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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. Feel free to update the NSG Work in Progress thread with your current projects. 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
Wow. I was so busy last week not only did I forget to post the NSG I didn't even respond. Very bad on my part. Thanks again, Meredith.
On the Shelf THE SHAMAN'S CURSE THE IGNORED PROPHECY
DREAMER'S ROSE: Continue to let this one rest while I contemplate what almost amounts to a rewrite. Easy goal. And still I failed.
BLOOD WILL TELL: Wait for the critiques of the first three chapters to come back so I can make a decision on whether it really should be YA. Easy goal.
MAGE STORM: Let it rest before a final read through. Start polishing the synopsis and the query letter. This one starts going out first of the year. Yes.
SEVEN STARS: I'll keep the same goal on this one. Finish reworking chapter one. Do a little on chapter two. Nope.
OTHER: Update my blog twice a week. Start revisions on my WotF story. Finish the last critique for this month. (Whew!) Decide whether I'm crazy enough to start a query challenge. Decide what to work on next. Yes to all of the above.
Next Week's Goals:
On the Shelf THE SHAMAN'S CURSE THE IGNORED PROPHECY
DREAMER'S ROSE: Start the rewrite. This is what I'll work on, at least for the remainder of the year.
BLOOD WILL TELL: Read through those critiques and make revisions as needed.
MAGE STORM: Let it rest before a final read through. Continue polishing the synopsis and the query letter. This one starts going out first of the year.
SEVEN STARS: No goal for this week. Just let it cook a little longer.
OTHER: Update my blog twice a week. Finish revisions on my WotF story and send it.
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Well it's been a heck of the last two weeks with work. At least I'll have money for Christmas presents. It's been hard to fit in any reading or writing, but I think I have it balanced now.
The Unbeliever's Realm - Almost finished with first draft.
The seeds of Persephone - Restructuring and creating an outline.
I.F. - wotf 2011 q1 story - All I can say is - UUUGGGgg!! With the sound of my head pounding against the top of my keyboard. I started this darn story for 2010 q4 - tried to get it working for 2011 q1 and now I might have to wait till q2. It's a far better story than it ever was, but boy it gets me a little frustrated.
Girl on the fence - short story - Finished but checking all my facts are straight, I don't want to get anything wrong with a history/fiction piece.
Paraphrasing my life -
And a triple shot of sanity in my latte please--To go. WHAT! No sanity left! What good is all this money if I can't buy some sanity when I need it! Without sanity my day just doesn't start off the same way as usual. I need that extra shot of sanity every morning or it screws up my whole day. Now you're telling me there's none left for me! Whats the world coming to when a hard working person can't go out and find sanity whenever they need it? Please go over there right now and put my triple shot of sanity in the cup or I'm about to go crazy on you!
W.
[This message has been edited by walexander (edited December 03, 2010).]
Quite a few hundred words on, "Storm Born" . My hero is in the process of telling his fiance and best friend he thinks they are having an affair. As I think I have said before she is lying but not about that. I may have a little difficulty with her reaction. She's has self confidence but at the same time this is a huge shock, she is hobbled because she can't tell him the truth, a bit on the angry side because she wouldn't have an affair or cheat and feeling greatly frustrated.
I finished what I thought of doing on "Kin to Angels" That is "Cousin to Angels". Only chapter three for now. Do more later. Unless I decide to do another danger scene.
Started the rewriting of the ending of "Bright Lights And Chaos".
Worked for ten minutes on "New Mage On The Block". Need to do more on that one when I stop procrastinating here..... In a minute or three.
Thought of a long title or probably better, a first line for another UF book.
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Hello all, Thanks to Meredith for helping me find this post. I am looking for a few people to swap chapters. I am on the 8th revision of completed 80,000 word adult paranormal/or fantasy romance. I live in a very remote area of the Missouri Ozark Mountains, my hometown has 10,000 people. I like to read all fiction, except horror (my imagination is active enough) and serious erotica. I do have sex in my story. It is, in my opinion, not gratuitous and moves character relationships forward.
I recently finished Margie Lawson's writing immersion class (awesome) and I have my first few chapters on Scribophile. I write in 3rd person and I catch most beginner mistakes: passives, simultaneous as, past participle, POV shifts, redundant words, echo words, dialogue tags… ect. I am detailed and nit-picky with critique, but specific. My critiques have been described as blunt by some and wonderful by others. I never think my view is they only one. Overall, I would be a dedicated critique partner. I will stick with you and your story.
Here is my synopsis for Fall of the Dragon: In the secret world of the half-lights, Thea is shocked when a dragon plummets to death at her feet. Fearing the discovery of her people by the murderous ruler of Palmiro, Thea must use her power of invisibility to uncover the threat that is killing the dragons. Her quest takes her from her hidden village to the remote island of the dragons and onto the arms of Octavian, the powerful King of Dragons. Pushed to explore her own magical nature, Thea’s resilience is tested and her heart is tempted by a dangerous and forbidden love.
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Started to cut down Bellia's Journey (110 Thousand) to YA size. So far I've cut about 25 thousand words and I think I'll need another 5 or 6 thousand.
You can call me Ming the Merciless and I'm not done yet.
I think I'll do the same for my Panix novel. It needs some reframing but the cutting down will be easier. I hope to start on that before the end of the month.
(1) The Wonderful Instrument (TWI) -- a satirical fantasy set in 1930s Boston, about a dashing but insecure political young refugee who befriends a strange and friendless boy, not realizing that boy is a modern Frankenstein's monster. TWI is planned as a trilogy, of which the first volume is complete and the second mostly finished.
(2) The Quest for Norumbega (TQN) -- a hybrid sci-fi/wuxia (martial arts fantasy) about a postapocalyptic future in which warrior monks practicing a syncretic mix of Judaism and Tibetan Buddhism wander the wastes of northern New Jersey. Impulsive young Benno takes the Dharma name Tenzin and follows the heroic Choseng Schwartz Rinpoche on a quest for Norumbega, the legendary treasure house of sages and only cure for a world plagued by ignorance and illusion. About half of 90K words complete.
(3) Baudwynn the Inattentive (BTI) -- a talented but mediocre wizard makes his living as an itinerant demonologist, a dangerous profession for someone with his severe ADHD. Still in the early stages.
I am currently focusing on TWI, and am looking for someone else who also has a complete draft interested in exchanging chapter critiques.
I looked at it from that standpoint and couldn't come up with a compelling ending. The first book in the series has to stand alone with a good ending. I've got lots of conflict and action, but nothing culminates the story. Cutting it down made my original story much tighter and--I hate to admit it--better.
I want something under 80K words and I still need to get the POV closer to the MC, so I have to generate a little more room.
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The ending, so far, has remained intact. I had somewhat of a prologue and a long episode in the beginning that went out the window and another episode that didn't add to the story. I also had to cut out one of the running magical things she did. The rest was a snip here and a snip there and more tightening. I may even do some more, but I want to get this first pass done before the end of the month.
UPDATE: I did it! From 110K to 76K. I've never done that before and I think it paid off. I think another run through to give a bit more personality to my MC and it's ready to be looked at by another human being.
[This message has been edited by Owasm (edited December 08, 2010).]
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