April Challenge - Write Every Day!

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Keithy

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Dan Morrison and Layla - good vibes for the work - and shopping is good.

I'm limping along, trying to bash my ideas into a convincing plot.

The bush is gone, but there's another that needs removing.
 

DanMorrison

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Fourth straight day of 1K. Another 1470 words.

Seemed to get over my disapproval of my writing by lunch which certainly helped. Hope to keep it going next week where I'll almost certainly meet my goal of 10K words for the month (at about 9.1K right now)
 

Alessandra Kelley

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Several more pages introducing a new character, a rabbi who's also a mage, who knows a hidden cat priestess who knows the secret history of the vampires of Cairo. The MC is getting closer to getting some answers.

So far all the new characters are women. This seems to be a part of the theme (One of the reason the vampires could get so much done is that they were women and thus overlooked in all the Big Struggles of Important Stuff).
 

Layla Nahar

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April - congrats on figuring those story items out (& I was thinking what if Taylor made a kind of brace from his shoulders so he could have his typewriter at his waist - would make the line for coffee go out the door a bit sooner, but just think how much you could get done)

Keithy - gardening is good.

Wow - Dan - that is some really great productivity. Congratulations!

Alessandra - congrats on those pages

Day 20 - 1/4 page. It's been a frustrating day for various reasons. I'm really glad I pulled myself together & used some of this new TIME that I have to do a little (even if it was messy) work on a $$ project. And I made an appointment to get something from a friend, he might flake & I won't get it but at least I tried and I'll call that self-care and give it a 3/3

(re the frustrationb - part of it at least) I'm having serious regrets about jumping into this gig. I'm just going to have to do my best, and hope for the best. The work is boring and difficult - it's my weakest thing, speed+accuracy, and the place lacks character. But I made my bed, I'll have to sleep there for a while and really do my best to be of service. If I apply myself and I'm careful, hopefully my reputation with the agency will survive the gig.)
 

Keithy

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OK I've reached a point where the three main characters have all met up and the villain has appeared. Sooo... what happens next? I'm working that one out.
 

Taylor Harbin

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One hand-written page done this morning. Considering I’m not in my usual environment, that’s good enough.
 

thereeness

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Quick drive by update to say...there is no update >.< I managed 5 written pages of Act 1's draft on the 20th but work last night was so insane, I haven't managed a thing. Blah.
 

Keithy

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Spinning out ideas and getting them into some sort of order.
 

D.L. Shepherd

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My visit went well, and I managed about an hour and a half of editing all told over the past few days. 35 pages to go...
 

Keithy

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Too much family stuff today to do anything.
 

Layla Nahar

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Looks like things are going good Taylor, with those pages (& 1.5 pages ;) )

Hey Reeness - sometimes we just have to take it easy -

Glad to hear you're getting some clarity Kiethy

Seems like a hooray, Alessandra -

Glad to hear you had a good visit, DL & congrats on getting to 35 pages left!



Day 21 - a skip day; Day 22 - 1/4 page, and I'm happy about that. I'm…. still swimming!

I worked in my 10x10 garden plot for 3 hours - very excited about it. I'm going to plant *less* this year than last several - I've just found I haven't had the time to care for it well enough and it turns into a big mess - the bunnies like it tho. Did some groceries & cooking and a very wee bit on a $$ project. 3/3
 

heykatydid

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Hello thread, we are back from traveling! I did a little writing while gone, which is more than I expected (as I expected none), and so I've gotten maybe 3,000 words written since the last check in. Yesterday I wrote 757, and the day before that around 1,500 on the plane. Today I'm hoping to hit my writing time this evening, as we spent the day packing our things into boxes for the overseas shippers. Here's hoping that everyone had some productivity while I was AWOL and that we can all end April with some serious motivation! :)
 

Lakey

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Hello everyone. :e2coffee:

Thanks for the kind words. I have taken a break. I did not even attempt to write anything in the past week. I had no desire to, no energy to, and I simply did not. I thought I might end the break over the weekend, but I didn't; my mother called on Friday and asked me to come visit her, which was a good excuse to extend the break through the weekend.

What I expect I will do, sooner or later, is scrap and redo the cocktail-party scene; I'll go back and start the chapter over from a different place. I don't know when. I'm not going to make any pledges about working on it this evening, or any evening this week.

I hope things are going well for all of you.
 

Taylor Harbin

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Transcribed hand-written pages to manuscript this morning and am now at the climax!
 

DanMorrison

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Very solid day for me.

1321 words which brings me to over 10K for the month which was my goal. But perhaps more importantly I finally figured out the rationale for my antagonist behaving the way he does (or will do).
 

Keithy

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DanMorrison, that is very impressive.

As for myself, I have just finished rejigging the outlines for the first 11 chapters (with 3 POV's) into outlines for 5 chapters with just one POV. It may be a better option, because what occurs off-camera can be implied or shown from one POV without losing much.

So, the swimming is going well. But what happens next? Hmm...
 

Layla Nahar

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Hey Katy! Good to see you. Congrats on being able to get some (well, a lot!) writing done while you were traveling.

Lakey - likewise, good to see you. I'm sorry to hear you're feeling down about writing & your story - take it easy, & above all, be kind to yourself (((hugs)))

Taylor - nice work - keep the pipeline moving!

April - I love working on multiple projects - have fun with project B

Dan, you really are on a roll. Congrats & keep at it.

Day 23 - 1/4 page and glad of it. Oh story, story where are you? Called my friend (our Friday meeting fell thru) to make another attempt to meet; did some work on a $$ project. Ima squeek by & call it 3/3. Micro tasking ftw...
 

Alessandra Kelley

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Good work, people. Go you!

It's okay, Lakey. I suspect what you come up with will be better for it.

I mostly hand scribbled notes on the printout of what I've written so far (write - print out - physical notes on the printout - copy notes and write more seems to be a rhythm that works for me). This afternoon I hunkered down to write and added 1000 words to the first scene.
 

April Swanson

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Dan: Congratulations for hitting your goal (and figuring out important stuff).

Keithy: Good stuff. And the ‘less is more’ approach is usually the best one.

Layla: I’m sure the story will appear magically one day when you least expect it :)

Alessandra: Enjoy the view from the 1k club!

Yesterday I wrote 1000 words for Project B, restructured the chapters, figured out what happens in another dodgy chapter, and listed all the mysteries. I’ve got a clear goal for each day this week, so am pleased to say that I hit yesterday’s. Today’s a bit more tricky and I have annoying life stuff to deal with (I think I might swing for my utilities company), but it’s definitely manageable. (Also, I have sushi for tea, which always makes for a motivating reward.)

Day 23: Decent bit; 11 miles; one tremendous chocolate cookie.
 

D.L. Shepherd

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heykatydid: Welcome back! Hope you had a wonderful trip! Awesome that you were able to get some writing done while out and about.

Lakey: Sorry to hear that you've been stuck. Sometimes stepping back and taking a break is exactly what you need. You'll return to it when the time is right, and maybe a new angle for the scene will come to you when you least expect it. Hope all else is well with you!

Taylor: Nice work! Sounds like you've been making a ton of progress!

Dan: What a great update...congrats on figuring out your antagonist's issue AND reaching your goal for April with time to spare!

Keithy: It sounds like you are ironing out all the details nicely before you dive in. I hope the "what happens next" reveals itself soon.

Layla: Glad you got in 1/4 page, despite your story eluding you. Nice work on the 3/3, as always!

Alessandra: Sounds like you are moving along nicely! 1,000 words is awesome!

April: Great job getting in those 1,000 words too! As for that cake, we're on the same page...I had a dark chocolate brownie last night. It was worth every bite.

Another two pages done yesterday, although it was a struggle. I'm changing around another scene, and I'm not thrilled with it, but I'm not sure how to fix it. I just keep telling myself, "This is *not* my final draft." Work is getting busier too, now that the warm weather has struck. I just want to finish this draft before things get too crazy.
 

xenylic

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D.L.: 2 more pages is absolutely fine. Remember, production is the bottom line. I know it's extremely hard to ignore your dissatisfaction with that scene, but that's exactly why you can ignore it: We won't let mistakes go unfixed before moving on. When you're in a contemplative, critique & review phase of your draft, you'll have all your energy to fixing all those nagging defects in the draft. Resist the itch!

April Swanson: The power of food shall compel you! :D Also, congrats on 1k. I'd say you're at the top of your game at the moment. Organizing and tackling two projects simultaneously is a monumental challenge, and you seem to be navigating it expertly. Now go forward and enjoy that sushi!

Alessandra Kelley: Nicely done, congrats on 1k! And whatever works, works. Simple as that. Everyone has a personal flare to get them on track for the day/week/month. If your happy with the quality and quantity you get for the effort put in, no reason to touch that system. Keep at it!

Layla Nahar: Ah, I see your story is also playing the game of hide and seek that mine started. Welp, one of these days we'll find them. They can't hide forever! (Congrats on 3/3, by the way.)

Keithy: Good for you! POV is always a tough decision, but you've probably made the right call. If it can be told in one POV, it probably is better off that way. Plus, with rearranging 11 chapter of an outline?! That's a lot of change that I commend you for holding true to. I know my story-altering faculties are very hardened in that any major change has to break everything apart before I'm ready to listen to it.

DanMorrison: Oh my god, that's fantastic! In my opinion, that's probably one of the hardest things in a story for me to develop. The MC's character motivation gets to gradually show itself throughout the story, but for the antagonist? They have to be cranked up to 11 from the gun—so much so that they are completely unfazed by opposition. That's always a weight of your back when you figure it out. Also, congrats on 1321!

Taylor Harbin: Good luck, and more importantly, enjoy it! I find the climax really becomes the payoff for all that nonsensical writing, thinking, and re-imagining we do before it. I hope things fall in place smoothly for you!

Lakey: That's a good and healthy resolution to the matter, I think. Feel things out, and if you encounter resistance, stop again. It's totally okay. One way or another, you'll climb over this hump, I'm sure of it. Take it easy!

<Deep breath> Okay, I'm just gonna reset. I have not, generally, been happy with myself this week. Lots of work, two tests wiping me out of my groove, and a crippling bout of depression. Thankfully, I've cleared away the slate on Sunday, Monday, and today. I got all those backlogged tasks off of my phone and mind, reorganized my music library for the third time this year (despite misdiagnosing a technical issue that was not, in fact, related to my computer), and started reading a particularly topical personal development book that I needed right now. I have been writing still, and managed to hit 40k on Book #2 yesterday with some of my best, improvised scene development I've had all year. I also got another 1k in today, which puts me in striking range to extend my goal for April to 45k words if I want to go the extra mile (which I really, really do). Summer break is two weeks out from this date, and I'm trying to hold strong to that beautiful time when half my obligations vanish. I also decided I won't start writing a new query letter/start querying agents again until May now, because of this Herculean crater I've had to crawl out of throughout the month. For now, I just want to write 1,000 words 4 more times before May 1st. I hope everyone else is closing in on their April goals too!
 
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