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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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Looks like we had a slow week for novel writers last week. I hope everyone is doing well.
Last Week's Goals
I had some good brainstorming sessions for my outline last week. I'm still trying to get a good focus on a process for developing story ideas but I feel that I'm making progress at least.
My goals for next week:
Brainstorm sessions for outline
Work on Project: Life outline
Critiquing
I'm keeping the same primary goals from last week. However, I do need to find the discipline to work on those items more frequently during the week. Much of my excuse lately has been the Olympics. I've often gotten distracted in the evening watching TV. The Olympics are over soon so hopefully that will be one less distraction, maybe.
I will also help critique a fellow Hatracker. This will be good for me also because we all need practice at editing so that we can better analyze our own work, difficult as it may be to turn off our emotions regarding our own work.
What did I learn this week?
Just keep writing. What I *need* to learn is discipline. This will be the hardest aspect for me.
I made up a revision list for TGS and started pounding away at it. Also revisited my query, researched synopsis writing, and made the plunge into researching agents. (My brain hurts.)
Goals for Next Week: 1) Pound out at least another 7 of my listed revisions on TGS. 2) Return to my poor neglected WotF entry. 3) Write 500 words for CI 2010.
DREAMER'S ROSE: Work on the revisions. Yes. I've got three and a half new chapters at the beginning. I like this starting point much better.
THE SHAMAN'S CURSE: Leave this one alone for a while. Easy goal.
THE IGNORED PROPHECY: Make revisions as the chapter critiques come back. Yes.
BLOOD WILL TELL: Work on the query and synopsis some more. Nope. I was bad.
SEVEN STARS: Keep on writing. Don't let it lose momentum again. Yes. This one is coming along, now. Just shy of 40K words.
OTHER: Update my new blog and try to keep it updated at least once a week. Twice. Once with my story from the charcter challenge. Once with another blog post.
MISC. Try again to install the router so I won't have that kind of computer problem ever again. Well, my shoulder is finally starting to feel better, but I didn't do this.
Next Week's Goals:
DREAMER'S ROSE: Continue working on the new starting point and then work on revisions.
THE SHAMAN'S CURSE: Continue to let this one rest a bit.
THE IGNORED PROPHECY: I've got a chapter exchange going on this one. Make revisions as the chapter critiques come back. Think about how I want to change the beginning.
BLOOD WILL TELL: Work on the query and synopsis some more. Prepare to submit it again--and again . . .
SEVEN STARS: Keep on writing. Don't let it lose momentum again.
OTHER: Update my new blog and try to keep it updated at least once a week.
MISC. Try again to install the router so I won't have that kind of computer problem ever again.
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Wow! A vacation and an illness and the month is shot. However, I have been writing and logging in my Excel worksheet. My goal was to log 40,000 words by this point in the month and I have reached 35K so I am not far off even with vacation and illness. The other major goal was to have San Francisco Draft 2 completed by months end. I am behind on that goal but maybe able to make it if I push through the rest of the weekend.
I've been meeting my standing goals easily (except for days that I was sick or on a plane) so I am no longer mentioning them - they are assumed. (2K a day, crit and work on grammar.)
By next week I should have draft2 of SF sewn up and will probably put it to bed for a week and work on shorts for Wotf maybe? Or go back to the YA novel that I have begun and set aside when SF derailed in January.
What have I learned this week? Microtension--the concept that each sentence has to have enough tension to pull the reader along. Stephen King, James Clavell, Dan Brown all masters of microtension. I'm re-reading Clavell's Asia series and am completely transported by them and also find it hard to find a single sentence where I can put the books down. Where I do not want to read the next one. THATS MICROTENSION!!! LOL.
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What's a good way to set goals when I'm revising? Word count doesn't really capture what I'm doing, as I'm often cutting as much as I'm writing new, or changing.
I thought joining would be a good way to set-up a system of accountability, i.e. making goals and reporting to others. I've been struggling with my Depression lately, so productivity has been very low. Just so you know, I am a newbie writer who has never published nor submitted. My goal this year is to change that (at least the submittal part).
Projects
Celebrity Farmer (SS - hoping to submit to WOTF) Ding Dong, We're Dead (YA Novel) Bordertown (Fantasy Novel)
None of the above are finished. They are in varying states of completion, but I think Farmer is the priority since I'd like to submit it to WOTF.
quote:I'm getting psyched for the Superstars Writing Seminar...
Don't forget to let us know how that goes. I really wanted to attend (it's within driving distance, even), but I just can't swing that kind of money right now.
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