DecNoWriMo 2016 - The Days Dwindle Down to a Precious Few

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
9,843
Reaction score
7,068
Location
Virginia
snowfall.gif


Jebus - wasn't it September about five minutes ago?

Here we are in the last month of 2016, a year that's been...well, interesting. For those that NaNo'd last month, winner or not: congratulations! Now let's make those writing (and other) goals for December and help cheer our fellow thread-dwellers toward a Happy New Year!

I'll get us started with my goals, which aren't much changed from last month:

Start first editing pass on Book #4 in my fantasy series - currently on Chapter 1
Go over beta notes on Book #3 (as they come in) - still waiting for the bulk of comments to come in; have nudged betas to step on it
Finish the three books I started last month - 0 of 3
Finish David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas - currently on Page 451
Continue with holiday baking
 

chompers

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 19, 2013
Messages
2,506
Reaction score
384
My goal is only to write 2,000 words a day. It's going to be hard in the second half of the money, because I will be out of town, but we'll see. I'll see if I can do a little extra before I leave, to make up for it.
 

Evabeth

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 21, 2015
Messages
128
Reaction score
22
Location
Chicago (for now)
I have been working so hard all year. I think now is the time to take it easy. Therefore, my goals are the following:

  • Relax
  • Create New Year's Resolution
  • Increase Typing Speed (starting at 60 wpm)
  • Play with my Rubik's Cubes
 
Last edited:

Tamlyn

fish skeleton
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
1,465
Reaction score
805
Location
Australia
My only goals for November were NaNo and read two books, and I accomplished both. I'm back to mostly editing goals for December.

1. Write/edit three stories. - I've been meaning to fix one particular story for ages. I'm hoping an anthology deadline at the end of the month will encourage that.
2. Edit four chapters of Book 2. - hopefully more!
3. Read five books. - five because I have four library books out and one I need to finish before then.
4. Min 500 words or two pages edited a day.

Today all my plans went out the window, but I was able to get a lot of reading done because I was doing a lot of waiting.
 

technoglobe

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 16, 2016
Messages
63
Reaction score
8
Location
Ohio
My goals:
  • Finish a round of revisions.
  • Read at lest three books.
  • Try to devote a specific chunk of time a day to writing.



 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,843
Reaction score
7,068
Location
Virginia
Rough week - cast member in my show was out sick, so dealing with the attendant problems (i.e. putting an unprepared understudy into the show) ate up energy and time. I was looking forward to Monday (my day off) but now have to run up to NYC for an audition that day, so more energy and time devoured by learning the sides and music for that. I had a spare couple of hours between shows yesterday and tried to write, but couldn't get my mind to focus. And I still have Christmas decorations waiting to go up. Maybe Tuesday.

My publisher emailed and wanted to know when I'd be ready to negotiate for Books 3 & 4 in the series, so I guess this thing is really happening. They're looking at an 8/1/17 release for Book 1, and would like to release the subsequent books 3-4 months apart after that. I kicked the negotiations to my agent along with my projected timeline. And of course that meant one of my betas finally returned her feedback on Book 3 and said overall she was "disappointed" in the book. I'm trying my damndest not to obsess about it but it was a kick in the head.


Start first editing pass on Book #4 in my fantasy series - still on Chapter 1
Go over beta notes on Book #3 (as they come in) - 1 of 3 (waiting on other betas)
Finish the three books I started last month - 0 of 3
Finish David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas - currently on Page 451
Continue with holiday baking
 

meowzbark

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Messages
1,188
Reaction score
142
Location
Arizona
I outlined the highlights of the final section of the book and settled on a new ending chapter. Only goal this month is to finish revisions, but I also have to pack my entire house. Moving at the beginning of new month and I don't think I can take any extra time off for the move.

Revisions: 46,626/104,000
 

Tamlyn

fish skeleton
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
1,465
Reaction score
805
Location
Australia
Ouch, mrsmig. Hope it's either just one person or you realise you agree but know _exactly_ how to fix it.

Finished one chapter. I'm not happy with it, but I think I'm batting my head against it uselessly atm. I've started on the next one and it's working for me so I know it's not just hating my work in general right now. I'm going to count it as finished and come back once I've finished the book.

Still reading Fortress of Dragons.

1. Write/edit three stories. 0/3
2. Edit four chapters of Book 2. 1/3
3. Read five books. 0/5
4. Min 500 words or two pages edited a day. Yep.
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,843
Reaction score
7,068
Location
Virginia
Ouch, mrsmig. Hope it's either just one person or you realise you agree but know _exactly_ how to fix it.

Finished one chapter. I'm not happy with it, but I think I'm batting my head against it uselessly atm. I've started on the next one and it's working for me so I know it's not just hating my work in general right now. I'm going to count it as finished and come back once I've finished the book.

Still reading Fortress of Dragons.

1. Write/edit three stories. 0/3
2. Edit four chapters of Book 2. 1/3
3. Read five books. 0/5
4. Min 500 words or two pages edited a day. Yep.

Tamlyn, I heard yesterday from my second beta, who loooooved the book except he had an issue with one supporting character's emotional track. (Beta 2 didn't have any problem with that particular aspect.) So I'm waiting on Beta 3 to see what the majority rules. She seems to "get" the story a little more than the other two, so I'm eager to hear her reaction.

Beta 2's issue was largely with my protag, whom she found unsympathetic. I can tweak it to make him less self-pitying, but his whole journey in this book is about how his physical pain and mental turmoil (he's essentially suffering from PTSD) is warping his personality, and that means he's going to make some bad choices.
 

CoffeeBeans

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 5, 2013
Messages
1,499
Reaction score
433
I feel like I've been behind at life since September...

December Goals
  • Finish beta that I should have finished forever ago
  • Write another chunk (10K?) of the nano
  • Start next beta read
  • Plan Nano TGIO (should have done that last week)
  • Finish Christmas shopping
  • Finish making gifts
  • Get car tuned up before 6 hr drive for Christmas

MrsMig, being able to look at beta notes and decide to leave something is hard for me. Hopefully once you get all the comments together they'll form a pattern!
 

EMaree

a demon for tea
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
4,655
Reaction score
839
Location
Scotland
Website
www.emmamaree.com
Not entirely sure on my goals this month, if I'm being honest.


  • Finish 'The Last of Us'.
  • Beta read a friend's book.
  • Read some NetGalley review books.
  • Write 25k.
 

bdwilson

Dedicated Lurker
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
724
Reaction score
105
Location
Alberta, Canada
Website
www.bdwilson.ca
I feel out of practice with this, since I pretty much skipped extra goals in November :tongue

December Goals:

  • Finish short story (or at least decide if what I'm doing is working or if I want to start over)
  • Edit Novella
  • Make plan to edit NaNo projects starting in Jan
Constant Goals:

  • Work on shifting wake-up & go-to-sleep times
  • Catch up on Marvel shows
  • Keep writing streak going (11/12 months so far)

I'm starting to feel like I should drop the Marvel shows goal. I do not seem inclined to be making progress on it lately :Shrug:
 

Clairels

Born at sea
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 9, 2013
Messages
423
Reaction score
126
Location
The 18th parallel
Website
www.princessofpirates.wordpress.com
Most of my November was spent in preparing to move to a foreign country and start a new job, then doing said job, then leaving said job and fleeing the country, then asking myself WTF just happened. Since I have no other purpose in life now and no job, my December goal is this:

Revise the last third of my novel. All day, if I have to. Until it's done.
 

pentimental

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 10, 2016
Messages
144
Reaction score
30
Location
it's a dry heat
Thank you fellow nanoers! For some reason I find it encouraging to read about what people are doing after the big push is over.

Today I read everything I wrote for NaNo, start to finish in one sitting, for the first time since Nov. 30. Some parts made me cringe. Others, I was pleasantly surprised.
I was especially surprised that the nonfiction ms is better than the fiction one. (So far.) And the opening chapter I ditched is better than its replacement.

Goals: -Try using Scrivener to make sense of my patchwork mss (I think I have use of the freebie til Dec 7?)
-Make at least a rough outline for both stories, get a better handle on the form for one, plot for the other
-decide which to concentrate on finishing first
-write every day
-work towards "The end"
-finish editing and submit short story
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,843
Reaction score
7,068
Location
Virginia
I wish there was some way to put the brakes on December - the days are slipping by so quickly.

No writing accomplished this week. As I mentioned earlier, I had to run up to NYC for an audition on Monday (my day off), and being stuck on a Bolt bus for 4.5 hours each way is not exactly conducive to writing. And (in a good news/bad news kind of way), I got a callback for the show, so this coming Monday I will back traveling back to NYC again. My audition slot is in the morning this time, which means I had to pop for Amtrak for my trip up, but at least I'll be done by noon and on my way home shortly thereafter (on the bus again), and might actually end up with a few hours of my day off to myself. On the upside, I got some reading done, although I haven't actually finished a single book yet (in fact, I started a new one).

I heard from the last of my betas - a phone call - and as expected, she "got" what's going on with my MC and why he's being such a miserable prick. She hasn't sent me her actual notes, so I'm holding off calling goal #2 "done."

The rest of my week was all about "making Christmas" - I got the house decorated, some baking done and all my Christmas shopping completed, with the exception of a gift for my 95 year-old mother, who has everything and needs nothing. I'm thinking I might print out a short story I wrote last year for the Sekrit Solstice game and give it to her, since she was the inspiration for the main character.


Start first editing pass on Book #4 in my fantasy series - still on Chapter 1
Go over beta notes on Book #3 (as they come in) - 3 of 3 (waiting for notes)
Finish the three books I started last month - 0 of 3
Finish David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas - currently on Page 451
Continue with holiday baking - snickerdoodles and chocolate cupcakes this week!
 

Carrie in PA

Write All The Words!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
1,942
Reaction score
1,078
Location
in my own little world
My goals for December:


  • Finish first draft of my NaNo novel (I'm about 90% there)
  • Not murder any family members during the holidays
  • Update my potential agents spreadsheet to re-start querying my novel
  • Between Christmas & New Year's - work on 2017 goals & schedule
 

bdwilson

Dedicated Lurker
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
724
Reaction score
105
Location
Alberta, Canada
Website
www.bdwilson.ca
Weekly check-in, where I remind myself of the goals I set and forgot almost immediately :tongue
December Goals:​

  • Finish short story (or at least decide if what I'm doing is working or if I want to start over)​
  • Edit Novella​
  • Make plan to edit NaNo projects starting in Jan​

Huh, yeah. No progress on any of those, because I distracted myself with other things. Oops. Also, this is turning out to be a very busy month. I'll try to do better this week.
 

Tamlyn

fish skeleton
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
1,465
Reaction score
805
Location
Australia
Carrie - good luck with the whole no murder thing. I reckon that'll be your hardest goal!

I finished reading Fortress of Dragons. I haven't really started anything properly next and I think that book goal is going to fail at this rate >>

Have done two more chapters, and started on a flash story and some ideas for fixing another. Mostly I've gotten distracted with world creation. My friend's been trying to convince me to run a DnD game, and I've always said no because I think I'd railroad people too much / get annoyed when they don't follow my PLOT / etc. But a seed planted and now I have a world and story and all. So I either have to run a game or turn it into a story. Regardless, I've been happily making maps. It's not editing, but it's creative so I don't feel guilty being distracted from editing.

1. Write/edit three stories. 0/3
2. Edit four chapters of Book 2. 2/4
3. Read five books. 1/5
4. Min 500 words or two pages edited a day. Yep.
5. Game world/story creation.
 

CoffeeBeans

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 5, 2013
Messages
1,499
Reaction score
433
December Goals
  • Finish beta that I should have finished forever ago Done
  • Write another chunk (10K?) of the nano
  • Start next beta read
  • Plan Nano TGIO (should have done that last week) Done
  • Finish Christmas shopping Done (except for one that should arrive today and two I need to print, but they are all picked out)
  • Finish making gifts (2/3, or if we count all the work ones individually, 15/16, with the last one being finished hopefully tonight why do hobbit cloaks have stupid hoods?)
  • Get car tuned up before 6 hr drive for Christmas nope... looks like I can still get an appointment once I drive 6hrs though.

So many things to do...almost all of them are good things that I want to do, but I feel like I am so behind on everything... didn't stop me from spending yesterday making batches of macarons for no reason though
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,843
Reaction score
7,068
Location
Virginia
God, what a week. No writing accomplished yet again, although there was some progress in other goal areas.

My trip up to NYC resulted in an offer to be a swing/understudy for an upcoming Broadway show. Can't say more as my agent (theatrical) is still in negotiations with the producers, but as W.S. Gilbert would say "Modified Rapture!" I'm excited because it's a big opportunity and the money is terrific, but it also means I'm going to have to relocate to NYC for the duration. We start rehearsals in late January, but I can't get back up to NYC to look at apartments until my current show is over on December 31st. (Anyone have a midtown Manhattan studio they'd like to rent out?)

On top of that, my editor sent the first round of edits on Book 2 of the fantasy series. I'm going to try and tackle that sometime this week if I have a spare moment (BWAHAHAHA); meanwhile I'm waiting for my agent (literary) to get back to me about negotiations with the publisher for the balance of the series. Dinged my last beta reader for her notes again, but beyond two small typos she really didn't have any - so I'm calling my Beta Notes goal done.

Treated myself to Pratchett's Thief of Time for the trip to NYC and finished it on the bus back, so that's one book down (I'm halfway through Night Watch, which was my reward for getting the part). Made zero headway on the McCullough book, but I did make brownies, so I'm keeping abreast of the baking goal. I have three more batches of cookies to bake before Christmas, along with cake and bread, but I have confidence I'll get to those this week. Christmas packages got mailed early this week; Christmas cards will finally go out today. Meanwhile I'm hoping to keep the cold I've caught in the "slight" category. Wish me luck.


Start first editing pass on Book #4 in my fantasy series - still on Chapter 1
Go over beta notes on Book #3 (as they come in) - done
Finish the three books I started last month - 1 of 3
Finish David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas - currently on Page 451
Continue with holiday baking - brownies!
 

Tamlyn

fish skeleton
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
1,465
Reaction score
805
Location
Australia
I had a holiday weekend with my sister over and going places and all that. In retrospect, keeping up with writing/editing on a daily basis over that was too ambitious, but oh well. It was a brilliant weekend anyway. I did finish up another chapter before I left, and I'm partway into two different books so hopefully I'll at least get them both finished.

1. Write/edit three stories. 0/3
2. Edit four chapters of Book 2. 3/4
3. Read five books. 1/5
4. Min 500 words or two pages edited a day. Nope.
5. Game world/story creation.
 

bdwilson

Dedicated Lurker
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
724
Reaction score
105
Location
Alberta, Canada
Website
www.bdwilson.ca
Weekly check-in:

Huh, yeah. No progress on any of those, because I distracted myself with other things.

And so it goes this week as well. This is a really busy time, more so than it usually is. I'm hoping to have some space to get through things in between Christmas and New Year's, but I'm not counting on it :tongue
 

chompers

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 19, 2013
Messages
2,506
Reaction score
384
As I expected, no writing time since I've been out of town.
 

Carrie in PA

Write All The Words!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
1,942
Reaction score
1,078
Location
in my own little world
My goals for December:


  • Finish first draft of my NaNo novel (I'm about 90% there) -- Yeeeeeeep, still about 90% there. I got stalled and ticked off, so I kicked it aside while I had a hissy fit, but now I have a great new scene in mind that I'm going to write after I'm done with this post.
  • Not murder any family members during the holidays --- so far, so good, check again after Christmas.
  • Update my potential agents spreadsheet to re-start querying my novel -- I have actually been working at this.
  • Between Christmas & New Year's - work on 2017 goals & schedule -- Also making some progress here, although I don't have anything written down yet. I will be writing it out as planned, between Christmas & New Year's, but it's been marinating.

I've been derailed by Christmas preparations, and on Tuesday, one of my kitties passed away after a long illness, so that's been hard.

On the upside, I used my melancholy to sort and organize a ton of stuff in my office. It was a nice mindless task that really needed done. That's one less obstacle in my way for the new year.
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,843
Reaction score
7,068
Location
Virginia
So sorry about your kitty. :cry:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.