• 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

=-=-=-=-=

Welcome to a new year. I hope everyone had a happy and safe new year celebration.

Last Week's Goals

I did not do anything, again; typical. I'm hoping to change that .

My goals for next week:

• 2010 list of goals
• Brainstorming characterization for main character
• Develop mutually exclusive internal conflicts

This week I want to sit down and write out my goals for the year. I think this will better help me focus on what I want to accomplish. Right now doing anything for my writing will be a step forward.

What did I learn this week?

Nothing here. Good luck to everyone and I hope you all have a great 2010!

Goals last week:
Characterization - worked on fleshing out main character background.
World building - Narrowing down locations and time period for storyline.
Research - Studied space medicine and fire suppression in microgravity.

Goals next week:
Characterization
Plot conflicts
World building

Last Week's Goals:

DREAMER'S ROSE: This one will rest at least until after the first of the year.
Easy goal.

THE SHAMAN'S CURSE: Type in the newest version of the query and have a look at the synopsis.
Query yes, synopsis no. So I guess I met half of this goal.

THE IGNORED PROPHECY: I've got a chapter exchange going on this one. Make revisions as the chapter critiques come back.
Yes.

BLOOD WILL TELL: I've got a chapter exchange on this one, too, which is helping me to find some of the weak spots. Make revisions as the chapter critiques come back. And continue to type in the revisions that were on the old computer, to bring the version on the new computer up to date.
Again, yes. I've gotten some good feedback on parts of the story I hadn't given enough definition. And I've only got four chapters to go to get the revisions back in on the new computer.

SEVEN STARS: I need to brainstorm this some more.
Bad idea. The only real way ideas come to me is if I'm writing. I can sit around and pretend to think about it all day and it won't do any good. So, I started writing on it again. Guess what. I started getting new ideas.

OTHER: I still need to work on revisions to Dragons are Forever and The Seeker. Unfortunately, the critiques are on the old computer, so that probably won't happen until after the first of the year.
Nope. I still need to plug the old computer back in and try to get the critiques off, one way or another.

MISC.: Install the new router so I don't have that kind of computer problem ever, ever again.
Well, I tried. But it just doesn't want to connect through the router. I'm going to have to try again.

Next Week's Goals:

DREAMER'S ROSE:
Continue to let this one rest. My plate's too full to go back for these revisions right now.

THE SHAMAN'S CURSE:
Have a look at the synopsis so I can be ready to send this back out early next week. Like Monday.

THE IGNORED PROPHECY:
I've got a chapter exchange going on this one. Make revisions as the chapter critiques come back.

BLOOD WILL TELL:
I've got a chapter exchange on this one, too, which is helping me to find some of the weak spots. Make revisions as the chapter critiques come back. And finish typing in the revisions that were on the old computer, to bring the version on the new computer up to date.

SEVEN STARS:
This is still my playground. No specific goals.

OTHER:
I still need to work on revisions to Dragons are Forever and The Seeker.

• Finish WotF entry - Done
• Begin Second Draft Outline of APtW - Done
• Begin 1st Draft Outline for TMC - Done
• Begin 1st Draft Outline for EAD - Not Done
• Research more about Myrmidons - Done
  

So, all in all, not bad.

This Week's Goals:

• Continue APtW Outline (Characters, Plot and Milieu all fleshed out)
• Continue TMC Outline (Some Characters and Milieu need fleshing out, but detailed plot)
• Begin EAD Outline (Some New Characters from the short story, adding to the Milieu and Plot)
• Continue Myrmidon research
  

So I did not so bad! Thanks Meredith I got my first draft done, Yay me! Finished OWASM's review (OK by thursday...), did my goals and met my standing goals. Now I need to shift gears a bit to add a new YA fantasy that I am starting, code named Inbetween, and start on the rewrites of SF. I don't want to post it for review until I have done one rewrite.

Standing goals: (that's easy)
-write at least 2000 new words each day.
-keep my SuperNoteCard deck up to date on structural and character changes for my current WIPs (SF and In between)
-Read and crit at least 2 shorts or 1/2 of a novel each week.

Next week:
-Complete the second draft on the second 10K of SF
-complete 14K of Inbetween ( this gives me my 2K/day)
-meet standing goals.

Next week:

Work on Panix rewrite

Write down Bellian thoughts. Compare my initial impressions on what my NaNo novel needed with Leslie's. Some are the same

I will finish Panix rewrite before I get to Bellian, later this month.

ISLANDS IN THE SKY Working Title

quote:

---

I don't know if this is quite the right place for me at this stage. Any suggestions or directions will be taken as acts of kindness.

For next week I need to search for someone who can give me feedback from a serious proofread, find out currently correct methods to present my work and the proper publishers to approach.

Is it still proper to find a buying publisher before approaching an agent?

---

This is absolutely the right place for you. Welcome aboard.

For feedback, my recommendation would be to ask for a chapter exchange. You critique someone else's novel, chapter by chapter, and they critique yours. In doable bites of a chapter at a time, rather than the whole thing in one gulp. I'd offer, but I've already got a couple of chapter exchanges going at the moment. And this may not be the right kind of story for me, anyway. Just post that you're looking for a chapter exchange and sooner or later someone will answer.

My understanding is that the usual approach is to find an agent first and let them approach the publishers. At least, that's been my approach so far.

• Write every day - Accomplished
• Increase the draft's word count by at least 3,000 words - Fell short by 500 words
• Research the primary setting - Kind of accomplished, indirectly

The friend I mentioned two weeks ago let me interview her after a New Year's Eve party, and another of the party's stragglers hung around to add to her answers.

Apply the snowflake method to clean up my nano novel's plot.
Still haven't done this.

Next week's goals:

• Continue APtW Outline (Characters, Plot and Milieu all fleshed out) - Check.
• Continue TMC Outline (Some Characters and Milieu need fleshing out, but detailed plot) - Check.
• Begin EAD Outline (Some New Characters from the short story, adding to the Milieu and Plot) - Check.
  

As of now, I' shooting for:

• Completing APtW outline.
• Completing TMC outline.
• Continuing EAD outline.
• Constinue Myrmidon research.
  

I am floundering too. My whole family has been sick this last week including me, so my focus was to make sure everyone survived. Which we did .

No writing has been done.

He is back at work now, but I am sick.

Still no real writing done.

2010 is not going the way I planned it too.

This writing thing is no fun.
~Sheena

Okay, so that was a little bit fun.

I woke up early this morning to work on those chapters, but I just couldn't make myself do it. The last chapter I edited really threw me for a loop. In the end, I think I changed every single word. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, and now I'm feeling burned out.

But I must keep going! The next 2 chapters need a lot of work too, but come on Melanie! It's two chapters. In the vast scheme of things, that's nothing.

So, my goal is to have finished at least one of those chapters by Friday. Finishing the whole book would be acceptable too.