AugNoWriMo 2017 - The Odd Uneven Time

Status
Not open for further replies.

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,884
Reaction score
7,172
Location
Virginia
"August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time."
- Sylvia Plath


How quickly the summer is passing! Welcome to all our NaNo friends: both those fresh from July Camp and those who weren't able to participate. As always, this is the place to post your goals (reading, writing and everything else for the coming month), and to encourage your fellow AWers toward their personal finish lines.

I'm going to take it easy on myself this month. Tomorrow my debut novel releases; I'd like to sit back and enjoy it but I need to do a big social media blast first. So there's that. My main thrust in August will be to make some real progress on the first draft of Book #5 in my series. I got almost nothing done on it last month and I'd like to remedy that. I'm going to continue with my reading goals and with my ongoing exploration of New York City, but beyond that I'm chilling because I have a feeling September is going to be crazed.

ETA: Oops, just received the first round of edits on Book #3 from my editor. So I've added that into my goals. So much for kicking back...

1. Do final social media blast for release of KINGLET
2. Explore NYC with at least two more jaunts to places I've never been -
0 of 2
3. Read five books - 0 of 5
4. Get at least 10k words written on rough draft of Book #5 - currently 2,822
5. Go through first round of edits on Book #3

And what are YOUR plans?
 
Last edited:

bdwilson

Dedicated Lurker
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
724
Reaction score
105
Location
Alberta, Canada
Website
www.bdwilson.ca
A brand new month! I always feel so hopeful at the outset. Even when I'm carrying forward much of my list from last month :tongue

[ ] Clean my office. (I am really starting to think this should be moved to constant...)
[ ] Format and finish off the manual.
[ ] Do edits on the shorty story, whenever they come in.
[ ] Finish the first (terribly messy) draft of my current project.
[ ] Get prepped for the 3-Day Novel Contest.

Constant Goals:
[ ] Changing sleep cycle; focus on night.
[30] Write 1K words a day (for 52 weeks).
 

SianaBlackwood

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 21, 2012
Messages
735
Reaction score
99
Location
Australia
Website
sb.siasan.com
New month, fresh start? Something like that. This month I have a few ongoing things I want to keep poking at, but I want to concentrate on short fiction. Well... more like I need to concentrate on short fiction. I'm really uncomfortable in the 1000-word format I'm supposed to use for assessments, and I'm hoping that some practice will help me figure out how to come up with appropriately sized ideas. From my SS-SFF-SS experience, my comfort zone for short stories seems to be more like 10k than 1k, and every idea I come up with is more suited to that length. I'm probably sabotaging myself a bit by sticking to fantasy-type stories, but that's all I ever seem to think of.

Anyway, this is my list for August:

[ ] Write some flash/short fiction (goal is 2 stories for a uni assessment, but hoping to have a few spares as well).
[ ] Finish rewriting a couple of in-progress sections of my Camp novel.
[ ] Basic plans for a couple of sort-of-abandoned WIPs I'd like to get back to.
[ ] Read 4 books (3 free choice, 1 nonfiction).
[ ] Research into setting up an online shop.
[ ] Blog stuff
 

Tamlyn

fish skeleton
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
1,467
Reaction score
812
Location
Australia
@mrsmig - I hope your book birthday was awesome.



I am determined to do better with my goals this month. I think part of the problem was too often I did words for my game and decided that will do; this month words for the WIP or editing will take priority. I'll still allow game stuff to count, but only if I really can't do 'real' stuff. I've done decently so far - got a good portion into editing a chapter and finished drafting a different chapter for the WIP. Of course, having fortnightly deadlines for game stuff helps.

Of course, that might not happen on work days. My tablet-laptop is still causing enough problems that I'm finally sending it off under warranty to (hopefully!) get fixed. So normally I do writing on the WIP in my breaks. Since I can't do that (I hand wrote some game notes today instead; now I need to turn them into typed words before bed) game stuff might be all I have the brain for after work. I'll see how I go.

I had forgotten how much nicer it was to write/type on my desktop computer though (the tablet is just for travel and also my ereader). I should try to do more drafting there even after I sort my tablet issues.

I was partially through Pride and Prejudice as an ebook (again... again... look, I read it a lot). So I can only read that on my computer now. For taking on the train, I started The Diamond Throne, book 1 of the Elenium by David (and Leigh) Eddings. It's a comforting trip down nostalgia lane. It's been many years since I read them.

1. Edit four chapters. 0/4
2. Write a decent amount of WIP.
3. Read five books. 0/5
4. Game planning. Don't think this is going to be an issue :p
5. Draft new or begin edits on a sitting short story.
6. Min 500 words or 2 pages edited per day. So far!
 

chompers

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 19, 2013
Messages
2,506
Reaction score
384
A brand new month! I always feel so hopeful at the outset. Even when I'm carrying forward much of my list from last month :tongue
Haha, me too.

My August goals:

-- 2k a day minimum. Going for 3k a day hopefully.
-- Finish 2 books (both in progress)
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,884
Reaction score
7,172
Location
Virginia
I was partially through Pride and Prejudice as an ebook (again... again... look, I read it a lot). So I can only read that on my computer now. For taking on the train, I started The Diamond Throne, book 1 of the Elenium by David (and Leigh) Eddings. It's a comforting trip down nostalgia lane. It's been many years since I read them.

I confess to re-reading Pride and Prejudice every few years as well - along with Jane Eyre, Watership Down and several others. It's like visiting an old friend.

And the book birthday was dandy. Now I'm just hoping for some reviews (and that I can keep myself from reading said reviews - at least, until some time has passed).

Hope your tablet gets repaired pronto.
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,884
Reaction score
7,172
Location
Virginia
The end of the first week of August already?

KINGLET had a good release and a decent first week of sales, so I'm happy there. I've got a virtual book tour going and I can't say I'm holding out a lot of hope for increased sales from that; a lot of the sites my publisher picked are just so crammed with graphics and stuff that they give me a headache. Tomorrow, however, the Washington Post is supposed to publish an article about Broadway understudies in which I'm featured, and I'm hopeful that they'll at least touch on the book release since the interviewer and I discussed it at length.

On the reading front, I finished MEMOIRS OF A POLAR BEAR (odd book) and am just about finished with THE KILLER OF LITTLE SHEPHERDS, so I'm claiming two books for the week. Now I just have to find something new to read. I started the edits for Book #3 but have written nothing new on the current WIP. I am supposed to go to a friend's place out in New Jersey tomorrow after our final show of the week, so I guess I could call that an NYC jaunt, since I've never taken one of the commuter trains before.

1. Do final social media blast for release of KINGLET - ongoing
2. Explore NYC with at least two more jaunts to places I've never been -
0 of 2
3. Read five books - 2 of 5
4. Get at least 10k words written on rough draft of Book #5 - currently 2,822
5. Go through first round of edits on Book #3 - up to Chapter 9 of 21

 

arikdiver

Making magic with words
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
907
Reaction score
53
Location
Australia
I will usually re-read one or two Jane Austen novels a year. P&P and Persuasion are the two I most go back to. Jane Eyre is another one of my comfort books.

Setting my goals slightly harder this month, since I ticked them all off last month:

1. Re-write 25% of my manuscript (~35,000 words)
2. Read 4 books (finish Winter reading challenge) - 1 down.
3. Write 3 blog posts
 
Last edited:

ReignaFTW

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
105
Reaction score
4
Location
MKE
@mrsmig Huge congrats on the book birthday! Glad to hear the first week went well.

Into August we go! Again keeping things simple on my end-

1. Write 20k words (4.7k down)
2. Read 2 books

Best of luck to everyone this month!
 

SianaBlackwood

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 21, 2012
Messages
735
Reaction score
99
Location
Australia
Website
sb.siasan.com
Go, everyone! :e2cheer:

So far this month I've written a 1000-word story and finished a 1500-word essay I don't think I remembered to put on my goal list. I feel like I'm starting to find my feet with the essay form, so the Voice of Doubt tells me to expect a really low mark for this one.

Also, after reading this thread I remembered I wanted to re-read Mansfield Park for some reason, but I can't remember the reason.
 

bdwilson

Dedicated Lurker
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
724
Reaction score
105
Location
Alberta, Canada
Website
www.bdwilson.ca
Wow. It feels like this month is going to go by quickly.

[-] Clean my office. (I am really starting to think this should be moved to constant...)
Ordered the shelves I need to really finish this off. They should be here next week, so I'll have to clear space for them.​
[-] Format and finish off the manual.
The interior on the print version is pretty much done. Moving on to the eBook version and covers.​
[ ] Do edits on the shorty story, whenever they come in.
[ ] Finish the first (terribly messy) draft of my current project.
[ ] Get prepped for the 3-Day Novel Contest.

Constant Goals:
[ ] Changing sleep cycle; focus on night.
[31] Write 1K words a day (for 52 weeks).
 

Damoclian

Fragile Bunny
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 4, 2015
Messages
1,217
Reaction score
260
Location
Canada
Better never late than late forever, eh, guys? :p

I have one cumulative goal for the next three months, starting at the beginning of the August:

[ ] Write a total of 110 hours worth of words BEFORE NaNo.

Wish meh luck! :eek:
 

Tamlyn

fish skeleton
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
1,467
Reaction score
812
Location
Australia
Doing okay so far. I can already tick game planning off. Definitely not going to be an issue >>

I finished a chapter and started on the next one. Hopefully will get that done this week.

I used to hand write everything. I missed it after I got my tablet-laptop. Having had to go back to handwriting some stuff while the tablet is at the doctor's, I don't anymore. I mean, I still like the writing part, but it's just so much more work having to type it all up and without the convenience.

Finished Pride and Prejudice. Finished The Diamond Throne. Onto The Ruby Knight.

Got to do cleaning and sorting stuff this weekend, but hopefully will get in a bunch of reading and writing as well.

1. Edit four chapters. 1/4
2. Write a decent amount of WIP.
3. Read five books. 2/5
4. Game planning. Yes.
5. Draft new or begin edits on a sitting short story.
6. Min 500 words or 2 pages edited per day. So far!
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,884
Reaction score
7,172
Location
Virginia
Man, this month is just flying by. Still no progress on the writing side; every block of time I've planned for writing this week has been disrupted, for one reason or another. As far as reading goes, I finished the over-long but still enjoyable novel THE NIX by Nathan Hill. I've got the play OSLO to read next, and I'm feeling the need for some non-fic to follow that.

Finished the edits Book #3 and will probably not see the second round from my editor for a couple of weeks, which is fine. The trip out to New Jersey to visit my friend was delightful; I experienced both a commuter bus and the NJ Transit train, and they were both just fine (not as fine as being out of midtown Manhattan for an evening, but fine nonetheless). I'm counting that experience as one of my NYC jaunts.

I added a goal this week - I decided to get a jump on my social media blitz for the release of Book #2 in November, and gave myself a goal of ten graphics. Got two done this week.

1. Do final social media blast for release of KINGLET - ongoing
2. Explore NYC with at least two more jaunts to places I've never been -
1 of 2
3. Read five books - 3 of 5
4. Get at least 10k words written on rough draft of Book #5 - currently 2,822
5. Go through first round of edits on Book #3 - DONE
6. Create graphics for upcoming social media push for Book #2 - 2 of 10

I know some are already gearing up to participate in NaNo come November, but I'm going to be passing on that this year. I love Camp but I don't find NaNo to be particularly helpful, as I'm an edit-as-I-go writer.

P.S. if anyone's interested, the Washington Post article about my current theatre gig is already available online, with the print version out in tomorrow's paper. You can read it here: When LuPone and Midler gets sick? The show must go on, and so must the sub. The nice part is that the article also mentions my book KINGLET.
 
Last edited:

bdwilson

Dedicated Lurker
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
724
Reaction score
105
Location
Alberta, Canada
Website
www.bdwilson.ca
Check in time!

[-] Clean my office. (I am really starting to think this should be moved to constant...)
Cleared space for the shelves. Expected arrival date is Wednesday, so hopefully more movement on this after that.​
[-] Format and finish off the manual.
Print version and both covers complete. My dad ordered the proof copy, so I've just got to finish getting the eBook version formatted.​
[ ] Do edits on the shorty story, whenever they come in.
[-] Finish the first (terribly messy) draft of my current project.
So close here. I'd left a few scenes to go back and finish later. They're all that's left, so I guess it's later.​
[ ] Get prepped for the 3-Day Novel Contest.

Constant Goals:
[ ] Changing sleep cycle; focus on night.
[32] Write 1K words a day (for 52 weeks).
 

EMaree

a demon for tea
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
4,655
Reaction score
839
Location
Scotland
Website
www.emmamaree.com
Hey everyone, happy August! I've been away this month in Helsinki for Worldcon, and I wanted to thank BDWilson for checking in during my absence. You gave me a push to get straight back to writing once the con is done. :D

I'm going to wing my formatting today and give my big goal sub-goals to make it more achievable, since I'm struggling a lot with it.

Keeping the goals simple since half the month is gone:
1. Get giant robots project out in the trenches. No excuses.
a) Hands-off read through of the current draft​
b) Reverse outline​
c) write the changes in​
d) fix query letter​
e) sub
2. Read one library book.
3. Read one NetGalley book.
4. Read one audiobook.

Hoping to expand these out (I have beta reading to do, I'm so behind) but if I don't complete No.1 then I will bring dishonour upon the AugWriMo crew.
 
Last edited:

bdwilson

Dedicated Lurker
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
724
Reaction score
105
Location
Alberta, Canada
Website
www.bdwilson.ca
Hey everyone, happy August! I've been away this month in Helsinki for Worldcon, and I wanted to thank BDWilson for checking in during my absence. You gave me a push to get straight back to writing once the con is done. :D

Yay! Glad to see you back :hi:

I hope you had a great time at Worldcon!
 

Tamlyn

fish skeleton
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
1,467
Reaction score
812
Location
Australia
Welcome back, Emaree!


I... I think I'm doing well? *eyes the corner to next week warily*

I finished the second chapter and got started on the next. I could have maybe gotten more of it done on Wednesday, but I decided not to push it since I really wasn't in the mood. Instead I wrote some WIP, and that is still trotting along nicely. I'm not sure how much of my words this month has been WIP and how much has been game but overall words are definitely up.

Game is... perpetually getting so much done while being so much further behind than I'd like. I'm not a very good GM. But hopefully my players still enjoy it enough to see it through since I would be sad for my story and world to go to waste.

Oh, and I've written a flash piece and done some edits! More microfiction than anything so not sure if I'll count it as the story goal or as bonus. Besides, I still can't decide on the ending.

I don't have many stories on sub at the moment, and I think I'm going to have to accept trunking for most of my current stories. But I'm feeling better over all about my ability to improve even if I'm not there yet. So that is very nice. Hopefully the feeling will last.

Finished The Ruby Knight and have almost finished The Sapphire Throne. I am undecided whether I'll move on to the Tamuli as yet, but I seem to be in reading mode that trying something new might kill (which is sad, but unfortunately frequent). I've actually managed to catch up with a bunch of Daily Science Fiction flash stories I've had sitting open in my email tab forever too >>

Not, admittedly, doing so well on the cleaning and sorting front.

1. Edit four chapters. 2/4
2. Write a decent amount of WIP. Yes.
3. Read five books. 3/5
4. Game planning. Yes.
5. Draft new or begin edits on a sitting short story. Maybe?
6. Min 500 words or 2 pages edited per day. So far!
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,884
Reaction score
7,172
Location
Virginia
Hey everyone, happy August! I've been away this month in Helsinki for Worldcon, and I wanted to thank BDWilson for checking in during my absence. You gave me a push to get straight back to writing once the con is done. :D

I'm going to wing my formatting today and give my big goal sub-goals to make it more achievable, since I'm struggling a lot with it.

Keeping the goals simple since half the month is gone:
1. Get giant robots project out in the trenches. No excuses.
a) Hands-off read through of the current draft​
b) Reverse outline​
c) write the changes in​
d) fix query letter​
e) sub
2. Read one library book.
3. Read one NetGalley book.
4. Read one audiobook.

Hoping to expand these out (I have beta reading to do, I'm so behind) but if I don't complete No.1 then I will bring dishonour upon the AugWriMo crew.

Ooooo, Worldcon! That must have been fantastic!

Welcome back!
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,884
Reaction score
7,172
Location
Virginia
This month is going by so fast that it scares me a bit.

Finished up my reading goal this week - I got my nonfic fix with The Indifferent Stars Above (about the Donner party) and Born Survivors (about three young women who bore children in Nazi prison camps). Still haven't finished Oslo; started A Man Called Ove to see what all the fuss is about. Made three social media graphics for the second book, something I'm finding surprisingly enjoyable. And I finally got some words written on Book #5 - about time.

1. Do final social media blast for release of KINGLET - ongoing
2. Explore NYC with at least two more jaunts to places I've never been -
1 of 2
3. Read five books - 5 of 5 DONE
4. Get at least 10k words written on rough draft of Book #5 - currently 3,176
5. Go through first round of edits on Book #3 - DONE
6. Create graphics for upcoming social media push for Book #2 - 5 of 10
 

JetFueledCar

tiny hedgehog
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 17, 2015
Messages
1,125
Reaction score
159
Location
Internet native
August isn't over yet, right? I can post goals... right??? Doing this in the style of Alyssa Mastronomaco, because I just read her White House memoir and it inspired me:

Immediate (August):

Finish reading everything I'm currently reading (that's a low number for once, only two books)
Finish the outline for the rewrite of Runaways
First chapter of Runaways (I'm putting just the first chapter down because in addition to the outline, I'm having some difficulty figuring out the tone I want for each MC's parts, so this will involve much trial and error and much less leaving it on the page to fix later)
Get back to a regular update schedule on my online serial

Long-term (2017):

Runaways rewrite: 85k
Beta at least one novel-length work to practice revision strategies
Contribute to at least five different SYW threads for more practice

Personal:

Leave a review of the Lea plushie I got for my birthday
Price out apartments between my house and my work, especially those that offer a discount or waive the security deposit for people working at my company
Contrariwise, look into queer- and trans-friendly job opportunities in my area
And one I'll do as soon as I post this: Look up alternate routes to work during the predicted 3-month (ha!) closure of the street I take to work
 
Last edited:

arikdiver

Making magic with words
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
907
Reaction score
53
Location
Australia
My update:

1. Re-write 25% of my manuscript (~35,000 words) - currently at 11,813, all from the first week of August.
2. Read 4 books (finish Winter reading challenge) - 4 read, but I have one to go to finish the challenge.
3. Write 3 blog posts - written 1
 

Damoclian

Fragile Bunny
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 4, 2015
Messages
1,217
Reaction score
260
Location
Canada
Update time!! :D

I'm almost on par with my hourly goals for the next three (2.1/3) months!!! :eek: :eek: That means I'm actually doing things this month, which is GREAT, and also I wrote actual story useful good words for my story yesterday and I am a proud bunny! YEHAW!
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,884
Reaction score
7,172
Location
Virginia
Just a few days left in the month - time to start thinking about September's goals!

This was a particularly trying week, but I got a few things done. Still killing my reading goal: I finished A Man Called Ove, as well as Annie Hartnett's Rabbit Cake and E.L. Doctorow's Welcome to Hard Times.I found the first predictable and the second difficult to get into, but the endings for both were satisfying. Really enjoyed the Doctorow; I've read most of his books and I think this is one of his best.

I spent the day of the eclipse at the Pier 84 park on the western edge of Manhattan. I've walked past it but never spent any time there, so I'm counting it for my 2nd and final NYC jaunt for the month.

I made a couple more graphics for Book #2, and got a bit more written on Book #5. Clearly I'm not going to make 10k, but that was probably an extremely optimistic goal. I got the second round of edits back for Book #3, so I've added that goal to the list. Actually hoping to get it done today or tomorrow at the latest.

1. Do final social media blast for release of KINGLET - ongoing
2. Explore NYC with at least two more jaunts to places I've never been -
2 of 2 DONE
3. Read five books - 8 of 5 DONE
4. Get at least 10k words written on rough draft of Book #5 - currently 3,256
5. Go through first round of edits on Book #3 - DONE
6. Create graphics for upcoming social media push for Book #2 - 6 of 10
7. Go through second round of edits on Book #2
 
Last edited:

EMaree

a demon for tea
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
4,655
Reaction score
839
Location
Scotland
Website
www.emmamaree.com
1. Get giant robots project out in the trenches. No excuses: Close. Gonna be down to the wire with this one, but I have the query package out with betas (and might pop it up on AW later).
2. Read one library book: Done.
3. Read one NetGalley book: Done
4. Read one audiobook: Done

5. NEW! Read one beta book: Struggling, but trying.

Also, September is looming, so looking ahead and planning goals:

1. Query ten agents.
2. Finish the rewrite of the M/M Apocalypse book.
3. Read two beta novels.
4. Read one NetGalley book (The Stars Are Legion).
5. Helsinki trip blogging.
6. Hit -60lbs.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.