Joyful June - 500 words / day writing or editing, all genres welcome!

onesecondglance

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Joyful because AW is back! Oh, how I have missed this. The admin team have done an amazing job getting the forums back for us and I am very, very grateful for their efforts.

So here we go again. This is the standard MTS check-in thread - set your goals and drop in to let us know how you're getting along, and to encourage everyone else with their progress, or lack of: it's okay if you're not having a productive time. We can comiserate as well as congratulate. We're in this together.

Best of luck for June, everyone!
 
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onesecondglance

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June goals... okay. I have been trying to get about 3k a week new words, but even that target has been tough to hit with stuff going on. I am definitely aiming to at least finish this current chapter in the WIP.

I also got some new feedback on a previous book and I'm considering whether to take it back out to the query stage. That would involve some edits and a trip to QLH with a new query. I'm not sure I can get all of that done this month but it would be awesome if I could.

Here goes nuthin'.
 

lizmonster

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Wait, what is this accountability thing again?

Hello everybody! I have missed you all hugely!

I have many things on deck for June. Unfortunately, some non-writing stuff is going to suck up a lot of my energy - but I shall have Goals[tm] nonetheless.

In June, I need to:

1) Finish and polish one short story (I only have three short scenes left to write why can't I finish this damn thing)
2) Polish one finished short story
3) Bundle it all up to hand it to my book formatter so I can self-publish my short story collection
4) Finalize the cover illustration for Series Book (it's so pretty so far!)
5) Work on Series Book

A lot of stuff is gated on 1), so I really need to focus on that.
 

muse

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Hi, everyone. So good to be back on AW. :hooray:

My WIP won a novel competition and one of the prizes was feedback from an editor, which I received last week. So my goal for June is to get the edits done. My writing brain has been on go-slow for quite a while now, so it's not too happy at being forced back to work. :)
 

lizmonster

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So I wrote something like 960 words yesterday, which was pretty good, given The Rest Of The World was kind of overwhelming. If I can match that today, tomorrow, and Sunday, I may actually have a full draft of that short story.

Exciting about the edits, muse! I hope the feedback is useful and along the lines with what you've been thinking.

Sending good writing vibes to all. :e2writer::e2coffee:
 

lizmonster

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There were more words today: 839. Sometimes I feel like they happen without me.

One more scene and I have an incredibly rough draft that maybe I can work with. I'll take a few days to revise, and then decide whether or not the story merits inclusion in the collection. I'd like it to be good enough; the other new one I'm adding is sort of melancholy, and this one's a little more uplifting.

And I really want to get this story collection out.

Go, everybody! :e2cheer:
 

muse

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So I wrote something like 960 words yesterday, which was pretty good, given The Rest Of The World was kind of overwhelming. If I can match that today, tomorrow, and Sunday, I may actually have a full draft of that short story.

Exciting about the edits, muse! I hope the feedback is useful and along the lines with what you've been thinking.

Sending good writing vibes to all. :e2writer::e2coffee:

Thanks, Liz. None of the edits are major, just a matter of re-jigging. Seeing as I've hardly looked at the novel in over a year, it's kinda like reading it new. My goal for the weekend is to work on 4 problem scenes.

Congrats on almost having a first draft done on your short! :hooray:
 
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lizmonster

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Yesterday was Shopping Day, so I only got 105 words in. Once I finish this scene, I'll have a floppy, threadbare first draft. I'm already having revision thoughts, but experience tells me I need to get all the bits down first, even if they're not in great shape.

I'm already having trouble focusing today, so this should be fun!
 

lizmonster

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1,915 words, and the draft is finished

I have in my head I want it 3K or less; one story in the collection is about 5K, but most of them hover between 1K and 2.5K. I figured the draft would come in at maybe 4K, possibly 5.

It's 7,069 words. I basically have to cut it in half. But not today. :)
 
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muse

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Whoo hoo! Congrats on the finishing the first draft Liz. Enjoy the moment. :)

I worked on my problem scenes over the weekend. Of course, changing them means more changes further on down the line. Gotta love editing!
 
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lizmonster

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Read through my rough draft, and oh, my, what a mess it is. I think I can work with it, though. I've done a first, very coarse pass, and will do another tomorrow.

I also did some fine-tuning on my other short. I'm fighting with pacing at this point, but it's close.

Also, The Kid had her first aikido class today, and promptly broke her right little toe. :p
 

lizmonster

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Rewrote the start of that short three times today. And I think I've finally figured out what it wants to be.

Going to try to get all the bits that need rewriting rewritten tomorrow, and then it's down to revisions. Would love to have this done by the end of the week.
 

onesecondglance

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Ouch for broken toes (aikido is supposed to be a gentle art!)
Congrats for words!
Congrats for edits!


I have not done a lot. Okay, I did complete my first goal (finish the WIP chapter I was halfway through). And I did do some work on Old Book. I'm not sure that work is going to go anywhere though.

I will bash my head against the wall a bit longer and see if it gives.
 
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lizmonster

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I have spent the day bashing at this story, only to realize I am starting it in the wrong place. Good news! I have learned a thing. Bad news! I wanted to be done this week. Oh, well.

This kind of struggle makes me very cranky. Shout-out to the poor souls living with me.

osg, The Kid was learning some rolls, so I think it was just a pressure thing. I've taped the pinky to her fourth toe, and she's looking forward to going back. Yikes.
 
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muse

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3 problem scenes done and dusted - and resulting snafu's. Now, onto the next edits.

@lizmonster Hope 'the kid's' toe is better soon.
 
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lizmonster

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For some astonishing reason I got some words done today. Only 557, but I wasn't expecting any. And I like them better.

The Kid's toe is nearly back to normal. She'll have the opportunity to break it again on Monday. :)
 

muse

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YAY for the words, Liz.

I've been lax the last few days, not many edits done. Shall have to put my head down this weekend and get on with it.
 

lizmonster

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Wrote about 400 words today. I'm knitting together earlier bits that work, but I still have a fair amount of work ahead.

Only a month overdue. It's all fine. :rolleyes:
 

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Last few days have been wildly unproductive. I am exhausted, and words are not flowing well. If anyone has a magic "Finish Your Damn Story" formula, I would be grateful if you'd share. :)
 

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I would pay All The Big Bucks for that formula. I would steal for it. KILL FOR IT.

Next book plot sorted, then.

I'll look forward to it, osg, but it might be too terrifying for me. :)

I accomplished some words yesterday, which surprised me a bit. About 500. Chipping away at this story, which I suppose is better than nothing. I also thought of a way to shorten it by at least a thousand words or so, so yay!

I also started looking at blurbs for short story collections. I want to get away from the formulaic "Story 1 logline. Story 2 logline. Story 3 logline. This collection..." style. Ken Liu's books have nice blurbs, and yeah, I'm not Ken Liu, but I am proud of my work.

Onward, a few hundred words at a time.
 

lizmonster

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Another ~900 words today. Another 4-5 scenes left, some of which I might be able to cannibalize from earlier drafts. A little bit at a time.
 

muse

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Been very lax this week - visitors have arrived for a longish stay and finding time to write is hard. Well, that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. Lol
 

lizmonster

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I finally - finally - got the short in good enough shape to ship to my very patient crit partner. We shall see how that goes.

Now I need to write a blurb for the collection.

I'm considering doing Camp NaNo in July, to go back to my series book. If I can make 50K, that'll get me well into the last third.