FebNoWriMo 2018 - Nipping, Dripping, Chill

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free turtle bear

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@mrsmig: thanks for the warm welcome, and I'll be sure to check in with the New Members forum as well. :)

@Maggie Maxwell
Feels like I've done so little. I just have a lot currently in progress.
You can do it! Good luck!

@Atalanta: well done for the part-time job, it will help money-wise and leave you enough time to keep applying to other positions (and to write, too!)

@Jaymz Connelly: wishing you a quick recovery, and yay for a brain that wants to write even after the anaesthetic! Well done with the story!

@Kjbartolotta: a most productive month, and 3.5k words in one day... that's some progress in my book! ;) Well done!

@Tamlyn
Finish NaNo novel. So close...
Bravo! Keep going!

As for me, I've written half of a short story, started working on the outline and went to the gym once. Progress is progress, I guess, but I feel like I'm half-a**ing things. :( I hope my world gets less crazy next week and I get more done! *crosses fingers*
 

mrsmig

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End of the first full week of February! It's been crazy/busy for me - I drove down to Tennessee for a family gathering celebrating my mother's 97th birthday, and somehow ended up as cruise director for the proceedings. Since I was ahead of my other siblings by a day and a half, I spent that time cleaning, making beds and generally getting ready. My oldest sister arrived next, and she and I did a huge grocery shop and spent most of the next two days in the kitchen. It was a lot of work but my mother had a great time. Today almost everyone left for home, but I'm spending another day and a half with Mom to get the house back in order and have a little quiet time with her.

I got nothing done on the WIP (I hate that it keeps getting back burnered). I wrote and posted the fifth installment of my WAR PAINT blog, and did the one for my publisher. I started the tease campaign for Book #3's release, and was feeling pretty good until last night, when I got an email from the bookstore where I'm doing my signing on the 21st, wanting to know how many people were coming (I've no idea) and asking me to produce some kind of video of me talking about the book that they could use on social media. Honestly, that made me want to scream. I'll be driving home starting Monday afternoon and won't be home until Tuesday evening, and I also have an audition first thing Wednesday morning, so I don't have a lot of free time to do that, even if I had the wherewithal to produce a video. I guess I can rough out something but I feel like this bookstore has been a pain in the butt ever since we approached them about hosting a signing (they are the ONLY bookstore in my little town, and they're new, small and independent, so I thought we'd be a good match).

Next week I've GOT to work on my Sisyfus story. I know roughly what I want to do with it; I just need to sit and write it. When I have time. HA.

[ ] 1. Reach 20k words on Book 5 - currently at 11,038
[ ] 2. Read three books - 1 of 3
[ ] 3. Write ten blogs for virtual book tour (starting mid-February) with release of Book #3 in series - 2 of 10
[x] 4. Write blog about love for publisher's website
[ ] 5. Start "tease" campaign for release of Book #3 - 5 of 10
[ ] 6. Exercise (any kind) 30 minutes each week - 0 of 5
[ ] 7. Lose five pounds before the end of the month - 0 of 5
[ ] 8. Write Sekrit Solstice story
[ ] 9. Prep for book signing 2/21/18
[ ] 10. Finish blog series about War Paint (probably 2 more blogs) - 1 of 2
 
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bdwilson

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Okay, as expected, I did not finish Lullabies in time and my library copy just expired. I'm moving it to my "finish later" list for now, with a possible move to "did not finish" in the end. I expect I'll have more luck with the other two.

[ ] Sort the give-away pile.
[ ] Give away the give-away pile.
[ ] Read You Haven't Changed a Bit for the AW Reading Challenge
[ ] Read The Handmaid's Tale for book club.
[X] Edit every day: Week 5 (February portion)
[X] Edit every day: Week 6
[ ] Edit every day: Week 7
[ ] Edit every day: Week 8
[ ] Edit every day: Week 9 (February portion)

The give-away pile remains, taunting me.
 

arikdiver

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Quick update from me:

[X] Read 2 books
[ ] Write 2 blog posts
[ ] Finish Sisyphus story, send to betas, edit.
[ ] Finish editing first 20K of novel - 10K down.
 
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eternalised

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Time for an update!

[ ] Write a short story a week. Total: 1/4 short stories. Progress
[X] Finish outline for The Sign of The Serpent, and have a discussion about it with my publisher.
[ ] Finish back cover copy for The Sign of The Serpent.
[ ] Write two blog posts on my blog per week. Total: 5/8 posts. Made some progress
[ ] Rewrite / Revise Allegro Academy #1. Divide this into chapters.
[ ] Schedule all my posts for the month on the Monster House Books blog.
[ ] Write first draft for the second book in the Ghost Slayer series.
[X] Finish writing reviews for Ind'Tale Magazine. Total: 3/3 reviews.
[ ] Make sufficient progress on my article and submit it to editor.
 

Tamlyn

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I have made basically no progress with Stalking Darkness, the second Lynn Flewelling book, which is a bit sad. Maybe I'll spend some time reading this weekend. Well, in between the belated housewarming and the...

Finished the NaNo novel! Complete at a measly 64.6k words, but even writing the last chapter I was all wow, this is a massive subplot I missed that I'm going to need to write in and...

Now I need to decide whether to break a bit or jump straight back in to the WIP I'd had to pause to do NaNo originally. I'd kind of like a break so I don't mingle the streams, but writing is also so much easier for me to do on work days than editing. I did get a good start on the chapter editing today, and it feels really good to be back into that.

Did some game planning. Made a calendar for it. I like useless things :p

1. Read five books. 1/5
2. Continue transcription. Not much so far.
3. Edit/Finish Secret Solstice story. Not yet.
4. Finish NaNo novel. Done!
5. Continue game planning. Progress.
6. Edit two chapters. 0/2
7. Min 500 words or 2 pages edited per day (with one dedicated writing day per week). Yes.
 

mrsmig

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Here we are in the middle of February already. Yipes! So much to do!

I got home from my trip south to a sick husband, so the cleaning/cooking/waiting on folks didn't stop and I was feeling very sorry for myself yesterday morning. Fortunately the hubs is better today and I got a few things done, so I'm not so down today. Finished a book (a non-fic about the Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago - astounding that I'd never heard of it, since it resulted in the biggest loss of life from a single-building fire in U.S. history). I wrote two more blogs for the virtual book tour; right now my marketing person says she doesn't need any more so I'm calling this one done for now although it may be revived if necessary. I hit my goal of 10 teases for the release and will keep on keepin' right up until Tuesday.

As far as the weight and exercise things go: I gained three pounds over Mom's birthday week (too much cake, too much wine, too many salty snacks and too much stress), but I dropped them once I got home, just by going back to my usual eating regimen. So I'm still at zero pounds lost. I swear I'm going to start the exercise program before this month ends - maybe after this damn book signing on Wednesday. Which I'm as ready for as I'm going to be.

The Sisyfus story is still unwritten. Pray for me.

[ ] 1. Reach 20k words on Book 5 - currently at 11,038
[ ] 2. Read three books - 2 of 3
[x] 3. Write ten blogs for virtual book tour (starting mid-February) with release of Book #3 in series - 4 of 10
[x] 4. Write blog about love for publisher's website
[x] 5. Start "tease" campaign for release of Book #3 - 10 of 10
[ ] 6. Exercise (any kind) 30 minutes each week - 0 of 5
[ ] 7. Lose five pounds before the end of the month - 0 of 5
[ ] 8. Write Sekrit Solstice story
[x] 9. Prep for book signing 2/21/18
[x] 10. Finish blog series about War Paint (probably 2 more blogs) - 2 of 2

*ETA because I finished Goal 10 and was so glad it's done that I couldn't wait to mark it completed.
 
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Saoirse

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An update:

[] Get to 50k or better on Oubliette ~8,409 words so far, up to 48k in draft
[] Start tinkering with secret project
[] Start housewalking (exercise)
[] Start on Survivor Rewrite
 

arikdiver

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Update 2:
[
X] Read 2 books
[ ] Write 2 blog posts - 1 down.
[ ] Finish Sisyphus story, send to betas, edit.
[ ] Finish editing first 20K of novel - 10K down.
 
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free turtle bear

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Fireworks!!! <-- to celebrate mrsmig's marketing efforts (and her husband's better health, and her approaching publication and signing!), arikdiver's Sisyphus story, eternalised's outline, Tamlyn's NaNo novel, Saoirse's 8.5k words, and any other progress made/goal reached this week.

As for me:
[ ] Write one short story per week (1/4) Finished one story that I'm almost happy with... *happy dance*
[ ] Write new complete outline for one project In progress. Full outline for part 1 and a rough one for parts 2 and 3: that's about 70% done, right?
[ ] Begin research for the Big Project
And my non-writing goals:
[ ] Finish move and decorate new flat - make it ready to entertain In progress. I have a welcome rug! I have towel hangers in the bathroom! Most importantly I finally have Internet at home!
[ ] Read at least 5 books (1/5)
[ ] Work out at least twice per week (1/8)
 

Jaymz Connelly

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:e2cheer::e2cheer::e2cheer: For everyone.

February is turning out hard for getting stuff done for me.

[x] Tidy up garden and prune hibiscus (carried over from January)
[x] Finish sisyfus story
[ ] Make a start on historical fantasy story (haven't even looked at it yet :()
[ ] Read two books 0/2
[ ] Finish knitted blanket (weather permitting) - too dang hot lately
 

Maggie Maxwell

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February goals:
[ ] Read 2 books (1/2)
[ ] Finish 1 game on active list
[ ] Stream at least once a week (2/4)
[ ] Write 2 blog posts (0/2)
[ ] Complete 75% of mystery project (65% done)
[ ] Edit first 1/4 of Queen of Bones
[X] Edit Sisyphus
[ ] Use each kitchen appliance once (Breadmaker, Instant Pot, Rice Cooker)

I'm not doing too hot this month XD Only thing I can claim done is Sisyphus, and the mystery project is just crawling. No blog ideas at all. I ought to make myself read something this week so I can mark the reading as done. At least streaming is going smoothly.
 

mrsmig

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What is it about February that saps one's energy so? My guess is the weather...
 

Saoirse

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mrsmig - You got that right.


Another update:


[x] Get to 50k or better on Oubliette ~10,027 words so far, reached 50k!!!!
[] Start tinkering with secret project
[] Start housewalking (exercise)
[] Start on Survivor Rewrite
 

Atalanta

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Shift-work is hard. lol. When I'm not working, I'm sleeping. I was up at 4am today. I've done a teeny bit of reading, but I just don't have the energy for art or writing. Tomorrow is my day off. I might try to do a collage.

[_] Continue searching for a job. - part-time job yay
[_] Write one Le Guin exercise. 0/1
[_] Write one poem. 0/1
[_] Write one short-story for BFS. 0/1 - in progress (1,900 words)
[_] Make one collage. 0/1
[_] Draw one pencil sketch a week. 1/4
[X] Read a book for the AW Reading Challenge. - DONE!
 

bdwilson

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I feel like I blinked and missed this entire month.

[X] Sort the give-away pile.
[ ] Give away the give-away pile.
[ ] Read You Haven't Changed a Bit for the AW Reading Challenge
[ ] Read The Handmaid's Tale for book club.
[X] Edit every day: Week 5 (February portion)
[X] Edit every day: Week 6
[X] Edit every day: Week 7
[ ] Edit every day: Week 8
[ ] Edit every day: Week 9 (February portion)

At least a bit of progress this week.
 

mrsmig

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For those like me who are struggling to finish their Sekrit Solstice story, the deadline has now been extended to March 12.

::heaves a sigh of relief and goes back to procrastinating::
 

Dreamsage

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Great thread! It's awesome to see how everyone tries to get things done :Hug2:

[] To flesh out the basic characters of my comic. To make them come to life, instead of just being there for the story. That's enough to occupy me for the whole month, since I'm not much of a peoples' person. But I've started growing with these characters: I'm suddenly putting big effort on analyzing how people think and talk (imaginary or real). I've even started reading about politics and history, two subjects I used to avoid (my OC is a prince) and read more about psychology and writing too. My OCs have started "talking" to me recently, so I bet I'm on the right path :p
[] To re-write the introductory chapter of the comic. If not in its final form, at least in a form where the protagonist is tormented by a solid inner conflict and isn't just a crybaby.
[] To keep writing regularly - every 3 days at least. It doesn't matter what, or how good it is, as long as I do write.
[] To upload all of my artwork in Deviantart.
[] After the above, make a professional portfolio site.
 
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mrsmig

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Hi, Dreamsage - welcome to the thread!
 

Kjbartolotta

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I'm sick. Is everyone else sick? Well I'm sick. Probably gonna have to suck it up and get the flu shot, though last time I did that I immediately got the flu and my arm swelled up to the point I couldn't move it (but everyone should get a flu shot, it just affects different people differently).

Anyways, the weird thing about setting minor, flexible goals is that I don't seem to be accomplishing many of them, but much is getting accomplished nonetheless. I've been pretty much on a streak since Nano, and don't want it to end.

...but, I think I'm burning the candle at both ends. Due to a certain deadline extension, I have the urge to write a million more Sekret stories, probably could and just might. It's fun! But fun things can kill you as easy as unpleasant things, and I need to take a step back when the warning signs become apparent. So, I think I'ma just gonna slip back into the revision bunker/Lonelyboy Fortress for a while. Cacth y'all for the Guessination!

[X] Finish Sekret Project- YAAAS! It was chunky, too.
[ ] Re-outline my City of the Dead book- Outlining has outlived its usefulness to me, at least for now.
[ ] Maybe start writing it- This is gonna be the rest of the year for me and the best thing I could be doing with my time.
[ ] Make a fantasy map- Nope, sorry, pleasant and relaxing but ultimately a time-suck. All those fjords!
[X] Revise a short story- Done!
[X] Write and revise another short story- Done, almost. This is a very weird and experimental one, unsure anyone is gonna get it. But hey, you gotta allow yourself to fail sometimes.

@Mrsmig- Did I hear you say your mom turned 97? Wow and congrats. I hear longevity is partially genetic.

@Atalanta- U dope. That is all. :)

@JaymzConnelly- :heart emoji:

@White Fox- Thank you! :D
 
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mrsmig

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I'm sick. Is everyone else sick? Well I'm sick. Probably gonna have to suck it up and get the flu shot, though last time I did that I immediately got the flu and my arm swelled up to the point I couldn't move it (but everyone should get a flu shot, it just affects different people differently).

I picked up whatever it was my husband had - only in my case it was just a mildly annoying cold with slight stuffiness and a bit of a cough, whereas he, a full week and a half later, still sounds like he's hacking up a lung.

I don't get flu shots either - the two times I've gotten them, I've gotten really sick within 60 days. It's like the shot somehow compromises my immune system.
 

Kjbartolotta

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I don't get flu shots either - the two times I've gotten them, I've gotten really sick within 60 days. It's like the shot somehow compromises my immune system.

Right? (Also, if you ever get the swollen arm thing, it is an absolute nightmare) Though I work with children, they get me sick more than I get them sick, but there's always a lot of pressure to be immunized. I'd rather get sick than get a kid sick, so I may have to suck it up.
 

Dreamsage

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I'm sick. Is everyone else sick? Well I'm sick. Probably gonna have to suck it up and get the flu shot, though last time I did that I immediately got the flu and my arm swelled up to the point I couldn't move it (but everyone should get a flu shot, it just affects different people differently).
Aw man, don't even let me get started. I'm sick, my ma's sick, my father's sick, my aunt and uncle too. My sister's wearing a medical mask at home right now and everyone else is collapsed around, hurting and barfing. It'd make an adequate start for a movie about a virus apocalypse :tongue
 

Kjbartolotta

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Aw man, don't even let me get started. I'm sick, my ma's sick, my father's sick, my aunt and uncle too. My sister's wearing a medical mask at home right now and everyone else is collapsed around, hurting and barfing. It'd make an adequate start for a movie about a virus apocalypse :tongue

It's clearly already started. Can't blame your sister one bit, but she's still gonna get it...
 
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