April 2020 Challenge - Write Every Day!

Robert: You’re getting it out there! That is so great to hear Robert! I wish you the most of success. : - )

April: Still a good word count. And yes, I love The Lion King soundtrack. I still even love that movie. I know it’s basically Hamlet, but it’s a classic!

Taylor: Hopefully! Power to your pen, good sir! Solid work

Layla: 11 hour day? Dang, you rock for just getting through it! Nice on that front! You’ll get back into the swing hopefully tomorrow! : )

Patty: You been drinkin’? : ) 2300 words edited is a great job no matter what else didn’t get done. Great, great work!

Keithy (Just saw your post now): Sounds like you've had a good workday still! I know what you mean about the quarantine. It's getting exhausting, but it won't last forever!

Me: Woooooo! 1500 words written, 2 pages of my work edited, 2 pages of a friend’s work edited, and a critique for a writing contact (with very poetic prose) today. I feel confident that I can start offering some critiques on here starting tomorrow and feel great. My work is really shaping up and I’m getting good at coming up, working, and finishing stories in my schedule and I feel GREAT today. I’m getting my laptop table tomorrow for my bed to make things more comfy and will be soon investing in an office chair that is “top of the line.” $199 dollars later! Ahahahaha.

Bad thing: My tablet cable broke and it’ll take over two weeks to get a replacement. Luckily, my Kindle table fits the slot. Still, I need to be more careful. I’m very limited financially. Nevertheless, the new one is longer and more powerful. I’ll deal with things in the meantime.

Until tomorrow!

Started Chapter 7. Two pages.

Taylor: Wow, that’s very impressive! If I’m up at 3 I’m good for nothing.

Patty: Good job! Ha, hope the head is not too brutal

Keithy: Another excellent day for you.

Daniel: WOO! Awesome sauce

Layla: Urgh, 11 hours. Enjoy the skip.

I did mostly world-building, formatting and some critiquing today. Got about 495 new words.

Daniel - sending hat doffings for your 1500 words and all the rest. It's very difficult getting things mail ordered right now, because everyone's doing it.
Taylor - go to it. You know you can do it.
April - ooh, world building, I like doing that. Shall I call it a sheep or find a funny name for it? Mountains here or there?

OK today has busy writing-wise.

Fishy Tail: 1639 words. Angela has been showing Kaylee how to fire a gun (this is an elaboration of a scene from a previous version) and after that, they sit down for a meeting - plot incoming.

Dustworld: 1248 words. Etia and Rodney get hired (eventually) by a caravan owner, who calls Etia too old to be a whore, which goes down very badly. Rodney threatens to leave her there which helps her see reason.

(This is a bit of a problem because I don't want to spent too much time on the latter, even though I am enjoying writing it.)

Research:

Whale spleens.
Repeating rifles.

Non-writing:

Another trip out to get food. Queuing is getting worse now, spending more time out than in.

keep swimming! or sailing... or trucking, whatever.

Daniel, Taylor, April, Keithy--well done and good luck with the broke-y bits hope they all get better.

Yes, head hurts a bit today, and I get lethargic day after drinking too much, I think it's low blood pressure from dehydration.

Still, slogged through editing 1700 words. Still on chapter 11.

Non-writing: Vacuumed some of the carpets and cobwebs around the house.

Taylor: Sounds like you’re still making good progress! Nicely done!

April: Ooooo, world building and critiquing can be fun too! Good job on the nearly 500 words!

Keithy: It sounds like you DEFINITELY got some good work in. Nicely played, good sir. *Doffs hat back to thee.* You’re swimmin’!

Patty: I hear you. I don’t drink really, much anymore. I find when I do I get headaches. It makes it unpleasant. Good job with the great editing word count. Also, props on cleaning! (I have a dog so I must vacuum often.)

Me: 2,108 words written, 2 pages edited for me, 2 pages edited for friend, and 3 works read today. I’m feeling productive and useful! I took only a one hour nap and then it was back to business as usual. I even went for three walks today. Woah, I’m going to plan now and then try to read some poetry to get ready for bed.

Until tomorrow!

Day 28

Word Count 1106

Research - Walking cane fighting (I found a you tube video instruction, and was surprised to find it‘s a blooming martial arts move), public marketplace wares (cheddar cheese, biscuits, & other treats for shoppers). Wagon tongues and back steps. Rope knots that won’t come untied (fisherman knots).

April - Congrats on the 495 word count. I don’t so much build worlds than add onto those which already exist. My island off Miami and the wilderness fort in Georgia are exceptions. It’s upon me to write a doomsday sort of like Charleston Heston’s The Omega Man or Harry Belafonte’s The World, the Flesh, and the Devil with my own spin, of course. I might use a Brad Pitt doppelganger lead.

Daniel - WTG on your word count!

Patty - Wow! 1700 words is awesome when you’re under the weather

Keithy - Excellent word count!


I had a time writing a single opening paragraph. It finally untangled and led to several more. Sigh.

Now I'm going to eat a Klondike ice cream, then catch up on Chris P's 2020 reading challenge. I'm currently reading Devoted by Dean Koontz. I want to finish it by Friday, but man I'm on Chapter 80-something of 130 chapters, so I don't know. I'm ahead with my readying list, but still.

Ugh. I wrote my thing and didn't post it last night

Great work, Patty (just stay hydrated )
Way to go with all those words, Keithy
Daniel, congrats on the 1500, and on the flow!
Congrats on the 2 pages, Taylor
April, congrats on the 495 and everything


Day 28


WIP - wrote *something* (been feeling discouraged about a lot of things lately, and I’m just really glad I got ahead of the blank page by a bit)
R/SC - put some receipts in my spreadsheet
BP/$$ - earning service, 12-hours

Well, I thought I'd write some new material but ended up rewriting most of yesterday's work. Whenever I'm conveying a lot of information, especially someone's chain of thoughts over a period of time, I like it to flow logically, showing how they change based on new information. Yesterday's material did not do that, so had to rework it.

Keithy: Wow, you’re flyin’! I can’t see a problem from where I’m standing.

Patty: Very impressed you edited while hungover!

Daniel: You are being very productive! Aw man … I remember the days when I was allowed out for three walks a day

Cindyt: Enjoy that 1k club

Layla: You destroyed the blank page. Destroyed!

Happy reworking, Taylor!

I published a book today! Woo! That meant that my entire day was spent battling various ebook vendors and their formatting requirements. (Draft 2 Digital took the prize for most time spent.) And now I get to drink prosecco to celebrate and block out the anxiety that always comes with releasing a book

Taylor, I really hear you about the logic-flow. Congrats on that work
April - well, that’s a job well done. Congratulations on publishing, wow!


Day 29


WIP - a scant 1/4 page, but I wrote. (I also got a shiny bunny calling me…)
R/SC - Walk in the woods (one 50-minute run and two 20-25 minutes runs), cooked, did handwash, made some burocratic phone calls, listed my apartment (a Very Dreaded Task)
BP/$$ - contacted someone to request help on a sub-project, did a wee bit of tidy/sorting and preparing my May calendar

Patty - well done on the slogging with editing.
Daniel - very busy day for you 2K+ and all the rest!
Cindy - in the 1K club. wacky cane fighting too!
Taylor - thoughts don't have to be logical - people jump around. I suppose it depends on the character.
April - ooh! well done for the new book!

OK I've had a very busy day so only 795 words done on Fishytail. Kaylee's in a meeting and we're getting some plot. A terrorist-related guy carrying a diplomatic bag got on a plane, which crashed in the Caribbean. Guess who will be useful in finding it underwater? A certain Mermaid who can breathe underwater and swim really fast.

Non-writing

Food shopping at three different places, visited the wife's father for his birthday (stood outside). Went to the bank.

Really tired so can't do more today.

keep swimming!

SO MUCH HAPPENING WITH YOU GUYS. Love all the research and writing and PUBLISHING and non-writing and PERSEVERING and positive vibes.

Good penultimate day of April. 2541 words edited. (Chapter 12.) Much easier to edit than Chap 11 or 10, 9, or 8.

Need about 1k tomorrow if I hope to hit 50K. Will not have edited 15 chapters in April, but will be close to halfway through the really rough first draft. (I guess the second half is short chapters? It's about 35 chapters altogether.)

(Cue music: What would you do-oo-ooh for a klondike bar?)

CindyT: Sounds like you made progress! Sometimes the hard starts are the most fruitful. Klondike ice-cream bars are yummy. Yes, I need to catch up on that challenge too and post the books I’ve read.

Layla: Something is still something! Good work! Wow, those 12 hour days. You’re working hard! Congrats for keeping it cool while doing so! : - )

Taylor: I read, today, that Jules Verne sometimes had up to 9-10 drafts of his works and that “…when [he]… was finished sometimes there was no semblance of the original to the completed manuscript.” Sometimes, that’s how it goes I suppose! Hope that it worked for you.

April: I need my daily walks. It’s the only thing keeping my weight under control, ahahaha. Published a book!?!? Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeer. Good job April! Ooooooo, I love white wine! Enjoy!

Layla: Exercise for the win! Yeah! Good job on the writing.

Keithy: I hear you. Errands take a lot of time. Tired or not, you got a lot done and you’re still swimmin’ in the words. Congrats on the 795—still solid.

Patty: GREAT editing done. Nice! It sounds like your book is taking shape. Cool! I agree, everyone (including you Patty!) is doing a great job!

Me: 1,541 words written, 2 pages edited (at the final page of my short story—woot), completed editing/critiquing my friend’s short story, and read 2 books today. I woke up late so I didn’t get as much done as I would’ve liked, but I still feel I did well. I apparently needed the extra rest. One day left for the month! Oh, also I critiqued a work by TexasPoet on here today so there’s that too.

Until tomorrow!

Day 29

Word Count 1787

April - WTG on publishing a book!

Daniel - You’re right, the scene is much better than it would otherwise have been. and what is more, I was able to tie a snippet of three other scenes to it.

Layla - Something is better than nothing and WTG on the scant ¼ page.

Patty - I’d act like a chicken. Excellent word count. I end my chapters at a point that feels right, whether that makes them short or long.

Keithy - Nice word count!

Good morning all.

Cindy- nice job with the word count - 1787

Daniel- great job! you've busy. I know it feels good. Keep it up.

Patty- nicely done with the editing. Its hard work but its totally worth it. I found that I became a better writer the further into my ms I wrote. So I had a lot more editing to do on the front end and less so towards the conclusion. There was still work to do, just not as much.

Keithy- glad to hear you continue to make progress with Kaylee.

Layle- glad to see someone is getting out for some exercise. I keep making excuses and have probably gained about 7 lbs. Not good for me.

April- Published! That's fantastic! How many does this release make?

Taylor- reworks are good, we're always trying to write the best material possible.

My update: I sent out the vast majority of my query letters on Monday and a couple stragglers on Tues and Weds. I'm excited to hear back from people but I know it will take time. I WROTE FRESH MATERIAL!!! I finally got to write in Book 2 last night. I added about 450 words to ch. 2. IMHO I wrote an amazing ch 1 and read through it again last night. I couldn't be more pleased with such a good start. I'll wrap up ch 2 tonight and move forward with the open ended ch 3. My company is forcing us to take 10 furlough days over the next two months, so I have a 5 day weekend to get in a lot of writing starting on Friday.

Had a bit of a slow morning. Only a page and a half.

Day 30

Word Count 1085

Research - Fishing in general and crappy and catfish in particular. (It's been a 100 years since I've been fishing.)

Donovan - Nice word count and productive day. Good luck with the query letters!

I can’t get my blasted apocalypse plotline out of my head. Going to have to type out a synopsis or it’ll drive me nuts. Heck, scratch that, it’s going to haunt me through proofing the historical and finishing the crime novel.

Doing an end-of-the-month driveby - 3/4 page on muh WIP, and a shout to Cindy - I got a mad little plot bunny hopping around inside my head

Patty - good luck with reaching your target.
Daniel - 1541 is a lot of words - and it's nice to see the last page of something.
Taylor - don't worry.
Cindy - very busy again. Me too not done fishing for a zillion years.
Layla - is that a plot about rabbits?

Fishy tail - 2135 words (although some of that is lifted from version 1). Kaylee and Angela have gone to the Caribbean and have found the crashed plane, and are currently struggling through broken cargo crates. Something perilous awaits.

Dustworld - 285 words. Etia and Rodney have helped load the caravan and they're about to start off. Etia is grumbling again, but she was a Duchess this time yesterday.

research

Freight version of 747 - does it have windows? Top deck only. What sort of staircase - either.

non-writing

Cleaned two rooms upstairs. Who keeps leaving all that dirt around?
Watching restoration videos on YT.

keep on swimming... see you next month.

CindyT: Coming back strong! Nicely done!

Robert: Great news! More time to write is always good news, right? Congrats on the queries, too. When I’m at that stage, eventually down the road, I may contact you to get some pointers. : - D

Taylor: A page and a half is still something, though. Good job keeping it real!

CindyT (once more): Ooooo, I’ll ask in next month’s section, but I want to start researching and I think you could give me some really good pointers and tips. Ooooooo, I know it might be annoying to you, but I love it when something like that happens.

Layla: Hey, strong finish to the month! No worry on the drive by. Good work!

Keithy: Oooo, GREAT work and am really enjoying the updates. It’s nice to check in to see how the story is developing day-by-day. I’ll have to ask you about research, in next month’s thread, as well. I rarely do it, even though I’m an intensely voracious reader. I find I get too lost in the details and end up reading WAY too much. You swam through this month like a champ, exemplar work on your part!

Me: I wrote 1,437 words today and I felt pretty good about them. I went off a bit on a tangent at times, but I really created a whole new plotline and area of focus in my story. The one I’m working on is going wild, over 9000 words now, and I don’t know where it’s going but I’m enjoying the ride. That’s what it’s all about, right? I also edited about a page of my material and planned out three handwritten pages of points for another story. I have a great technique; I listen to songs and then start a stream of thought and follow it (with my excellent music library) with songs whose lyrics match the mood of what I’ve already started. I really like doing this way and it makes plotting very fun. I’ll have to constantly be looking for new, good music though- just to make sure I don’t run out! :X

We all did great this month. Props all around!

See you all in next month’s thread!

P.S. Just finished a lengthy critique of a work on here. I'm getting back into the groove!

Nice word count there Daniel.

All I do is type in keywords until I hit what I'm looking for. It took me months to find out how much passage by ship to the colonies in the 18th Century. 1 Pound. But most of the time a topic will pop up within a short time.

You're welcome to bounce topics off me and see what keywords we can think of.

I didn't know this thread existed but did my own write every day April. Well done to everyone who managed it or who had a good go!
I finished a first draft of a YA contemporary for the first time since 2016, helped along by being furloughed and on lockdown - and having such bad internet that only one person can use it at a time, that person always being my sister who's working from home full time.
Now to hope that the habit sticks