August Challenge - Write Every Day!

Enlightened: Good luck!

Keithy: This is what the vomit draft is for – figuring out the right way to do it.

WGough: Holy moly moo! How long does it take you to write 5, 6k? That’s a great Chuck Wendig quote.

Layla: Please let me live where you live. Where I live, someone did the toilet in the communal stair last night. Wish I was joking. (Yay 2x 1/2 page!)

KayMitch: You definitely made up for it! I write short too, though I try not to worry too much about it. You’re over the 50k line – that’s good. A lot of YA fiction is too long (if you ask me).

Daniel: Good stuff!

Cindyt: Nice count! And, that’s a pile of editing done too.

Pterofan: Nice work. The dinos will roam free one day!

Bonafide: As the saying goes, one sentence is better than a smack in the face.

Taylor: Good job. And I’m sure those readers won’t be bored once you sharpen your editing sword.

I’m feeling much better, and managed to plan one chapter, and write another. I’m having to stuff all my doubts into a drawer and plough ahead with this draft. Deep down I have a good feeling about it. Deep, deep down…

Day 12: Decent bit; 2.5 miles (laziness continues); lovely cold rain

Day 12
Drafted 5,026 words of Book III. Researched clerical vestments.

Layla: Nice work!

Cindyt: Your progress is astounding. What is sex? Hopefully the reverend knows. Otherwise, poor Lady Naomi.

Keithy: Scribble away!

BonafideDreamer: One sentence a day leads to a finished book. Keep at it!

Taylor: Way to go! Totally fixable.

Pterofan: That is a ton of work, regardless of word count. Get it!

April: Glad your feeling better. Seems like it's doubty season. 5K+ words is an 8-10 hour day of writing for me. Struggled to get to 5K words today. As you know, some days you feel it. Most days, I don't.

Going back to five days a week of day jobbing, so fewer 5K+ days. Sigh. Have a great week, folks!

Cindy - congrats on the 856 words and those 5 chapters of revision!

Keithy - I hope you had some fun with the scribbling

Bona - the challenge is 'write somethimg' - a sentence is something. Congrats on beating the blank page!

Ptero - The blank page lost. You won. Congrats on the 76.

April - oh good god no! & you still managed to get stuff done!

Gough, crushing as expected


Day 12

WIP - I thought today was going to be my skip day, but I ended up w/ enough time this morning to get down a 1/4 page!

R/SC - earning service; some chores

$$ - marketing project (micro step!)

I need to stop with my drive bys here. But I've been so busy I barely even find time for writing let alone chatting XD
Thank you all for the encouragement and the words of wisdom on my novel length. I agree 50k is still a novel

Day 11: 201 words (just barely beat my goal.

Day 12: 576 words.

Getting closer and closer to the end of this WIP. I can feel the excitement building.

One more page done.

WGough said:

Day 12


Cindyt: Your progress is astounding. What is sex? Hopefully the reverend knows. Otherwise, poor Lady Naomi.

Click to expand...

Day 12

I fooled around with a manuscript, and that is all.

Almost done editing the fantasy novel. Next up: the dreaded query letter. Actual writing will resume this evening.

WGough: Wow, I’m not only impressed at your word count, but at your ability to write for 8-10 hours! You have some serious focus and work ethic. (Please lend me some?!)

Layla: Hurrah for sneaky 1/4 pages! (And yeah, my attitude was: if I write more, I’ll earn more, and then I can move!)

KayMitch: Don’t worry about drive bys. Sometimes life takes over. Well done for still getting those words in though – that’s what really matters

Taylor: Nice work.

Cindyt: Fooling around sounds fun I keep making eyes at my manuscript but he’s giving me the cold shoulder.

Pterofan: Eee exciting times!

As one plague passes, another one seems to be brewing… Well, I have a sore throat. If it turns into a cold I’ll no be pleased. Anyhoo, I ground out 1000 words today, which seems like a miracle given I had another crappy night’s sleep and have had no energy all day. Blergh. I hate being ill!

Day 13: Decent bit; 3 miles (jeez…); begone, foul biological invaders

April Swanson said:

Cindyt: Fooling around sounds fun I keep making eyes at my manuscript but he’s giving me the cold shoulder.

Click to expand...

Day 13
1,887 words drafted of Book III.

Layla: When you're feeling it, don't waste it! Way to go!

KayMitch: Work that excitement. So happy for you!

Cindyt: A manuscript has needs too!

Pterofan: Congrats on that editing progress.

April: 1K words when you're feeling poorly is a miracle. Is there a St. April? My energy ebbs and flows. I'm ebbing today.

Great work everybody. Swim, swim, swim.

I'm back! I had a pretty rough transition vacation time, striking zero for my last two days beforehand and staying in a creative ditch that is my current chapter with no end in sight. However, I finally gritted my teeth and went plowing through most of the ugly segment today that's been giving me so much trouble.

Quite a grind. 5 hours on the chair for 1.4k words written. I'll take it, but hopefully that was the worst of it. I'm still on schedule for the month, but my mind needs some serious breathing room to reassess what scenes I'm going into next. So far, it's a complete blank.

I also spaced a bit on my blog post that I wanted to write this weekend, but I recovered well with a plan: rewatch the material I'm covering for this week, and try again during the weekend. It could just be that easy—please let it be that easy!

Now, off to bed with me. I've let more than my writing slip during the break last week, and sleeping needs to be my very best friend if I'm gonna get anywhere close to my goal for this month.

1055.

Good work everyone! =D

WGough said:

Cindyt: A manuscript has needs too!

Click to expand...

Don't make me laugh! I'm mad!

Day 12

New words - 735

Revised - 174 words

I somehow managed to lose my current historical manuscript. So, I spent tonight revising another draft as far as inserting part divisions and some verses. Tomorrow I’ll start all over with the revision. Needless to say I am pretty well shnickerdoodled off right now.

Kay - congrats on getting closer to the end!

Taylor, congrats on that page

Keep at it, Ptero!

April - 1K is a very decent bit!

Gough, I like that number. Something is pleasing about 1,887…

Xen - you're a trooper!

Nice, Daniel!

Cindy congrats on those new words and Yikes! I hope that MS restores itself asap!



Day 13
WIP ~1/2 page
R/SC - Got back to my garden - it had really overgrown… paid some billz; earning service
$$ - the baby-step market project continues...

Quick check-in: Didn't mean to drop off the radar again. Had a house full of unexpected company(10!) show up for the weekend. My son's birthday was yesterday and mine today. It's been very hectic! Hopefully, things will settle down soon, but my husband's home for two weeks of vacation so we'll see.

April: Glad to be back, and glad to see another familiar face.

WGough: I dunno if there is but there SHOULD be. Once again, you smashed it out the park So happy to hear Book III is working well for you.

xenylic: Missed you! Ugh, roadblocks are just the worst. Fingers crossed you’re over the hump. Sticking with it for five hours shows how much grit you have, so give yourself a big pat on the back.

Daniel: Good job!

Cindyt: Doh!

Layla: Oh, to have a garden. Is it pretty? I bet it is. If I had a garden I’d definitely grow magic beans.

nik: Happy birthday! I just hope you’re unexpected company didn’t consist of dwarves and a wizard and a quest to rob a dragon.

I hit another 1k today, despite there being a hedgehog lodged in my throat. I’ve sort of decided to write 1000 words a day, after enjoying my daily three pages so much. Except, I really need to type, so I can edit as I go. Sigh. And so my romantic vision of writerlife disappears.

Day 14: Decent bit; 4.5 miles; husky tones

Sometimes you write a story that disgusts you by the end of it. Today was one of those days. I deliberately chose to end the story as quickly as possible because I just didn't want to keep writing. I need time away from it and I've got other, more interesting ideas demanding my attention. Hopefully a week will help me figure out what needs to change. For now, I'm glad to shove it aside.

Day 13 - 151 words

Finished edits on the fantasy this morning. That thing's been sitting in my closet for ages, and it's already been out a couple of times, so it just needed a bit of sweep and polish. Too bad I couldn't find any of my previous query letters and will have to write a new one. Dang.

And now, back to the anthology story. Deadline's next Friday and I've hit a quicksand patch. I can either bull through or skip around and write other scenes, or both.

Taylor - sometimes you have to walk away for a while. Or forever. That story I finally finished last month? I'd been working on that off and on for over a year. And that was one I liked and wanted to write. Don't feel you have to stick with something that isn't working for you. If you go back to it later, okay. If you never go back to it, also okay. You'll still have learned something from writing it. No writing ever goes to waste.

I wrote four hundred words today! The chapter I'm working on is finally coming along.

Day 14
4,778 words drafted of Book III. Researched medieval ED. Fun times!

xenylic: Ugh. Been in that ditch. It's a mother to climb out of. Congrats on your word count and edits.

Daniel: Great work, Daniel. Nice word count!

Cindyt: I am so sorry! Do you backup to Dropbox? Thumb drive? KJ Charles once had her laptop stolen and lost a completed manuscript and all WIPs. Watch, your new work will be better.

Layla: Congrats on your half page! That garden, it will grow.

niknicnac: 10 unexpected guests? Holy crow. Happy Birthday!

April: Cling to that vision of the romantic writerlife. It's the only thing that gets me out of bed some mornings (all mornings).

Taylor: It happens to the best. And then you make it better. Good luck with your new projects.

Pterofan: Nice word count! Sage advice. Good luck with the query letter. I dread the day when I have to write one.

BonafideDreamer: Awesome job!

Keep at it, folks.

Cindty: Nice word count!

Layla: Slow and steady wins the race, right?

April: Great progress! Keep at it!

Taylor: I do this too. When I feel it's quite enough, I simply move on. I'd be very intrigued to talk with you about when you feel this point arises. Good stuff.

Pterofan: Progress. Cool!

BonafideDreamer: Nearly at the Hemingway mark! 400 words is decent for sure!

WGough: Crazy-fine progress! Are you leading the pack this month?

I'm going to write tonight. I have a lot of time and good muse-like experience for today. A little bit of everything. I'll update later.

Daniel: Congrats on 1055!

Cindy: Oh, no! I hope you find it! Good work today, though!

Layla: Nice! I hope you enjoyed fixing up that garden—I always find tidying up to be a relaxing activity.

niknicnac: Wow, that sounds exciting (and exhausting, of course)! I hope you enjoy a little downtime with your husband!

April: Ah, I can relate. My typing is the only thing that can keep up with my mind, and I make too many word corrections to do a typewriter. Way to sink another 1,000 words in the bag! Awesome!

Taylor: This is the nightmare that we always pray doesn't happen. I'm so sorry. But even then, something compelled you to get this manuscript out, and after a break of indeterminable length, you'll extract that essence for a greater purpose, or you'll find the single thread that needed fixing which will start a domino effect in improving your current manuscript. Either way, it was not for naught! Be proud of your accomplishment, because writing when you like it is easy, but when you hate what's coming out of it, it takes grit of the highest caliber to stick it out. Well done, and take it easy!

Ptero: You've got this! Good luck on the anthology and way to finish those edits for your fantasy project!

BonafideDreamer: Glad to hear you're making measurable success! Keep it up!

WGough: I drool at your word counts! Also, bahaha! Your research sounds like mine! Just a few days ago, after searching for oldest rules of medieval jousting, my attention turned towards when the rise of the dreaded male hose came about to wreak havoc upon all eyes across the English countryside!

The weight on my chest is even a bit lighter today! I got in a clean 1.2k words, and feel the end of my rut in sight. As I'm pulling out of it, though, I'm starting to realize how intractable my mind was on details of questionable importance. Like, I almost physically how my brain has been on creative lock down, completely unable to accept perfectly acceptable gaps of quality in my first draft. Oh, well, at least I'm starting to be aware of what's going on and counteracting it.

I've also been broadening my day's tasks again. I'm starting to feel like my sleeping schedule is starting to make sense, and I'm not taking as long to fall asleep. Although, I am starting to feel more tired, must be some pent-up fatigue. I also am back on reading daily. I've got one more chapter left to read before I call the curtains for today.

Great job everyone! I'll see you tomorrow!

April: Drive bys are my speciality. Except today. Great job on your words!

WGough: Yesss. I'm finally on the epilogue. I'm almost done!

Layla: Yes it's getting closer and closer. Great work today!

As for me.

I didn't write yesterday because I spent all my free time finishing Lifeblood by Gena Showalter. I haven't found a book that drags my attention to it so badly that I have to finish it that quickly. (2 days). I have already read 150 pages of the third book in the series today too. I had to pause because the anxiety of the situation was actually making my heart condition get worked up. I definitely recommend the series to everyone!

As for my writing. Today I have written..... 282 words. Small but still beats my daily goal XD Slowly but surely this epilogue will get finished.

Hi Nicniac!

April - 1K/day sounds delicious! Bon appetit! (yah - I love me some magic beans)
(ps - it's a little city garden plot, 10x10. It's a work in progress.)

Taylor, it's very strange when those stories decide to set up shop in your pen. On the the Next

Congrats on the new words & on the edits Ptero

WTG Bobafide

Hope you have a great writing night Daniel

Xen - why am I not surprised you find tidying relaxing (& yes, I agree) Congrats on the 1.2K - and the new sleep

Congrats on the 283, Kay


Day 14 -
WIP - ~1/3 page
R/SC - earning service
$$ - sent a housemate email. Selected some material for a draft portfolio; Got back to my indy project - wheeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

1120.

Good night everyone! Full speed ahead!