Absolute April 500 words/day--all genres welcome

Good Word

still crazy after all these years
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What? No one got the April Fool's joke of Write Like Stephenie Meyer 500 words/day thread? ;)

Here's the real one.

It looks like some folks made good progress last month! Woohoo!
 

TheIT

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Is it safe to come back yet? I was waiting until the end of April Fool's...

:D

About five pages last night in the notebook. One more scene, and the rollercoaster ride begins...
 

BfloGal

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I guess the 1654 words I wrote in my synopsis yesterday belong over here, and not in the March thread. I think I was just too overwhelmed by all the twilight stuff to notice the change in months.

Today I'm all into negative words. I deleted a couple hundred words from my synopsis. And about fifty words from my WIP--most of them adverbs. And I only got through chapter 8.
 

AnnieColleen

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Hey, I thought you were just going to edit the other thread! And it was past my bedtime. And, um...it's Murphy's fault. So there.
 

Good Word

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Is it safe to come back yet? I was waiting until the end of April Fool's...

:D

Is it safe? Of course...Mwahahahahahaahahaa..."safe" is a relative term, though, dontcha think? Welcome back.

And AnnieColleen, we know it's Murphy's fault, sweetie. That dang muse.
 

Clair Dickson

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879 words yesterday afternoon.

I scrapped the story and started over. Oddly enough, when I opened the new Word doc to start over, it was on Document 14 (this happens when you don't shut down MSWord for days at a time =). Well, this story has 13 previous versions/beginnings. Hm. I'm not sure what that means. I just hope this is the last file for this story.
 

TheIT

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True, Good Word, talking about "safe" in the M/T/S forum is something of an oxymoron. :D

Another five pages last night. Probably no words tonight. I need to do taxes (ugh), but as a reward there's a movie premiering tonight on TV which has my favorite actor in it, so at least I have something to look forward to. :D

Last night's writing surprised me. I was including a bit of backstory that I've had in mind for ages, and as I was writing it down I had an epiphany on how to twist events to give it more impact and to ratchet up the tension. Amazing how one can look at the same thing over and over, yet occasionally come up with a completely new angle.
 

TheIT

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Still no sign of my kitty. Well, other than the easy chair with paws.

Ever read Terry Pratchett (Discworld)? Sounds like The Luggage from the Rincewind novels. Think a steamer trunk with lots of little tiny feet and a bad attitude....

:D
 

deserata

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Sacrificed homework time for another 800+ words. :D I feel I've been very productive, although my professors wouldn't agree...
 

speirbhean

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Hello all happy April! I have some unexpected free time today and tomorrow (work not as busy as I thought... although this may change) so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I'll finish planning the book by tomorrow evening!!!!! Mad? Maybe... but sure I've said it now!!!
 

BfloGal

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Nothing new, still going down in word count. Almost done editing chapter two.

I'm aiming to start plotting my second WIP, maybe tomorrow. I'm getting rather tired of straight editing. And I miss posting daily word counts! I think I need to write at the same time. Only I have two different ideas--one a sequel to the one I just finished, the other a different idea with different characters entirely. What to do?
 

TheIT

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About five pages in the notebook over the weekend. I hit a decision point for the current scene and wanted to think it through before writing it out. Not sure whether my MC should confront the other MC over something she just learned, or whether she should wait and confront him later. I'm eager to get to the next bit. They're about to hear some news which shifts the course of the entire story.

Happy planning, speirbhean!

Clair, my distraction from a couple of weeks ago was P.N. Elrod. I read most of the Vampire Files series in about three days. :D

BfloGal, isn't choosing a new project fun? ;) Something to consider: do you want to be editing a story about the same characters you're trying to compose new material for, or do you want to get away from those characters and try something new? I had to get away from my draft after I finished the rough draft of the one I'm editing now, so I went back and finally finished the first novel attempt I ever started. Some of the same characters, but set in a different time period. Good luck with whatever you choose!
 

Clair Dickson

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569 today. In spite of Mr. Snickett. Though, I should be out of books in that series soon.

I wish good progress on everyone.

I also wish I could actually enjoy my cat. He's now taken to yowling in the wee hours of the morning. If he keeps it up, I'll come up with some previously unthought of ways to skin a cat...
 

TheIT

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About three pages in the notebook last night, plus I read through the rest of my first draft and found a potential spot for the revelation I just came up with. Next scene should be fun. Time to push the characters off the edge of the cliff... :D
 

BfloGal

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Nice progress--those who are recording progress. We made need to send out some search parties for those MIA. And I love revelations, TheIt. But at this point I want to push all my characters off the edge of a cliff too.

And I lied. I did not start my new WIP today. But reading through my chapter 2 last night at my crit group, I had a breakthrough and figured out why I hated it. You had to be there. Everyone sat around the table silently while I tore my own work to shreds. ROFL. Today I thinned it down by about a thousand words. Much leaner.

On to chapter three...
 

TheIT

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BfloGal, yay for the epiphany & the "edit by chainsaw" tactics! I've been doing the same thing in my revision. The current couple of scenes I'm working on should replace about thirty pages of meandering in the first draft with something which is a lot more forceful and exciting. Great feeling to figure out a better way to express the scene, isn't it?

Onward!

:e2chain:

:D
 

Clair Dickson

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1235 words today. Almost done with this particular project! Yay!

My kitty is in my office... but it's a mistake. He was fleeing my Hubby in the living room (Hubby was just trying to watch some TV). So, Marlowe is pretending I can't see his furry butt sticking out from behind a stack of posters leaning against the wall.

Yay for progress.
 

Clair Dickson

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Helloooo? *listens for echo*

Well, I got some more writing done. 560 words in one project-- a short writer's guide to Word (which is now finished and looking for Betas)

And 245 words in a short story.

I'm pretty pleased with today's progress. :D

Not so pleased with the World's Most Disappointing Cat. (Marlowe's new nickname-- what the hell good is a cat you never see, let alone pet? Though I did catch a glimpse of him when we returned from shopping. He must have been caught in the litter box with his pants down because he had to slink back under the chair in full view.)
 

heyjude

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I'm back from the Birthday Party From Hell. Marlowe would have *hated* it. Almost as much as me.

Got some awesome beta reaction over the week-end on the Final x6 version of the WIP, adjusting accordingly.

Yay for all of those who are making progress and catnip for those kitties who aren't. Clair, try Feliway! (Very calming)
 

TheIT

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No words last night. Got derailed by thinking about the new SF/F challenge prompt. I think I'm going to take the rough draft I wrote for the animals contest piece and finish it up.

Just got back from the dentist and the first round of fillings. Things are slowly starting to wake up from the anesthetic, and my mouth is not happy.
 

BfloGal

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More backward progress on chapter three. :e2chain: Between yesterday and today I lost another 1000 words in my novel... or should I say novella, which it will be if I keep slashing at this rate.

I do have a few more plot strands I can weave in there, so I think it will work out. But a tip for other newbies out there--

When you try to sprinkle in back story, make sure you leave the top on the jar.
 

TheIT

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I do have a few more plot strands I can weave in there, so I think it will work out. But a tip for other newbies out there--

When you try to sprinkle in back story, make sure you leave the top on the jar.

Well said! Have you seen the Turkey City Lexicon? World-builder's disease, also known as "I suffered for my art, now it's your turn". :D

For me, though, my first drafts are stuffed to the brim with backstory mainly because I don't outline. Since I'm figuring out story & character at the same time, I'll let the narrative wander while I work out what I really need to say, then bring in the chain saw during revision.