The Amazing Jan '08 Writing Thread--500 words/day -- all genres welcome

Good Word · Jan 1, 2008

Happy New Year! Woohoo!

I'm printing out my novel today and taking a pen to it this month. I realized I have 3 different chapter ones, several chapter twos and my MC has a couple of different names. Time to make some decisions, I guess.

The thing is, I feel like I know so much more about writing now than when I started the thing and now I don't even like it much. At least not today. Not this second. I mean, I like the premise, and the plot in general, but not (most of) the writing. Maybe I'm just sick of looking at it. But I want to finish it just to finish it. To say that it is done.

I guess that's where rewriting and editing comes in. *sigh*

I was wondering how people who have been posting here feel about what you've accomplished this past year writing-wise, and if this thread has helped, and what your writing plans are for this Brave New Year?

scarletpeaches · Jan 1, 2008

Howdy ho!

Hope you don't mind if I budge in on this thread. Last year wasn't too productive for me. I got distracted by other things and people and I got lazy. However, my Neo helped in the last week of '07 as I typed 25k+ and that was with a part-time job and a house to take care of, too!

I usually write YA urban fantasy, or something vaguely resembling chicklit but I'm not happy with that description as it doesn't quite fit...but I've had an idea floating around the back of my mind for a while now and '08 will be the year it makes it down onto paper. It'll be MTS...not sure which aspect to concentrate on yet.

I'm such a genre-whore; I finish one work and hop to another but there's no law that says you have to stick to one, right?

Regarding MTS, I heard it said that mysteries are where you know what happened but not whodunnit, suspense novels are where you know who done something but not whattheydunn...and as for thrillers, well you've got me as to the exact definition. Any suggestions?

Oh, and one more thing - one of my 2008 goals is to type 250,000 words of fiction which works out at nearly 685 a day, so this seems like the thread for me.

Bubastes · Jan 1, 2008

Woot! It's a new year and a fresh start!

Last night doesn't count because it was still 2007, but I did manage to sketch out three characters for a novel and outline a short story. I plan to tackle the short story first.

Wishing everyone a productive, word-filled 2008!

ETA: 506 words for me today, and they came easily. Yay!

Soccer Mom · Jan 1, 2008

I'm back like a bad penny! I've been editing WOTC and my goal this month is to have First Ghost ready to query by the end of the month, (that means betas, rewrites, query and synopsis) and to finish WOTC. I'll also submit 2 new short stories/flash fiction. Whew. I'd better get cracking.

burgy61 · Jan 1, 2008

Happy New Year everyone!

I feel pretty good about my writing this year, I finished one novel and am working on the final edits to it. I have learned a good bit about the art of writing from people on the forum. Which in turn has made a big improvement on my writing skill.

The last couple of months I haven't been posting much due to changes in my life but this thread has been helpful to me. The support and encouragement I receive from everyone on this thread makes me try to get BIC everyday. I want to thank everyone for their support.

My goals this year are to finish my WIP and to submit at least three short stories. I also am hoping to continue improving my writing ability.

Hi Peaches, :welcome:

to the thread. I think there is a thread giving the definitions. I was unable to find it, sorry.
:Sun:

for everyone's good work last year.

:poke:

to help everyone get started this year.

AnnieColleen · Jan 1, 2008

I'm back too. Didn't quite manage to finish my NaNo in December, so that's the next goal. Then research/rewrites. But not just yet.

moth · Jan 1, 2008

Hi all!

2007 wasn't a good writing year for me, but I have high hopes for '08. Already got a few hundred brainstorming-freewriting words this morning. :partyguy:

Happy New Year everybody, and Happy New Words too!

Thrillride · Jan 1, 2008

I think I am going to like this thread. My goals for 2008 are to finish this damn novel and start the editing (I should say final editing since I tend to edit as I go along).

After that, I am tossing it to a cupla betas and I'll edit again and see where I/it stands.

I have some shorter term goals as well for some other things I am playing with. So, 500 a day is super important to me right now! This thread otta keep me honest!

I'll be back later tonight with a word count.

~Thrill

(PS. I like playing with words so the typos are no accident in case ya'll were getting a leedle concerned for me.

)

BardSkye · Jan 1, 2008

The support I got from this thread even though I'm presently writing historical has helped immensely. Even when I only get 60 words done (today) it's still kind of nice to be able to trumpet that I did something.

Goal for 2008, get 500 words a day and more exercise; I'm a couch potato right now.

And it starts tomorrow when I have to go back to work.

Thrillride · Jan 2, 2008

Well, I only managed 300 words tonight. BUT, I have an excuse. I just am no good at night. My muse is a morning gal, a light-lover. I checked and yup, she's already curled around her teddy bear, asleep.

I wanted get my words in everyday for 2008. So, the AM slipped by and I was determined to get something in before the 2nd. So, I got something in. :Shrug:

Tomorrow I will put the routine where it belongs - sitting on the lap of my muse in the AM.

'Night all,

~Thrill

IHeartWriting · Jan 2, 2008

Happy New Year everyone!

One of my resolutions in 2008 is to actually post here (instead of being the lurker who finds everyone's progress to be so inspiring, but never contributes) so I'm already making progress on that front.

I started the next book in the series for the thriller I currently have out on submission on 12/31. Yesterday I added 609 words, bringing my grand total to 1933.

Good luck to all!

Soccer Mom · Jan 2, 2008

Did a buncha editing in WOTC (War of the Crickets) but tonight belongs to First Ghost. I must get those edits done and ship it out to betas.

BardSkye · Jan 2, 2008

Well, only 297 today, but it's better than nothing.

Thrillride · Jan 2, 2008

BardSkye said:
Well, only 297 today, but it's better than nothing.

Absolutely! I am going to have to write tonight again. *sigh*
I'll try again for a morning write tomorrow.
When do these kids go back to school, for Pete's sake?

~Thrill

IHeartWriting · Jan 3, 2008

A dismal 348

AnnieColleen · Jan 3, 2008

It's contagious. I got 363 yesterday.

But just had a brainstorm of a change I can make to help the story along, so that's cool.

MMWyrm · Jan 3, 2008

Cool. My daily goal is at least 500 words for this year. Met that so far this year.

2007 brought me an interesting first draft (NaNo) and two subplots to add to a sorta finished novel.

2008 is the year I actually FINISH something!

TheIT · Jan 3, 2008

I'm back! Incoherent and lacking sleep, but I'm back. Due to flight delays, I didn't get home until after midnight plus I'm dealing with a time change. More coffee, anyone?

Looking back over 2007:

1) Finished first draft of "Shapes and Formalities" (first time I ever hit an ending on any novel attempt :snoopy:

)

2) Started and finished first draft of "Better Than One" in seven months (my first novel idea :snoopy:

)

3) Won NaNo (but didn't finish the story)

Yeah, I'd say 2007 was a success.

I really enjoy the encouragement I've been getting from these threads especially on those days where it doesn't feel like I can string two sentences together.

So for 2008, my goal is to revise "Better Than One" and work on something new. I've got three incomplete NaNo attempts to rewrite/finish. Over the holidays, I got my first notebook typed in for BTO, so I'm going to continue with that.

Good luck to everyone in 2008!

Will Lavender · Jan 3, 2008

Been working on the follow-up to Obedience for about six months. Wrote a 95K-word novel, thought it was flawed. Wrote bits and pieces of two or three others, flawed. Wrote a 80K-word, flawed. Wrote another 75K-word, flawed. My agent even looked at a couple of these and thought they needed work. They need work = redo it.

So.

I'm back in the game. Trying to use two or three different ideas (I'm an idea machine; unfortunately, I have trouble following the ideas to their logical novelistic conclusions) and tie them together into a tale of suspense.

Let me say something right here:

Writing novels is hard.

Writing a second novel after you've sold the first? Damn hard.

Anyhoo, I got 3700 words today, of which about 1000 are gonna have to be sliced away. Still, got a good start, and MAYBE (cross fingers for me, folks. Really) this is the one that's going to satisfy everyone -- most importantly me.

AnnieColleen · Jan 3, 2008

Just 220 today, plus about the same in character brainstorming. Gotta work on sleep, too.

Bubastes · Jan 4, 2008

Put in a 14 hour work day yesterday and still managed to push out 250 words out. Of course, now I'm behind my target. Thank goodness it's Friday.

:Sun:

for everyone! Any progress is good progress!

IHeartWriting · Jan 4, 2008

Will -- Thanks for saying "Writing novels is hard" made me feel SO much better!

1321 for me yesterday -- not as much as I'd like, but progress

DragonHeart · Jan 4, 2008

2007 was not nearly as productive as I'd aimed for. Sure, I started a bunch of projects, but that's about all I did. Didn't finish a single one. I finished a few short stories, but they felt more like exercises than anything.

So 2008 will be the year of enforced discipline. My original goal was write every day, but I think I can try for 500 while I'm at it.

Nothing so far today but I do run on an odd schedule. I'm only just waking up, still on my first cup of coffee.

~DragonHeart~

TheIT · Jan 4, 2008

No words last night, but I came up with an idea for one of the SF/F January Challenges. I'm planning to write it tonight.

moth · Jan 4, 2008

Brainstorming some more the last few days....and this morning in the shower I hit on a novel idea I really like. Had absolutely nothing to do with any of my brainstorming/freewriting but who cares!

Freewriting tomorrow morning will be all about this idea, and I'm curious to see how it pans out....*crosses fingers, knocks on wood*

:Sun:

for everybody!

The Amazing Jan '08 Writing Thread--500 words/day -- all genres welcome

still crazy after all these years

bananaed

Crypto-fascist

Invisible Writer

my own two hands

A Suburban Farmer

Barbershoppin' Harmony Whore

A Suburban Farmer

Lurking in the shadows

Crypto-fascist

Barbershoppin' Harmony Whore

A Suburban Farmer

Lurking in the shadows

Invisible Writer

Infuriatingly Theoretical

Everything is what it seems.

Invisible Writer

bananaed

Lurking in the shadows

Oerba Yun Fang

Infuriatingly Theoretical

my own two hands