September 2020 Challenge - Write Every Day!

Greetings!

Chase—I wanted a Lutheran minister (ideally a woman), an artist or art historian, and a funeral director.

My protagonist is a florist but I know a lot about the floral industry, so I didn’t feel I needed that. I already have a former chief of police and deputy sheriff consulting, so I think I’m also okay on that. My cousin, Jill, the minister agreed to read and I remembered a fellow writing workshop participant who was an art major and art librarian at the university. She also agreed. Then I learned that a writer I met online who is also writing dark comedy/thriller-ish type stuff is a part time funeral director! Perfect.

So, I did not make new words today but spent the day incorporating the excellent notes from my new undertaker/writer acquaintance and then critiquing two of his chapters. I wanted to be prompt because 1) he is my first writing partner in a very long time and 2) his notes were excellent and I wanted to repay in kind.

I now have a group of nine readers lined up. I know that some will not be as valuable as others and some will fail to follow through, so I have deliberately asked more than I plan to hear from. But if I get anything as worthwhile back from any of them as I’ve already gotten from my new favorite undertaker, I will be a happy girl!

Hopefully, I will be back to writing tomorrow, but I think this is a great development and I honestly did need some eyes on my writing. I was starting to feel like Richard Dreyfus in “Close Encounters,” making things out of potatoes…

I hope you are all productive and well!

Day 23
15 minutes on the WIP

sandree: Hello! Those sound like good things to be doing!

Cindy: Yay words! And research!

Carrie: Those do sound like good choices!

The Second Moon: Yay words! And yes, sleep is very important.

Chase: Nice wordcount! Hope you can get more sleep tonight!

Carrie: Those sound like good and useful things!

Morgan – getting a whole hour when there’s lot else going on. For me, cooking.
Icedesperado – great 1K, don’t worry about the 66
April – see you soon (we might have a new carpet by then)
Katfeete – keep at the brainstorming.
Second moon – good job too.
Cindy – we used to have a sugar nipper.
Chase – nice 401. Avoid the 399!
Everyone else – well done for doing at least 1 word.

My progress (last two days)

562 and 675 words done on Dustworld.

5 or 6 chapters read on Demon Hunter 3rd Draft. One or two minor niggles, and a little bit of rewording. This should be done by the end of the month. Then it’s a small break, a final read through and send it off to the betas.

Home life is quiet. That can’t be right.

Morgan, nice work
Hey Sandree, nice to see you - good keeping at it
Cindy, congrats on the 320 & all
Moon, congrats on the 257
Chase, way to go with the 2867
Morgan, congrats on the 15!




Day 23 - oooh - it's not cold this morning. Not quite warm, but the sun isn't up yet either


WIP - added words (out on the porch, in the Summer Chair, before the sunup)
R/SC - chores, errands &c. Swimming (the water was even colder than last time. The air was warm though. There were a *lot* of people there today.)
BP/$$ - lot of organizing,

Day 23

Word Count - 665

Research

• Are earthquakes prone to coming in certain months? A shaky fact: two of the strongest earthquakes in US history occurred in March.
• Street in Chinatown, San Francisco. Grant Avenue.
• Diet for a weak stomach. Jello, grits, plain toast, watered-down coffee, ginger ale.

Dress Her in Chameleon - Spot edited Chapters 31 - 33

A Deadly Spill of Scarlet - A friend--I won’t name--pays Billy a visit in his hospital room. Little does Billy know that this old friend of his is the serial killer.

Carrie - I don’t know that I could write that much in a month. Maybe.

Moon - Congrats on the 257 words

Chase - Excellent word count!

Morgan - Another 15!

Keithy - Nice word counts!

Layla - Congrats on added words.


I spent a goodly part of today posting historical pics and digging up town history on a Facebook group. I have a hometown history blog and people think I should know everything. HA! I’m reading a really good book by the late Francena Arnold, Jack-o’lantern. She wrote inspirational YA. She got a late start writing just had time enough to publish 9 books. I’m just now reading the last one.

Day 23 - I don't how many words. Word was acting weird and kept deleting things, but my tech-savvy dad fixed it. However, I didn't feel much like writing the same previously deleted paragraph.

DAY 24-----229 words. Writing a new scene, and it just didn't come easily today.

Carrie: That's a great group of beta readers!
Morgan: Nice work
Keithy: Enjoy the quiet while it lasts
Layla: Writing outside like that sounds really peaceful and inspiring
Cindy: There must be some really cool stories you've found in the local history
Second Moon: That's a big mood if there ever was one
Starry: You still beat the blank page! Great work

23rd: 2,913

Mentor has caught up with MC and we got a little reunion. Her power has developed in ways he didn't expect and everyone has questions and he doesn't have any answers. Like "Why does she say the sky is purple?"

I'm still distraught. Don't know if all y'all have been watching the news. So, I've been doing invisible 'drivebys' Marie Osmond style.

You are all awesome, and while I don't think I suck, I do formally recognize that I have fallen off into the gully by the side of the road. Fortunately the ditch has enough water that I can keep swimming.

These were the goals on Sept 1:

1. Properly "chapterize" the manuscript (I've marked the breaks. Call it a win for now.)

2. Work on Alphonse's altered conscious dream state sequences (THIS IS WHY I AM POSTING. I need to be held accountable for this goal.)

1. Add in a bunch of emotional exercises from Donald Maass's handbook (my goal is 30 additional emotional cues/passages, average one per day.) (I've done fifteen. Ongoing!)

2. Character voice: I've brought in characters from new areas of the world, and I need to hammer down their speech patterns a little better. I was reading The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County yesterday, and while I don't want to use that character voice it really reminds me of how powerful voice is. YES!! Done.

3. (Free square, collect 200 dollars) Huzzah. 200 dollars!

4. Separate from the writing I have four sort-of-marketing things that need to happen; two author interviews and two podcast guest thingies. The interviews will take a few hours each to really get the answers where I want them and the podcast thingies will take some energy as well. (Three down!!! One more to go, the big one, and I've started making headway.)

5. By the end of the month I hope to begin reading through for flow again. (YES!)

Cindy, congrats on the 665
Moon, congratulations on writing something today, even if the computer had a different plan...
starry, nice work
woolly - hang in there!


Day 24


WIP - added words
R/SC - washed the dishes
BP/$$ - housemate email, job 12 hrs; housemate phone call

Layla – it’s turning cold here now, yikes. Three months to Christmas.
Cindy – almost a devilish number there, well done. I’ll have to have earthquakes in Demon Hunter.
Second moon and Starrystorm – always hope for better times ahead.
Chase – oo, that’s a mountainous total! Hat doffings sent your way.
Woolybear – keep calm and carry on!

My progress today:

Another three chapters of Demon Hunter gone through. A bit of rephrasing. I’m getting quite excited about this now! Also collating ideas for book 2.

1193 words done on Dustworld.

I seem to procrastinate then get on with it every day at the moment. There's a work pattern there of a sort.

Just a drive by I'm afraid. After getting crushed once more in the query thread (absolutely expected), I've put that project on hold for a while.

I will say Wooly seems really busy with the marketing things.
And Layla's flip flop story reminded me of an old song that I can't get out of my head now. Margaritaville. And I don't have any tequila.

Meanwhile, the next story is going slowly. 1800 words so far, but that's after a week of poking and prodding at the thing.

Day 24
30 minutes on the WIP

Keithy: Solid progress, well done!

Layla: Yay words! And also kudos for the dedication to get up before the sun!

Cindy: Nice work!

The Second Moon: Sorry you had technical issues... having to redo work always sucks.

starrystorm: Kudos for getting those words, even when it was tough going.

Chase: Very nice workcount!

Woollybear: Kudos for making progress, despite everything.

Kerry: Slow but steady is a valid strategy... or so I hope!

Morgan: Congrats on 30 mins!
Kerry: Way to go on 1800 and braving the query trenches!
Keithy: Congrats on the 1k+!!
Layla: Yay for adding words and dishes!
Woolly: The news has been especially rough this week. Hugs.
Chase: You're killing it on that word count! Way to go!

Day 23
265 words

Day 24
1,086 words

Struggling to get words on a page lately but here we are. Still mourning RBG, I can't believe she's gone.

Day 24 - 2,726 words. I literally fist pumped when I saw I had reached 2K on a new short story. Lately, I've barely been reaching 200 and I've just written 10x that amount! At least my computer is acting good again. The weird part is that when I was writing through the hero robot's POV, my computer was acting fine. I think a IRL robot uprising may be coming.

I have to go now IRL, but good job everyone.

Edit: I'm back so I'm going to respond to all of you personally.

Ice - I've felt the same way, but you made it to 1K. That's no small feat (for me at least).

Morgan - Yeah. Tech issues suck. I'm just glad it didn't delete my essay for school.

Kerry - Are you just starting the new story or are you in the middle slog?

Keithy - a mulling walk sounds like something I should do more often.

Layla - Good job with the words!

Woolly - You've been busy

Chase - You almost made it to 3K. Good job!

Starry - I feel you on that.

Day 24

Word Count - 671

Research

• Back at portable x ray devices. I couldn’t find a first use date. So, I’m going to have them take him to radiology.
• Airplane bottles. Jose Cuervo tequila. The images included dollhouse bottles, which weren’t much bigger than a woman’s finger.
• When did Jose Cuervo tequila come out. (Just for facts) May 1795. I think I can safely use that in 1985. Who knew?
• Diet for a weak stomach. Jello, grits, plain toast, watered-down coffee, ginger ale.
• How to tell when someone is lying via body language. I chose: hand gestures after they speak instead of during. I added a shrug and nose scratch.

Dress Her in Chameleon - Spot edited Chapters 34 & 35

A Deadly Spill of Scarlet - And the serial killer’s visit continues. Small talk with a serial killer who hired a crime scene clean up crew to swab the blood off the saloon deck where he sent a thug to shoot Billy aboard his boat. Isn’t that a nice gesture?

Starry - I hate when that happens. Congrats on the 229 words.

Woolly - As one who has Diet Coke in an Igloo cooler in a gully, I feel ya.

Kerry - 1800 words is 18 words

ice - Awesome word counts!

Moon - Sorry you had such a time. Do you have your WORD document on automatic save?

Chase - They’re the town’s history told through the eyes of 10-year-old me and what happened before my time.

Morgan - Double time!

Keithy - Congrats on the editing and the excellent word count. It’s exciting to be excite about a WIP.

Layla - WTG on added words.

Woolly: Despite how tough this month has been, you've still done really great! You should be proud of that.
Layla: Congrats on the continued progress
Keithy: Awesome job at the 1,193 words
Kerry: I'm sorry, that must be rough
Morgan: Good job on the work
Ice: But you're still beating the blank page!
Second Moon: Awesome job!
Cindy: That sounds really cool

24th: 3,355 words
Stuff! Mentor had one last (on screen) conversation with MC and gave some final words of wisdom (including about losing a loved one, which if you've seen my thread about tws you can guess that it was challenging to write) and there's a sparring match between him and her so he can see how she's grown. My brain has been rotted by years of anime so it's 6 mini (like 1-2 paragraph) fight scenes and boy am I not a fight choreographer. My only experience is in fencing (epee and saber) so coming up with different things is "hrrmm." The metagaming of "I think she's thinking X so she will do Y so I should counter that with Z" takes a lot of brainpower to write and plan, it's not fun. It's not as bad as planning/writing a match of a children's card game, which I recommend you do not do unless you're a complete masochist.

- - - Updated - - -

Woolly: Despite how tough this month has been, you've still done really great! You should be proud of that.
Layla: Congrats on the continued progress
Keithy: Awesome job at the 1,193 words
Kerry: I'm sorry, that must be rough
Morgan: Good job on the work
Ice: But you're still beating the blank page!
Second Moon: Awesome job!
Cindy: That sounds really cool

24th: 3,355 words
Stuff! Mentor had one last (on screen) conversation with MC and gave some final words of wisdom (including about losing a loved one, which if you've seen my thread about tws you can guess that it was challenging to write) and there's a sparring match between him and her so he can see how she's grown. My brain has been rotted by years of anime so it's 6 mini (like 1-2 paragraph) fight scenes and boy am I not a fight choreographer. My only experience is in fencing (epee and saber) so coming up with different things is "hrrmm." The metagaming of "I think she's thinking X so she will do Y so I should counter that with Z" takes a lot of brainpower to write and plan, it's not fun. It's not as bad as planning/writing a match of a children's card game, which I recommend you do not do unless you're a complete masochist.

April - my avatar is one of my paintings - I feel like taking a break from painting and concentrating on writing again. It seems to go in waves.
Wooly - sounds like great (and organized) progress on all "the things"! I hear you on the struggle to keep any faith in the world.
Layla - it is always so nice to hear your things done
Keithy - after procrastinating, at least you get on with it
Kerry - 1800 words on your story is great!
Chase - wow 3,355 words wow
Cindy - congrats on the 671 words
2nd moon - 2,726 words! Woot! Woot!
Ice - me too on RGB!
MorganR - 30 minutes is great!

I started putting down actual sentences in the first scene of Book 3. Only 705 words but it's something.

And lots of book promo. OMG so confusing!

Kerry56 – good going on your 1800 words. Do you start at the start? I don’t.
Icedesperado – an entry in the 1K club says you’re doing fine despite the struggle.
Second Moon – see you can do it! That’s loads of words, well done. Hat doffings sent.
Cindy – lots of words and lots of research as usual.
Chase – 3355 is a huuugggge amount to do in a day. I’ve done it once or twice, but ended up exhausted by the effort and next day did like 15 or something.
Sandree – there’s nothing quite like starting a new project.

Today’s progress.

Demon Hunter – Read through four more chapters of third draft. This might be done this weekend. I’m getting excited yet nervous about this. What will people think? Also I need cover art.

research - what to call the part of a steam engine where the exhaust steam comes out of. I settled on chimney.

Day 25
30 minutes on the WIP

icedesperado: Nice and very nice. And I hear you... it's such a shame.

The Second Moon: WOOT! GO YOU!

Cindy: Nice work, as always... your notes on your research are always fun to read.

Chase: Very nice wordcount!

sandree: Yay words! And promo, that's important too!

Keithy: Nice work!

driveby for me tonight. Did the things.

Layla: always nice to see you active in the thread

Morgan_R: 30 minutes is good. I never try to keep up with time spent writing. I just go until I can't anymore, usually when I run out of ideas temporarily.

Keithy: still amazing you juggle different stories at the same time. My head would explode. And yes, I always start at the beginning of the story. I'm a pantser, and it has to come into being as a story I'm telling myself, though I do often visualize scenes to come and have to mark them in my memory.

sandree: 705, well done. I like your painting too.

ChaseJyxz: sounds like you're making good progress. Good luck on the fight scenes. I have mixed results when working on fight scenes. I've had a couple just fall into place, but most take a lot of rewrites.

Cindyt: more progress from you, and your research is always interesting.

The Second Moon: 2k is great. Nice to hear you're in better shape with the equipment. And to answer your question, I'm starting another novel, which is a sequel to the one I just finished. Some of my characters are already solid in my mind, so that helps.

Ice: nice to climb over the 1k mark isn't it?

Today was a busy day and I had very little time for writing. Added a few hundred words at most. I'll buckle down this weekend and get more done.

Driveby—again!

Only about 500 words of new writing done in the last three days, as I’ve been back into revisions of Book One and reciprocating with editing work by my new writing partners. I sent out a hard copy today and deliver another one on Tuesday. It’s sort of killing me not making words on the new book, but I know this time spent pulling together a good editing crew is time well spent. I expect to get back to new words this weekend, although if I keep getting great new input, I won’t guarantee it.

It sounds like everyone is killing it. Congratulations!

Day 25

Word Count - Added words

Dress Her in Chameleon - Spot edited Chapters 36 & 37

sandree - 705 sure is something!

Carrie - Congrats of revisions and the 500 words.

Kerry - Congrats on added words.

Chase - 3355! Awesome

Morgan - Another double!

Keithy - Love lots of shooting. Great word count!

Layla - Congrats on the things.

Day 25 - 1680 words. I finished up a short story and worked on another one.

I feel sick and weak at the moment, I am going to lay down. Good job everyone.