goals last week. Well, I did send out a short story to a contest this week, but it was sort of spur of the moment. I've also been working on the novel outline by scribbling plot ideas.
Goals for next week I need to keep writing down plot ideas. And I need to step up my worldbuilding a little and finish the stuff about the different holidays and festivals.
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