Put the pedal to the metal in May

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inthecards

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Hi All,

I'm about 90 days past finishing the first draft of my first novel and am ready to get going again. My plan is to grind out another novel draft in May, based on 50ish pages I wrote back in 2004 and then put down.

I know that many of you write all the time but for those thinking about a concentrated effort with some support this is an offer to join me. We can help keep each other motivated and see what happens!

If this thread is in the wrong place, please advise.

Alan
 
Red-Green

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I'm in. I signed up for a week-long workshop in July and to participate I have to have the first draft of WIP finished by mid-June. I write almost every day, but not at the pace I need to write to reach my deadline. I have 35K words and figure I need an additional 50K to get to the end. So, that's only...2K words a day for May? I can do it.
 
eveningstar

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I'm in, too. I was actually already planning on trying to knock out a second draft of my WIP that will likely (hopefully?) end up around 50k during the month of May. I'm trying to have it finished and somewhat polished by July, so April was rereading the first draft and taking notes and outlining and giving it more structure, May is for writing additional material and rewriting what needs to be rewritten and June is for putting everything together.

So yeah, I'm all for motivation.
 
James81

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I'd be in for this, but I'm just finishing up my own grueling NaNoWriMo challenge for April. lol Even IF I hit 50K words by the end of the day (I'm so close...so so close lol), I still won't be done my story. When I AM done, I'm taking a break from it and other "novel" type stories. lol

Well, actually, maybe I am in on this. I can finish up what I started this month. Hopefully only another 20K or 30K words will finish it up, but this story has a life of its own, I swear. lol I started this thing thinking "How the hell am I going to write 50k words about THAT idea?" and now I am almost AT 50K thinking "How the hell am I going to top this story off in another 30K words? lol
 
slcboston

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(This thread is starting to read like an "Ocean's Eleven" trailer: are you in or are you out? :D)

Movie references aside - I'm in. I definitely am close enough to finishing the main WIP that there's no reason for it NOT to get finished. Other than sheer procrastination. So what the heck - a thread for others to kick my butt and say, "well, what have you done?" will be good. :)
 

inthecards

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Loving all the interest. What's the best way for me to set up a collaborative space for all who are interested? We can use this thread if that's most convenient.

Here's a synopsis of my novel:

Bill Miller is serving a life sentence for killing two of his friends during a police chase in a car he stole. He has worked in the prison office for the
past eight years doing computer programming and support. While working on a recycling project that the prison was doing for a local chemical company, Bill starts finding a lot of computer and account information. Snooping around the chemical company's network, he finds some very odd traffic and communication that leads him to uncover a bio-terror plot between a chemist and a government employee.

Bill, keeping his identity private, alerts an up and coming Homeland Security official to the plot and provides information that is critical to stopping the attack from happening.

Any input? My last novel was so out there and multi-genre that people are having a hard time classifying it. I thought I would go mainstream thriller with a twist this time.

Alan
 

inthecards

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James81 said:
I'd be in for this, but I'm just finishing up my own grueling NaNoWriMo challenge for April. lol Even IF I hit 50K words by the end of the day (I'm so close...so so close lol), I still won't be done my story. When I AM done, I'm taking a break from it and other "novel" type stories. lol

Well, actually, maybe I am in on this. I can finish up what I started this month. Hopefully only another 20K or 30K words will finish it up, but this story has a life of its own, I swear. lol I started this thing thinking "How the hell am I going to write 50k words about THAT idea?" and now I am almost AT 50K thinking "How the hell am I going to top this story off in another 30K words? lol
Click to expand...

Sounds like my experience:
November: how the bleep am I going to come up with 50k words?
December: another 60k
January: another 60k
February: another 26k
Grand Total: 196k

This time I'm starting with about 20k, which need a good scrubbing. My goal is to keep this one under 100k, with a goal of 50k in May and then wrap the draft in June.

Alan
 
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It would be great if I could finish the second draft of my WIP in May. I'm on Chapter 3 now, with 29 more to go.
 

inthecards

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jannawrites said:
Add me to the list, if my goal of finishing the edits of my ms will count for May.
Click to expand...

Hi Janna,

Really want to review a draft? I will tell you that it's bloated and rough around the edges but I'm not shy and welcome any feedback.

Thanks and Regards,

Alan
 
raegan_1

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I'm in. I have 2 WiP on the go right now, and I'd like to have YAUF done before summer ends, so I can go over the rough draft with my target audience before school starts again (target audience being my nephews, 10 and 13.)
 

inthecards

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Day One Update

Wrapping up my first day of Put the Pedal to the Metal May and am happy to report that I wrote 2700 words today. It's been a hell of a long day and I was rustier than I thought I would be.

Today I introduced one villain of the story, a "day in the life" chapter focused on more show and less tell.

Also got out on the dirtbike for a while today, new boots made me feel like I was an astronaut. Managed not to fall off the bike, which is always a plus.

Hope all of you are getting into gear, let me know if you need any help.

Alan
 
WittyandorIronic

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IdiotsRUs said:
Join the AW Butt In Chair challenge! ( here)

State your goal for the week ( word count, time BIC, chapters editted) and record your progress. Now with kewpie doll prizes!
Click to expand...

Even though I have been avoiding the thread (for shame!!!) because of my lame week of not getting anything done, I second this. It's a writing "prompt" to help you work on your WIP. If ya'll just continue this I'll definitely check in periodically. Errr... I'm in. :)

Hmmm... My goal is about 6500 words per week, which would put me at (roughly) 30,000 words by the end of the month.
 
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