OctNoWriMo 2016 - A Fine and Dangerous Season

mrsmig · Oct 1, 2016

I love everything about October: cooler weather, sweaters, fall colors, Halloween, pumpkin spice...well, maybe not pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice needs to stay in its lane and concentrate on baked goods.

Speaking of concentration, it's time to state our goals for the month - and think about NaNoWriMo, which is just around the corner. I won't be participating this year, as I'll be rehearsing/opening a new musical that month, but I'm sure others have Big Plans. Share your goals (writing and other) for October, and let us know your NaNo plans, so we can cheer each other on!

mrsmig · Oct 1, 2016

I'll start us off. Most of my goals are holdovers from last month, with a few fresh ones:

Finish editing pass on Book 3 in my fantasy series - currently on Chapter 19
Do a final polish of Book 3
Send Book 3 to betas
Start editing pass on Book 4 - currently on Chapter 0
Write a blog post (I'm trying to get back in the habit) - 0 of 1
Finish David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas - currently on page 415
Read three books - 0 of 3
Take three nature walks of at least two miles - 0 of 3
Take three bike rides - 0 of 3

NaNo plans: Not participating this time.

I know I'll get my nature walks in, since I'm participating in the Eastern Shore Birding & Wildlife Festival next weekend (gettin' my bird geek on). The downside of that is that I probably won't be doing much editing, but I wouldn't pass it up for the world.

Evabeth · Oct 1, 2016

Good day everyone.

My goal is to brainstorm and outline for Nanowrimo.

I've nearly fulfilled all of my New Year's Resolutions for 2016. The only item left is to have a completed first draft of my debut novel.

chompers · Oct 1, 2016

I'm starting to feel the pressure of getting these books done. So I'm really buckling down and going to try to knock out four books by November (all in various stages). Since this is a huge undertaking, I'm putting other stuff on hold. Also, I am debating if I should finish another book in November, or use Nano to edit the four books I hope to have finished by the end of this month. Best course of action would be to edit, but it just doesn't feel right for Nano, yanno?

1) In general, write 3,000 words a day. Hoping for 4,000 a day. Blah. The words were coming out at a trickle.
2) Finish four books. Didn't happen. See #1.
3) Finish my CEU requirements. Didn't get any done, but they don't have to be completed until December, so I still got plenty of time. I paid my registration renewal early though. So, go me!

Lara Gallin · Oct 1, 2016

I'm hoping to do NaNo, I'm just afraid of taking the plunge again. I did it in 2014 (my first time) and I'm scared that I won't be able to repeat my success. That's a large part of what put me off last year. I've been trying to write the second draft of my 2014 NaNo with very little success, but I realised in the last few weeks that it was the format that was wrong. I've chopped it into four to make it a series which leaves me with a lot of writing to do. Over the coming weeks I'm outlining the basics of what I want to add to the first part so come 1 Nov, I have an idea of what I'm doing. Sort of.

Sage · Oct 1, 2016

- Fix my printer
- Get SCWWGC to a beta-able level
- Send last beta read the in-doc notes (very belated)
- Start betaing Hexes
- Plot NaNo novel

Mary Love · Oct 1, 2016

October is shaping up to be a busy month for me, what with hosting my sisters baby shower (and a guest for a week) and finishing and moving into my new house, but I still hope to get a few words each day.

I'm going easy on myself and aim for 500 a day.

With my targeted word count on this outline, I should jump into NaNo next month and be able to finish the first draft.

Tamlyn · Oct 1, 2016

I accomplished September's goal of Go On Holiday admirably, but now it's time to get back into writing goals. I'll start slow and if I get more done, yay!

I need to figure out what I'm doing for NaNo, but plotting might be pushing it a little for me

1. Write Ilana (novella?)
2. Edit/fix three shorts.
3. Read four books.
4. Figure out what I'm doing for NaNo.
5. Min 500 words or 2 pages edited per day.

Sage · Oct 1, 2016

- Fix my printer - Hey, done already. It was really needed to get two of the other things done
- Get SCWWGC to a beta-able level - First (easy) editing pass done
- Send last beta read the in-doc notes (very belated)
- Start betaing Hexes
- Plot NaNo novel

(ETA: Printer is sorta fixed. It took 2 hours to print out 1 novel with all the failures to connect and "Load paper"s that really meant "press okay for no reason.")

bdwilson · Oct 1, 2016

Right, time for new goals.

October Goals:

Work through the exercises I've let pile up: Set Two, Set Three, Set Four
Add more reading time to my week
Edit novella
Prep Outlines for NaNo Project
Finish short story edits when they come in
Finish next short story

Constant Goals:

Work on shifting wake-up & go-to-sleep times
Catch up on Marvel shows (Daredevil S2, Agent Carter, Agents of SHIELD)
Keep writing streak going (9/12 months so far)

Raindrop · Oct 2, 2016

October's going to be a tricky one. I'm just back from France, where I couldn't write because of the radio and the TV being on all the time (gaaaah!), so I need to get started again after a long break (three weeks...). It's harder than I thought. And we're smack in deer-rutting season. I've basically spent the last three days outside. Forget writing -- there's deer to be heard and seen. Soooo:

- Writing: get cracking! I want to finish the first draft of WIP #2
- Location location location: I need to relocate WIP #2 because my fake island isn't large enough for my fake faun. Find the right spot, and say good-bye to Rock Rose Holme on Winandermere, boohoo.
- Planning: get ready for NaNoWriMo.
- Volunteering for the local nature club. (Done! At least the first part, as of this morning. But now I need to find ideas for activities.)
- Go and watch the deer some more. Hey, I'm doing it anyway, I might as well turn it into a goal!
- Beta: a few pages everyday.

EvieDriver · Oct 3, 2016

I've decided to post in this due to massively failing to write anything this weekend. Here I go:

- Finish outlining 1st book in my series
- Write the first 15K words this month before NaNoWriMo
- Don't edit anything I have so far, just write
- Finish my author website & find inspiration photos for characters (a big part in my writing)
- Develop habit for writing every day
- Write side stories and publish on WattPad
- Finish "worldbuilding" and research

hopeful09 · Oct 3, 2016

Good grief! You all make me cower, intimidated, in the corner! So. Many. Goals.
My biggest goal for October is to outline the novel I hope to write in NaNo. That's it. If I can do that, I'll be good. As long as I don't read too many more posts here about all your books and all your editing and all your betas and all your deer-watching...
Seriously, I've had major writer's block (maybe it's just FEAR) and have had a hard time writing lately. But my husband is a great idea guy and I think he helped me a lot with this new concept.
So NaNo, here I come!

CSPayne · Oct 4, 2016

October is here and it's chilly already so it's easier to stay inside and focus on this next month of planning and prepping for the big push!
My goals for Oct are:
-Outline the novel idea I have
-Keep writing the shorts, they come in spurts so gotta catch em while they're fresh!
-Daily word goal is 2000 in preparation for Nov.
-Edit written shorts.
-RELAX AND LET IT HAPPEN!
I tend to be a perfectionist and want to re-read and edit as I go. None of that carp this year, it's write until my fingers fly off!

Tamlyn · Oct 6, 2016

I figured out what I'm doing for NaNo. Now I just want to do it >> Hopefully I don't run out of enthusiasm before November actually arrives. Did some writing of Ilana and actually have the rest plotted out now so it's flowing quite smoothly. I hope to even finish it this month.

I've finished editing (and subbed) a story, but it's a really short flash. And I'm halfway through a few other flash pieces. If I have only flash, I'll try for maybe five rather than three stories.

Read a children's ghost book. But it's still a book! I've picked up Fortress in the Eye of Time now because I haven't read it in ages, and a chapter was all it took to remind me how much I love it.

1. Write Ilana (novella?) Yes.
2. Edit/fix three shorts. 1/3
3. Read four books. 1/4
4. Figure out what I'm doing for NaNo. Yes!
5. Min 500 words or 2 pages edited per day. Yes.

CSPayne · Oct 7, 2016

You guys I'm so excited!!
I just found out that my son's 8th grade class is entering NaNoWriMo for extra credit!!
I'll be helping him coordinate his writing while I'm writing mine!
WOOHOO!!!!
:banana:

Scandal665 · Oct 7, 2016

That sounds like fun! What a great activity to do together!

bdwilson · Oct 7, 2016

CSPayne said:
You guys I'm so excited!!
I just found out that my son's 8th grade class is entering NaNoWriMo for extra credit!!
I'll be helping him coordinate his writing while I'm writing mine!
WOOHOO!!!!

That sounds like fun!

bdwilson · Oct 7, 2016

Oh, right, I should also do a weekly check-in

Work through the exercises I've let pile up: Set Two, Set Three, Set Four
Almost done set two. I think I only have two left.
Add more reading time to my week
The fail continues!
Edit novella
Not yet.
Prep Outlines for NaNo Project
Not yet.
Finish short story edits when they come in
Almost done.
Finish next short story
I think I actually know what I'm doing with it now, so that counts as progress.

Matt T. · Oct 9, 2016

-Relax from finishing my current WIP and hopefully un-fry my brain. That sounds like it should be easy, but I was getting to the point where my mind was little more than mush, and even writing a new sentence or two to swap in as I proofread my story was a chore.
-Read 3 novels (one of those is the final Dark Tower book, so this may be harder than I thought)
-Brainstorm and research a story idea for a NaNo novel.

mrsmig · Oct 10, 2016

I got almost nothing done this weekend, as I was out of town on a birding trip and my hotel's Wi-Fi was practically nonexistent. I CRUSHED my nature walk goal, though, and finished Terry Pratchett's The Truth, so that's one book down.

Finish editing pass on Book 3 in my fantasy series - currently on Chapter 19
Do a final polish of Book 3
Send Book 3 to betas
Start editing pass on Book 4 - currently on Chapter 0
Write a blog post (I'm trying to get back in the habit) - 0 of 1
Finish David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas - currently on page 415
Read three books - 1 of 3
Take three nature walks of at least two miles - 3 of 3 DONE
Take three bike rides - 0 of 3

NaNo plans: Not participating this time.

mrsmig · Oct 10, 2016

CSPayne said:
You guys I'm so excited!!
I just found out that my son's 8th grade class is entering NaNoWriMo for extra credit!!
I'll be helping him coordinate his writing while I'm writing mine!
WOOHOO!!!!

That sounds delightful! Be sure to keep us posted!

bdwilson · Oct 14, 2016

Weekly check-in time!

Work through the exercises I've let pile up: Set Two, Set Three, Set Four
One and a half left in set two now. One involves getting up early to write. This will be a challenge, even if it's just a short writing sprint.
Add more reading time to my week
Agian, the fail continues! Though I did get in one night of reading this week, so a little progress.
Edit novella
Still not.
Prep Outlines for NaNo Project
Still not. Starting to worry there.
~~Finish short story edits when they come in~~
Done!
Finish next short story
I've got basic drafts of most of the high points. Now I need to turn them into some sort of coherent flow.

Sage · Oct 14, 2016

- Fix my printer - Sorta done
- Get SCWWGC to a beta-able level - Second editing pass done
- Send last beta read the in-doc notes (very belated) - done!
- Start betaing Hexes - working on printing it out, really!
- Plot NaNo novel - in progress

mrsmig · Oct 14, 2016

I kept asking myself, "Self, after all this time, how can you still be on Chapter 19?" I went back and reviewed my drafts, and realized I'd miscounted my chapters. So, I didn't really get that much done this week, BUT I am on the last chapter of the book. In addition, a small gig I had booked for tomorrow evaporated, as small gigs are sometimes wont to do, but that gives me the whole day (and a quiet house - the Hubs is busy elsewhere) to myself. Therefore, I should be able to finish this editing pass, go back and do the final polish, and rattle my betas' cages to see if they're up for a read. And then start the pass on Book 4.

In other Things-Aren't-As-Dire-As-I-Thought news, I discovered the last 50 pages of The Path Between the Seas is all annotations and footnotes, which I feel no obligation to read - so I'm closer to the end of the book than I thought.

Finish editing pass on Book 3 in my fantasy series - currently on Chapter 21
Do a final polish of Book 3
Send Book 3 to betas
Start editing pass on Book 4 - currently on Chapter 0
Write a blog post (I'm trying to get back in the habit) - 0 of 1
Finish David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas - currently on page 451
Read three books - 1 of 3
Take three nature walks of at least two miles - 3 of 3 DONE
Take three bike rides - 0 of 3

NaNo plans: Not participating this time.

OctNoWriMo 2016 - A Fine and Dangerous Season

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