Mercurial March - 500 words/day or edits, all genres welcome.

lizmonster

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How is it March??

How did your February go, my friends? Good, bad, indifferent? What worked? What helped? What was fun? What wasn't?

What's up for March? How can we be supportive?

Let's go, team!
 

lizmonster

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February was unexpectedly OK. I actually finished my revision and turned it in. No news yet, so I can still fantasize that it came out all right. :)

My other MS is up to 36K. I'm being aggressive with the schedule - I want to have something I can start revising by the end of April. If I can keep up 2,000 words a day, more or less, I've got a shot at it. The book's a total mess right now, but I can't start revising until I've got something to revise, right?

So March will be Just Keep Swimming month, plus any revisions on the other MS that may come back (because you know there'll be something).

Go, everybody!

:e2cheer:
 

Cindyt

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:hi: I'm in!

I'm working on three manuscripts--an early 18th century historical, 80s crime novel, and, when I get a spare minute, my memoirs.

I would also like to start reading and writing short stories.
 

mrsmig

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As I mentioned in the February thread, I just started work on my next show, and the schedule hasn't quite settled in yet. However, my part is pretty small so unless things change, I'm anticipating a fairly light rehearsal schedule, and some long hours of waiting around once we get into tech/previews. That should translate into more hours available for writing - but for now, I'm going to stick with my 500 words/day goal.

Current word count: 82,724
 

BlackKnight1974

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February fizzled out for me. I've made little or no progress on my cut-down edit, partly because I am trying to balance characters whilst weaving in important plot points and vastly reducing the word count - but also because I am busy with work, decorating our house, have 17 fighters who have a boxing night in 3 1/2 weeks (that I am training them for). I also still have to train myself and do all the usual admin and stuff that comes with being an adult. This has combined into a semi-perfect storm where I don't think about my WIP and so anytime I get close to working on it, I know I won't have time to get back to where I was before I have to stop. What I'd really like to do is start my next project, but I know if I do that, it will be yet another thing left unfinished!

To console myself, I keep reminding myself that things will quieten down in a few weeks - and I'm reading Ready Player One at the moment, which I really like, so not all bad.

Keep going everyone - nothing worthwhile ever came easy :)
 
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lizmonster

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Well done, Cindyt!

BlackKnight, it's rough fitting in writing with the rigors of real life. And yeah, I think reading absolutely counts - it keeps our minds in a creative space, and it can be an effective way to take a break from our own work.

Thanks to a new med I'm on where I'm still working out the dosage, I didn't write anything yesterday (it made me loopy). But I did get 2,003 on Sunday.

I also re-read some of what I'd written on Friday. While writing I'd felt it was just awful, like I was slogging through the scene because I needed to slog through the scene. Reading it now...it's not bad, some of it. Needs a little editing (I get wordy when I'm drafting!), but bits of it are actually kind of effective.

I've also been doing some work on my Secret Squirrel project which will be going live on Sunday. It's funny, because I don't expect anything to come of it, but I'm really pleased with how it's coming out.

Off to write actual words today...
 
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Cindyt

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Day 3

Word count 610

BlackKnight1974 - Anything you do on your WIP is better than nothing at all.

Lizmonster - Excellent word count for Sunday. Both my WIPs are in revision, thus, my word count rises and falls and is sometimes nonexistent.
 

mrsmig

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Still struggling to settle into a routine, but at least I got some words in today. I'm envious of the rest of you!

The scene I've been working on is one I backed up to the beginning of the m/s to add in. It's intended foreshadow some stuff later in the book, and gives a more solid re-introduction to two of my characters from earlier in the series, including a shapeshifter who has always been one of my favorites. It gave me a better feel for how that character will fit into the big climax - assuming I ever get to the big climax. Originally I thought the scene might just end up being cut, but I feel now like it needs to be there. We'll see.

Current word count: 83,400
 
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Saoirse

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It's March already? How on earth did that happen?

I've been in a haze of work/sleep/rinse/repeat for the past few weeks. I did finish all three editing jobs on time, which I am so happy about. I'm exhausted.

Trying to carve out more time to write - that's my main goal this month.

::waves to regulars and newcomers::
 

Zan75

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Hey hey, hello one and all.
I gave up on the forums for awhile, but I see they're up and running again. Good to "see" you all again. Did I miss anything?

I've been getting over the flu for the last week+ so I've accomplished nothing. I thought about writing. Pondered the overall direction of the story. Thought about the characters. But haven't done any actual writing. I guess that mean any progress from here on is good :)
 

mrsmig

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I was at rehearsal most of the day yesterday, but a later call today let me get about 600 words in. I'll take 'em.

Current word count: 84,000
 

mrsmig

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Got my 500 words in, and a smidge more.

Current word count: 84,563
 

Cindyt

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Day 7

Word Count 2415

I'm making a habit of writing earlier. Had two sessions today: #1 the historical, #2 my Growing Up Buford Blog memoir. I'll likely get up around four or five in the morning and work on the crime novel. I am having a dang ball! :hooray:
 
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mrsmig

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Day 7

Word Count 2415

I'm making a habit of writing earlier. Had two sessions today: #1 the historical, #2 my Growing Up Buford Blog memoir. I'll likely get up around four or five in the morning and work on the crime novel. I am having a dang ball! :hooray:

Yay! I confess I'm having fun, too. It's a challenge, trying to squeeze in a bit of writing here and there with such a wonky schedule. But rather than get frustrated, I'm trying to make game of it. So far, it's working.
 

lizmonster

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You guys are amazing! :e2cheer:

My last week was a little spotty, because my Big Secret Project is going out this afternoon, and I've been focused on final testing and writing my Twitter copy. But the WIP is up to 43,164. I won't finish the draft by the end of April, but maybe it won't go too far into May.
 

mrsmig

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A little short of my 500 word goal today. It was so nice outside that I spent most of the day gardening - mostly raking dead leaves out of my perennial bed and helping my husband install a fence around it that will (hopefully) keep the deer from eating my hostas, day lilies and stonecrop this year.

Current word count: 84,861
 

Saoirse

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Nice work, everyone!!!

Today I wrote 2,447 words on a side project. It's a different genre, and I don't even know where it's going, but this is the most I've written in a day in probably a year. :) So, progress!
 

mrsmig

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Congratulations, Saoirse!
 

Cindyt

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Day 8

Word Count 1780

I would have done more, but had to google-learn how to lift a copter off the ground for a PTSD trigger scene in my crime novel. I only used a few bits of it, but I really got the feel of the military transport copter, especially the inside.

mrsmig - :e2headban
 

Zan75

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Nice word counts everyone, congratulations.

I finally got some work in over the weekend and added a little over 1K words.