THE WEEKEND PROGRESS REPORT 2005

Re: Ruth's Rather Late Report

Oh may gosh, completely forgot to welcom drgn to the madhouse. Welcome and good luck with your new goal. Threatened with bodily harm? hummm

Ruth, can I borrow your cleaning crew, can I? please?

Gotta go write now. Must have something to report to Barb.

Nita

Re: Ruth's Rather Late Report

Threatened with bodily harm? hummm

Click to expand...

Yeah. I'm a wimp, so threats are enough! :lol

Threats & Proof

Admit nothing, deny everything, demand proof.

Re: Threats & Proof

Does a bruised ego count? :b


I know, I know, get back to work!



*drgn slinks back under her couch*

Re: Threats & Proof

(Psst. Drgn, don't tell Barb, but I do believe that all work and no play makes for dull writing.)

Re: Threats & Proof

*developing mind reading talents so she can SEE those parenthical posts*

ZZZZzzt!
Barb

Re: Threats & Proof

I'm jumping on the bandwagon this time around. This threepage thread is much less intimidating than the longer one, which I posted on once or twice, even though I hear Barb's no exception.

I'm going to write every day. Really. Seriously. Because if I don't finish this WIP by March, I'm going to be frustrated with myself. It's not like I don't have the time. I've had a six week Christmas break between semesters-- and it's not even over yet.

If anyone noticed, that was more me yelling at me. So sorry about that - glad to be here!

Katie Mac!

Welcome to the nuthouse, Katie. Don't worry, you are in good company here.

So... how much of the WIP have you got done? We throw smiley parties every 10k or so. Heck, we don't really need much of an excuse to celebrate. We are a partying kind of crowd.

Oh, and you have to give us a one-word handle (or some acronym) to call your story by. Lori uses TBWN (The Badly Written Novel, for those who missed that episode) Mine is *Monster* because it is one. Mac has *Weird*, CC is working on FATL and Ray has CTN... gosh this list could go on awhile. Seems like we have a lot of novelists at work. Anyway, give us something to call your baby.

March is coming... GET BUSY!

Barb
ZZZZzzt!

Re: Katie Mac!

You have my permission to throw a party for the 11,000-some odd words I already have completed, and this is the rewrite. Do what you will with the 22,000 word mess that was dumped to make way for changes.

Acronym? Now that's going to be tough. I call everything and everyone a "Beast" when it gets it irritates me. The car, the dog... even a balloon once. Although, we already have one Monster going. It might take me awhile to come up with something. Titles are my vice, and now you're forcing one upon me without the thing even being finished!

Re: Katie Mac!

"Beast" is good enough, Katie.

Oh, as for my cleaning crew, it consists of me, myself and I, and no, you can't borrow us.

I'm proud of myself, though. Today I sorted through and sort of filed two full boxes of papers. The biggest file was the round one, but I did discover in all that mess the pages I had printed out of my WIP. Also thought up a humour piece on cleaning the house. More later. Gotta write it now.

Re: THE WEEKEND PROGRESS REPORT 2005

Ugh! Friday again? Well, I wrote, maybe 600 words. While I realize it's nowhere near the amount I had hoped, perhaps this extremely valid excuse will save me from the tazer...

GRAVEYARD SHIFT IS KILLING ME! Please pardon my shouting, but I mean it! I can't think, talk, or even be nice anymore. I'm so grouchy, and I've gone stupid. I'm living on about 3 hours of sleep a day, because my fiance works during the day, so I have to take care of the baby until he gets home from work. That leaves me with the hours of 7pm to 10pm to sleep. Then I have to get ready to go to work. My brain is totally scrambled. Everything I've written emits an unbearable stench. So, though I've actually written a couple thousand words, I've deleted most of it. What I kept needs deleting, too. I'll look it over later and see if it can be salvaged, but I'm not holding my breath (Actually, yes I am--the stench, remember?).

So, please don't zap me this week. I'll cry...

Melina

***

Friday, January 14, 2005

Hello fellow nutcases!
Here we are again at the end of another week and you know what that means! Time for a new report.

In my writing world, the year is off to a productive, yet slow start. This week I researched six new markets, wrote an outline for my January Challenge submission (A nonfiction ballooning piece for an educational market), sent a query to FamilyFun Magazine, drafted a vaguely humorous essay that started out as a funny idea then sort of fizzled and worked on *Monster*. I'm planning to spend the entire weekend on the thing (well, not the ENTIRE weekend, but several long hours of it). I'm still trying to get the second draft finished by the end of the month.

That's about it for me. It has been a long week trying to get back into the swing of things after such a hectic week last week. I found myself in a serious tapped-out state. The clouds seem to be lifting now. Yay!

Okay, folks, it is time to account for yourselves. Let's hear all about your writing week. Tell me your plans for the JANUARY CHALLENGE. And if you've got excuses, at least make them creative ones, okay?

Melina: My condolences on your recent zombiefication. Perhaps you can turn the whole experience into a humorous sleep-deprived essay? Still, 600 words is progress and don't judge them yet. You are probably too tired. Besides, you can't fix a BLANK page. Anything else can be repaired.

Lorrie: So, how's that rewrite coming. Still on target? Managing to avoid bodily harm?

Rich: Okay, Buster. I want to know facts. How many words? How many essays? How many markets? How do I recharge this Taser thing? Hmm?

Cate: Is the holiday stall over? I want to know that you are generating new queries and getting the work out there again. And how is pup? Haven't heard anything in awhile.

Ray: CTN and reviews. What's the news? I hope to hear that you are moving forward. CTN by the end of the year. Just keep repeating that to yourself.

Cindy: Still with us? I hope so. Did you get your outline done?

Frank: Any nibbles from agents yet? What are you using as bait?

Ally: Okay, girl, drop and give me a word count on Spirit Door. How much progress have you made?

Mr. A: It's good to see you back with us. What are your goals for this year? What are you working on now?

Lori: I'm expecting creative excuses from you this week. Lots and lots of them. What HAVE you been doing with your time?

Betty: You are taking up the slack for Lori, I'm sure. Thanks for starting the rejection club thread. So, how is our best overachiever?

Mike: Hold your hand up so we can see you behind all that paper, will ya? Have you figured out how much more of that first draft novel you have left to write? is it done yet? Huh? Huh?

CC: How is the Holly Lisle Revision method working for you? I used it to work on my rewrite and it went well for me... Unfortunately, Monster needed LOTS of work.

Nita: How's that notebook plan coming? Are you keeping up with it? What is the word count this week?

KatieMac: Okay, BEAST it is. 11k is a pretty good start. Keep us posted on the word count and we'll throw (as Ruth says) "A honkin' big party" for your progress.

Ruth: Cleaning time is over (unless of course you are on your way to my place with shovel in hand). Time to write. Write, write, write. You think you'll finish your WIP this year?

Mac: AWOL again. I've sent Bud looking for you. DO NOT GIVE HIM BEER.

ASSORTED LURKERS AND HANGERS ON:
You know you wanna play. You know it. I know it. Jump on in. We're wild, we're wacky (Who said "Whacko"? I heard that!) Mostly, we're here every weekend to support each other.

Until next time, keep those words flowing.
Barb

Re: Friday, January 14, 2005

It's party time! I hit 23k last night, which means I doubled what I had. Now, a lot of that was recycled from old drafts that I had to piece together, and fit together, but now I'm at the breaking point where everything from this point on will be brandnew, which is sort of scary (exciting?). Anyway, this had to be done... and now I've finally done it. Feeling pretty good about everything right about now... we'll have to see what happens during the writing block today.

Overachiever reporting in...

...with underachieved results.

Well, the good news is, I'm here. The bad news is, I'm here. (I should be in the kitchen doing dishes, instead... or cleaning up my office. Or taking down the rest of the Xmas stuff and putting it away. If you could see my house, you'd agree.)

Didn't get too much written this week, although I did get a few requests to see reprints, as well as a couple of rejection slips. Wrote part of two book reviews and did a LOT of reading the last two days.

I went to the gym this morning (3X this week - I'm so proud of myself. And sore. And tired.) and read part of How to Be at Peace With the Things In Your Life (I think that's what it's called) while walking on the treadmill for 30 min.

And now I'm thinking, "peace" isn't what I need. I need a flamethrower. Hey, Barb, where'd you get the tazar? Do they sell flamethrowers, too? Meanwhile, there's always the low-tech answer to a messy office...

WHOOOO-HOOOOO We gets to have a party. 'Cept'n I'm not too good with the smilies. Someone will be along soon to add our smilies. In the meantime, congrts Macalicious, 23K not bad, very good infact. Party on.

Melina, any chance you can get the baby to take a nap so you can get some sleep? It may not help your writing, but it' may make you feel a little better. Who watched the baby when you worked days? Any chance that can resume, even on a part-time schedule? Hope you get some sleep soon. It's not good to be sleep deprived.

Betty, you inspire me to at least submit.

Oh, Barb, uh the notebook thing. Well, umm, see *trys to dig toe into frozen ground* um, it would probably work better if I remembered to take it with me. I did manage a little over 700words for the rest of the week. To bad they weren't in one of my immediate projects. However, this project is important to me, and it will take daily input for it to be successful. I think I'll call it 05.

I hear E calling me. Better go write something for her before she gets in a huff and leaves.

Good luck to everyone, someone take that tazzer away from Barb before she hurts one of us.

Nita

THE FIRST SMILEY PARTY OF THE YEAR GOES TO KATIEMAC



Way to go KatieMac.

Think you can do another 11k by next weekend? Hmm?
Now the "real" work begins. Stretch, take a deep breath, crack your knuckles if you've a mind to, and get cracking on the new parts!

Re: THE FIRST SMILEY PARTY OF THE YEAR GOES TO KATIEMAC

Honeeeeeeeeeeeyyy, I'm home!

I'm back, although the year is off to a slowish creative start.

Finished paid editing gig Dec 23.

Mostly finished with an edit of a short that I want to sub next week.

Also trying to get back to the novel. My creativity is stalled. Need to shuffle characters around on paper, I guess. Bring them back to life. I feel like Dr. Frankenstein, trying to give life to inanimate objects. Having a bit of trouble--my current muse, Igore, was on special at Musemart, and I can see why. He's useless in a hairy sort of way. Although he makes a mean strawberry smoothie. At least that's what he calls his little blender concoctions. He's short, wacky and wears this smelly burlap getup.

Anyone want to swap muses? Drop me a line.

Hi

Well, Barb and everyone.

I guess you could say that I have already accepted and completed the monthly challenge. I just submitted my very first work today. It may not be much to anyone else here, but to me this is actually earth-shattering.

Since it was submitted to a contest I won't get a rejection, so I will have to submit something else to someone else for that, but consider me in on that too.

I have been working on TPQ, and picture prompt shorts when my muse refuses to stay in the trailer park.

I have also been reading everything I can get my eyes on to help to learn more. I feel like such a greenhorn.

Renee'

Re: Hi

Editing, editing and editing. Got the column out, then edited, edited and edited. I've been working on the paying job as well as a freebie. As I predicted earlier, January is going to be mostly tied up with this and probably into at least early Feb.

Sent a query today to a new start up mag for Dads that had me all excited. Then the mail bounced back. I hope it's just a glitch and not an omen for the mag's chances. We need a mag like that.

I won't start my agent approaching til Spring. Want to be sure I have more than a proposal and 50 pages to show. Right now on the chat thing I have about 35 K words. Want/need more. The New Thing is in temporary (I hope) limbo.

Lots of RL stuff playing out right now too. Offer on my dad's house and other estate stuff that, as executor, is eating up my time.

On one plus side, and non writing-related, I got the results of a bunch of medical tests back and they were all good. Still waiting on a couple but so far, so good.

Re: Hi

It's the one-year anniversary of my column this week. Yup, 52 is the magic number.

I've decided to work on CTN and the new novel (yet to be acronymed) at the same time (not "writing" both at the exact same moment, of course). I think that might help me with my blocks -- when I'm blocked with one, I could work on the other. Besides, I'm really psyched about the new novel, so I don't want to lose the steam.

No further news on TPB. I assume I won't hear more on it until it's my turn with the editor.

Re: Friday, January 14, 2005

CONGRATULATIONS, KATIE MAC!



23K!!! WOOHOO!!!

Re: Hi

Renee', you actually subbed somewhere for the first time ever? That's simply awesome. Congratulations on taking the leap!

Re: Hi

I hate my WIP. I've done about 1200 words this week, and all of them are wrong. It just doesn't happen that way at all.

Scrounging for something else to send to my crit group, since they're showing signs of impatience. Signs like frothing at the mouth and leaving threatening voice mails.

Mailed off a sub to Realms of Fantasy.

*whew* and no longer AWOL, so put that taser away, Barb...

Nita

Yeah, it would be nice, but my 18-year-old used to be my babysitter. He now has a job, and moved out. No more built-in-babysitter. Plus, we just moved to San Francisco, and I know no one there. So--for the time being, this is the way it has to be. I'm hoping it won't last too long...thanks for the thoughts, though.

Melina

***

Cindy Update

Well, I did get most of the outline done. I'm still unclear on a couple of points, but I'm hoping something will "come to me" later. I wrote some of the first chapter, hate all of it, every word sucks, so I'm going to trash that today and begin anew. I just have to find the starting point, I think. Wish me well.