May Challenge - Write Every Day

Taylor Harbin: Both of those things sound exciting! It's always a relief to nail the research of any project! Good luck with the move!

Layla: The summer is finally here! Also, you got a couple extra hours of sleep, even with that list of things you got done? I'm blown away daily by your efforts.

Daniel: It's so cool that you're sticking things out. Impossibly large word counts per day, quitting smoking, and making keeping it all together for a good night's rest? You've definitely earned it. I hope you're refreshed today and feel accomplished!

April: April! It's been forever! I'm so glad you're back! As for the no outline, fortune favors the bold, so keep calm and confident, and things will sort themselves out! Nothing gives us the room to stretch our creative faculties quite like impulsively starting the drafting. Godspeed!

Rachel: That's okay! Things are a bit hectic and uprooted for you, but they'll sort out, one way or another. Whatever obstacle is in the way, I'm sure you and your boyfriend will work through it, and bring back that sense of agency you're in need of.

Lakey: Excellent! There's two different types of scenes that I love: those that take you by storm, and those that you've been eagerly awaiting for months on end! Also, what a turnaround that you've gotten past that vying party scene! Keep it up!

I got my 1k in, which leaves me 7k left with 7 weekdays left in the month. Sitting pretty comfortable with that, but now that it's almost June I have to prepare for my book 1 stuff.

I checked my query thread—thoroughly this time. It wasn't terribly awful, and what I gathered from it was that people liked the idea, I just need to refocus the scope of my query to a smaller, more character-oriented premise.

I plan on chipping away at it over the next five days or so, finishing a new query by Sunday. Now, I feel a surge of confidence on what to do, and thankfully, I feel prepared to get it done. See you guys tomorrow!

Ha! Daniel - your slow day is something I can barely approach on one of my mad days!

SWANSON! Good to see you


Hey Rachel - considering how up in the air things are - I think it's really an accomplishment to keep writing. Any words is better than 0. Keep swimming!


Hey Lakey, glad to hear the pipes have loosened up a bit

Xen - did you find the 'Three Query Questions' - it's a thread or a link in one of the squirrel's sigs. I found that very useful - also reading queries that got people agents helps a lot.


Day 22
WIP: 1/4, I think
R/SC 10 hours of earning service
$$: listened to a youtube vid at work for research/training on one of my indie $$ projects

Version 4 is looking good! It should work - I need to decide how the heroes will sneak into the monastery - either they will dress up in robes or find their way in via the sewers.

This is fun!

Daniel - good to hear things are going well.
April - good luck with the outline

just keep swimming!

I've decided that the word counts were a little crazy and I'm going to start aiming for quality over quantity.

Additionally, I am going to start planning out my fiction more. I've started a thread to generate some input. I hope it gains traction.

Still, I love this challenge-- it's awesome! I think that if I keep writing, bit by bit, every day I'll become a more adept writer. That would make me feel wonderful.

Hang in there everybody! We're getting there!

*3 pages edited so far and around 400 words written.*

*UPDATE*

Day 22: 482.

I'm changing my whole approach to writing. I'm going to plan a lot more and do timed writing sessions instead of word counts. I think that'll serve me better.

Wish me luck! I'm pooped again.

Still haven't smoked though, there was even someone offering today. I REFUSED! Hah!

Cheers everyone!

Rachel: Ah, all of that sucks. It’s horrible when we don’t feel in control. Fingers crossed it works out as you’d planned.

Lakey: Ooo yay! It’s so much fun when you reach a scene you’ve had in your head for ages! Enjoy

xenylic: Fortune favours the bold… Okay I’m gonna write that out and stick it on my computer! Good luck writing the query. Have you read the query shark blog? It’s both helpful and humorous.

Layla: And it’s guid tae be back! I see you are being as productive as ever

Keithy: Woo! May the fun be with you!

Daniel: It’s always helpful to try out different methods. However, if there’s one thing (well, one of many things) that I’ve learned from years of messing myself up, is that your process is what it is, and it always changes. If your new approach feels awesome then DOUBLE AWESOME; but if it doesn’t, then that’s cool too Congratulations on giving up smoking. You’re doing great!

Got masel’ back in the chair yesterday. True to my word, I dived in without a plan and wrote most of a scene, stopping when I came to a natural junction in the plot. It was fun! I mean, I genuinely enjoyed myself. So weird…

SO my plan today is to go for a wee jaunt with the dictaphone and figure out several options for what comes next. Then I’m going to actually write out all of them, to see which one (if any) feels good. I need to get into a better habit of trying out different things rather than charging down the one story path with no room for exploration.

I’m not sure how to record my progress for this book because I’m in word-count rehab… Maybe time? That could be cool…to see how much time I’ve spent on the thing. (But would that include walks or just desk-time? Hmm..) Okay. Have to think. If anyone has an idea about how to record progress that doesn’t involve word-count, I’d love to hear it!

Day 22: Decent bit; 10 miles; far too many hours playing Ni No Kuni II.

I now have an outline of an outline for my new project... time to flesh it out. Version 4 it is! The basic events are largely the same as version 1, but with a slightly different order and a switch of villains.

A day off of sorts beckons, then more swimming.

Daniel, I have a feeling those word counts were fueled by nicotine withdrawal - which is a pretty fantastic way to kick a habit - if there is a mayowrimo you won it a few days back already

Hope that jaunt was productive and pleasant, April. Congrats on getting yer bum back in the chair

Whoa lakey - 90K! That's actually my favorite novel length fwiw.
(ha! I was thinking of those taps you turn & just a drip comes out - that's what I feel like all the time…)

All right Keithy! Congrats on a great V4

Day 23 -
WIP: almost didn't write in the am for running late but I managed it and surprised myself with half a page.
R/SC 10 hrs earning service; some washing, grocery shopping
$$ - reposted my housemate ad - I though I was closing with a canditate but haven't heard from him...

Late night! I'm at 650 words now-- so better than yesterday, and I've got a bus ride ahead of me where I'll be writing away for an hour or so.

I'm going to meet an old friend for an extended 3-4 days. It'll be VERY fun.

Still, I'll try to write at least 1000 words per day. I have to keep focused.

Lakey: It’s so hard though to accept we have, like, triple the work ahead of us. On that note, good job with your words, whether they survive revision or not! And 90k is awesome. It has been YEARS since I managed to get a manuscript to that length.

Keithy: Enjoy your breath before the plunge!

Layla: Ah, I knew you’d get those words in! Hope you bag a housemate soon.

Daniel: Woah, I can’t believe you’re able to write on a bus! (I’d vomit.) Good job getting 650. Enjoy your days of merriment!

I went for a wee walk, came up with a bunch of ideas and took a few for a spin. I didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped – felt pretty sick for some reason – and then I had a monster snooze in the afternoon. Not surprisingly, I couldn’t sleep last night so this morning I am totally knick-knacked and feeling as creative as a paperclip. Chickpea blondie and tea has helped, but I think today could be a bit of a rough ‘un. Also, as I lay awake last night, I kept wondering about old projects and what to do with them. Much musing is required.

Day 23: Wee bit; 7 miles; 3am Netflix.

Yesterday, I did better than 650.

23rd: 1269.

It was good. I came up with so many ideas too while busing. It was great!

April: Oh noes! Hopefully, you feel better soon.

Lakey: No worries, you'll get back on the train. The finish line is near!

As Keithy likes to say: keep swimming everyone!

Hey everyone! Thought I'd drop by and check on you all

Daniel: You seem to be doing great, even with your quality over quantity focus! And congrats again on successfully sticking to your resolution to quit smoking. (I have to admit it's pretty hard when you're trying to change a habit and others around you are not aware of that. But you're doing a great job!)

Lakey: Congratulations on the 90, 000 mark!!! That is huge I know the thrill of finishing an MS (and 105-110k is really close). Revisions are a different thing, of course, a little bit tricky sometimes, but it always feels great to improve and develop the original bare bone aspects of a first draft. And at the end you'll have a shiny new thing

April: Tell me about monster snoozes and staying up late ... Old projects are always weirdly interesting - I had a pretty big epiphany about one of mine recently (at night - it's always at night, isn't it?) which I then jotted down in the morning before returning to current MS. Hoping your musing works out.

Recording progress - I'd certainly vote for time. It works well, especially during the creative process of coming up with ideas/directions within the story when word count really doesn't reflect accurate progress. I don't usually count the time spent walking and thinking (although, to be honest, that's the most productive moments when the best ideas hit) but I do count the time spent jotting down and developing the various ideas when I turn on the computer.

Keithy: Oh, finally! Very glad to hear Version 4 is swimming along nicely. Monastery, dressing up in robes, sneaking into places, oh, this brings up lots of fun memories for me - reading Ann Radcliffe's novels at night. I have to say Version 4 sounds very exciting!

Layla: Looks like you're keeping your usual hours (and pages), just like I saw you last I'm impressed!

xenylic: See? Things always turn out to be better than they seem at first glance. You got out the right things from the thread, and you're ready to dive into the query again with new knowledge and new faith. Hope the new query turns out well by Sunday

Rachel: Have faith that it'll turn out well, and whatever happens, you'll be able to deal with it and figure out a way. Even when it seems like things are going against you, sometimes a less-than-pleasant turn of events opens up new doors and leads to better things. The important thing is to stay patient and strong, and remember that you have all the support you need

Taylor: Great job with the research!

I'm enjoying the time off from writing, just spending my days reading and listening to books, getting ready for my big leap into writing again in the coming days. Meanwhile, doing yoga, meditation, brisk walking - anything that'll enhance the final moment of return, which I'm excited about. Here in Picturesque, things get really dull really fast, and I look forward to writing again, hopefully very very soon.

Keep up the good work, folks! See you soon.

Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present. - Jim Rhon

Drive by for me, sorry -

WIP - 1/2 page
R/SC - 10 hours earning service. (Some frustration (and hurt feelings, a bit, akshully) again today)
$$ - bit of research

bed time

I got out of bed at 5:15 the other day. Earliest so far this year. The sun was already in the treetops.

I managed 283 words today despite time spent fixing things at home.

Congrats to everyone on their progress.

And... keep swimming!

Gah, time is management is really lacking this week. Sorry, guys, gotta do another drive-by.

I got stuck yesterday. Super-duper stuck on a rather trivial issue and cut things short at 500 words and completely unsolved issue glaring in my face. Today, thankfully, I did not panic, and surgically removed the bit the few lines that got me in this rut, and carried on as if nothing happened. I patched it all up, word count included, hitting 1.5k today, and just barely keeping on schedule for my 60k landmark next Thursday. However, right now I'm looking at one more day. One more 1k day and then I have a whole weekend before the final stretch. Gah, it's so close.

In the nonwriting world, I've had a bit of a snag also. Currently in the process of transferring in for college (I commuted this past semester), and housing is up in the air with this school. Pair that alongside the fact that I have to physically mail my current transcripts, and I'm looking at at at least another two weeks before I get any idea on what I'm doing come September. I'm a bit unnerved by that.

I'm also a bit unnerved about trying to juggle the query this weekend with how utterly exhausted I am with my other obligations, but I pushed it back long enough that I have a literal deadline to have it complete by the June 8th, when I'm going to a conference with my #1 agent choice.

So, yeah, I'm a little high strung at the moment with these things, but at least in the immediate vicinity, I have a slower day tomorrow. Two mandatory obligations, and more than six hours in between them. So long as I don't choke at the keyboard, tomorrow will be a great day.

Lakey: IMO work training days were made for brainstorming your book. Enjoy your hot dog!

Daniel: Hurrah for ideas!

SKara: Yeah, I’m gonna go for time. And I’m gonna copy your method because it seems sensible – only time at desk counts. Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying your time off. Reading, yoga, and walking sounds like a sweet combination of activities.

Layla: ((((big hug)))) for you and a big MEAN FACE to whoever hurt your feelings. A-hole.

Nice, Keithy!

xenylic: I’m glad the tricksy part was removed without too much trauma. I’m sorry you’re not sure what’s happening with your housing; that must be so unsettling. Fingers crossed it gets resolved sooner rather than later. A (((hug))) for you too, I think.

I didn’t do a bloomin’ thing yesterday. Not a thing. My tiredness caught up with me, and I’m not one of those people who can think when they’re tired. So yeah, crap day all round. My husband has a five-day weekend so it’ll be hard to get anything done. BUT, at least Solo is out, so I can have a dose of Star Wars (and Khaleesi!) to pick me up

Day 24: hee haw; 5.5 miles; lovely, lovely wine.

Yesterday, as I was doing chores around the house, I thought to myself, "Wow, this period of rest has been great. No day job to wear me out. I can read at my leisure, and the more I read the more my mind comes alive with stories. Maybe I ought to drag the typewriter off the shelf and get back on that novel. It's nearly done. Or maybe I could begin another short story, now that my two deadline stories are finished. Some new ideas are coming into my brain. Why not make notes? I've spent a week recouping."

Then, a teeny weeny voice in the back of my mind said: "Dude, it's only been two days. You call that a hiatus?"



To make matters worse, Submittable of all things emailed me a notice for a story contest from Owl Canyon Press, and it's a challenge I simply can't resist. They supply the first and last paragraph, you have to write the other 48 without using dialogue tags. Everything in the characters' minds must be paraphrased by the narrator.

Resting...

Lakey said:

I got this notice too. It sounds intriguing. I've never worked off a prompt like that ... I'm curious about it.

Click to expand...

I've been brainstorming a little and it's gonna be a tough one.

K! Go cuz!

Hang in there Xen - & hope your slower day is relaxing (and/or productive )

So April, Lakey - how I felt hurt - I've been here at this gig, putting in overtime, helping this woman who really seems in over her head get some control of the situation - and they decided to do another round of interviews for the position I'm temping at. And I have to remind myself that despite how hard I work and how helpful I am, they might just have some kind of ideal that is really different from me - and I might be correct in my belief that I am exactly what they need in that position, but that doesn't mean that they'll think so. But - I've been supportive, helpful, responsive… It was hard not to feel hurt when this person said 'I'll be doing interviews today' without even saying 'I appreciate all your work but please bear in mind that we really want someone trained as an accountant in the role'

& April - happy binge watching, & Lakey - congrats on those 570 words - it feels good to be writing, doesn't it?

Enjoy your break, Taylor


Day 25

WIP: 1/4 page
so, uh. The place where I was working 10 hour days - they let me go. The guy from the agency asked me how I was experiencing it (before he told me of their decision) and I said I was really happy. When he told me the news I said, frankly I'm shocked & he said, I know - I'm pretty surprised too. (frex, last week the woman I'm working for left a sticky on my monitor that said 'thanks for all your expertise' - so I thought I was doing ok there…)
So, for self care anyway, I did a long overdue errand - it was on the way home from the errand that I got the news. When I got home I just got back to the unhoarding project. (just gotta keep moving...) I got a couple of dvds from the liberry - one of em is Beauty And The Beast - I need some feelgood tonight.
$$ - did some housemate stuff, I can relax a bit on that front. For one of the indie projects I copied some stuff from a book. I wanted to get double sided copies. It's to keep in a binder for the project and I want to save space. That was tricky - you miss one page, you throw the whole thing off...

7 words today. Yes, only seven. Is that worth mentioning?

^
Absolutely yes. You wrote something. Remember the name of the thread?

You beat the blank page today.

April: Sorry for the slow day, but try not to let that sully the mood for the weekend. Enjoy the time, even if you didn't have the best lead-in to the long holiday weekend with your husband + movie times. Relaxing is hard work!

Lakey: That's all we can say sometimes. I'm struggling a lot now with that: Wondering how many, if any, of all the words I'm furiously typing into my draft will survive or be of any use, but it has to be done. I feel like there's some farm metaphor applicable here that you need manure to grow your crops

Taylor: I don't blame you, that's a compelling prompt. It's hard to give you the time off, but I think it's still worth sticking out. A lot of times its new stuff that catches our eye, and its really great to get started into (and even begin plotting), but we completely forget to consider the work in the equation. Let your brain rest; it's certainly earned it!

Layla: Aw, Layla, I'm so sorry to hear about that. If it's any consolation, you've handled the blow like a champion. Rest up with the weekend, and I'm sure whatever problems arise from this will you'll be able to sort out later. Take it easy!

Keithy: Hey, I've managed to get negative word count before, and when I did, it wasn't intentional. Stuff happens, our brain clogs up with an unforeseen or distraction, and we end up with days like this. Take pride in those seven words! For today, that'll be enough!

I got my 1k and finished Chapter 12. I am less than 4k words away from my goal now, and with the weekend's time off, I'm feeling confident that I'll actually hit the 60k mark on time. I've been extremely driven for this, ever since I wrote two weeks ago after an abysmal start to my month (in terms of writing). To see myself crawl back from that, when I was so certain my goal was all but forfeit, has kept me honest in this week. This is the easy part, and I owe to myself to finish this gosh darned goal since I clawed back from the brink just to get a chance at it.

I had the time, but some technical issues with my computer started flaring up and distracting me during my writing time. These two things make me angry like no other force on earth, and I really felt myself lose my patience one notch too far.

I need to take better care of myself. I'm starting with sleeping in for Saturday, but there's more to it. My meditation and mindfulness habits are completely tattered at the moment, and it's really starting to show. I'm emotionally out of place, and I have every reason to be. It makes me mad to be disregarding these important things so easily, when the time is there. I'm going to make a better effort next week on that. For now, though, let's stick with the positives. I kept my nose to the grindstone and capitalized greatly on my second efforts. I've made use of my time again—not perfectly, but adequately at the very least. And I hope to make it more so as we head into June.

Now, I'm gonna turn in for the night. And tomorrow, I'm going to get this stupid query business taken care of. Good night!