Splendiferous September 500 words/day, all genres welcome

Ken Hoss · Sep 7, 2011

Hugs HJ. Hope you're feeling better.

Zelenka, step back and take a deeeep breath. Okay, now put the MS down and step away. Relax for a few days.

:snoopy:

for WORDAGE, Wonder, Sassy and Namatu!

No words for me the past several days. I guess I'm waiting for my trip to NYC next week, then hopefully I'll get some inspiration and will fly through the WIP.

BfloGal · Sep 7, 2011

Just when I think I'm back in a regular writing routine, something happens. I took the last ten days to pore over my galleys. Done!

Today, I managed 463 new words between two WIPs.

tarak · Sep 7, 2011

Hugs for jude. I hope you feel better.

Congrats to all with forward progress.

I think August went by in a blur. Got very little writing done, but finally started muddling through a few things yesterday. Not netting much in terms of numbers. But at least I did something.

Zelenka · Sep 8, 2011

I'm taking a couple of days off, as I'm going back to Scotland anyway to collect stuff and the less stuff I take home (ie notebooks) the more I can bring with me when I come back. Finally I may get some of my reference books over here. So a bit of enforced retreat from various projects.

Sassy3421 · Sep 8, 2011

Doesn't seem like I'm moving forward with edits when I look at the page count left, but I'm inserting new scenes so that counts for something lol

Namatu · Sep 8, 2011

Zelenka said:
I'm taking a couple of days off, as I'm going back to Scotland anyway to collect stuff and the less stuff I take home (ie notebooks) the more I can bring with me when I come back. Finally I may get some of my reference books over here. So a bit of enforced retreat from various projects.

That sounds like a good thing. Gives you time to think without the pressure to produce.

I had an Idea last night and am mulling over its implications in my WIP.

wonderactivist · Sep 8, 2011

HJ and Zelenka, I can so relate. Sometimes your passion for the piece just flatlines. When that happens, don't touch it. I agree with Ken - step away.

I got a big, fat R yesterday - 2 1/2 months after sending the query. It was personalized and I do appreciate it, I mean at least that agent wrote me back. The one with my revised full hasn't said a peep in two months now.

Still I have a character telling me stories again so I'm writing them down. 950 words and a new murder.

Maybe I'm just mental or maybe someday someone will see some use in the things I write.

Warm regards,

Lucie
off to teach about the wheel and axle today - and juniper trees

Ken Hoss · Sep 8, 2011

Hoping to get some work on the WIP tonight. Don't plan on going out tomorrow night, as usual, so will be sure to have my Butt In Chair then too.

DocBrown · Sep 8, 2011

I did a little editing on a short story after getting some more incredible advice from HJ tonight. Really minor polishing type stuff, but as important as the writing itself.

Overall, I have been letting myself get bogged down with too many responsibilities of late. As a natural result, my mind has been rebelling and doing nothing but the bare minimum. While at work tonight, I am going to sit down and make a list of the projects I need to focus on for the next few weeks so I can get a grip on what I need to do, what is more important, and when I need to do it.

Hope everybody is still muddling along!

Ken Hoss · Sep 9, 2011

Doc, HJ always has great advice.

Did get some work on the WIP last night, though it only amounted to a whopping 212 words, and most of that was dialog. Will definitely get my BIC tonight and get some more done. I want to get this chapter wrapped up and move on to the next, that's where all the real fun starts!

wonderactivist · Sep 9, 2011

So rare. I feel like I'm just taking dictation. 2600 words after work ... and I'm tired.

I'm skipping Bouchercon in favor of my son's scout canoe trip. Bullies in the Boy Scouts. Sure, the mountains and river will be great for writing, but the convention would have been better for my career (or maybe not if I'm not ready anyway).

Parenting trumps dreams.

Lucie

GailD · Sep 9, 2011

Hi all.

August, for me was a 'down', and then an 'up' month. In May I wrote a short story (my first ever) for the Lorian Hemingway competition. I discovered early in August that it didn't get even an 'honorable mention'. I was disappointed but not surprised - if that makes sense. A couple AWers, however, told me not to give up on it. I submitted it to a US publication and at the end of August I received an email from the editor accepting the story. Oh boy, was that an 'up'!

Now it's September and all the fuss is over and it's back to cutting this behemoth a novel down to size. Working from a very outdated Writer's Market I thought a novel had to be around 195,000 words. Mine came in at just over 194,000!
Then I discovered AW and found out just what a mistake I'd made. So, what am I going to be doing in September?

Cutting, cutting, cutting.... I'm 37k down and three quarters through the first edit. This is very, very rough going.

DocBrown · Sep 9, 2011

wonderactivist said:
I'm skipping Bouchercon in favor of my son's scout canoe trip. ...

Parenting trumps dreams.

Kill two birds with one stone, take the kid to BoucherCon.

tarak · Sep 10, 2011

GailD, congrats!

Not much of anything here. Just when I thought I was back in a groove, Tropical Storm Lee came to visit and flooded everything within a 30 mile radius. Okay, maybe not everything. But close. Several days of non stop rain, three stir crazy kids, and most of our entertainment possibilities either underwater or inaccessible made me not want to write so much as hide in the basement with a bottle of Scotch. Hoping next week is more productive.

TheIT · Sep 10, 2011

Still muddling along on revising. So far I've managed to cut about 1000 words, but we'll see how many come back when I rewrite the scene(s). Feels like I'm dangling my manuscript on a yo-yo. Sometimes up, sometimes down...

Zelenka · Sep 11, 2011

Got back from Scotland. No writing done while I was there thanks to lack of laptop but I have filled a big chunk of notebook with ideas for the rewrite. I think the new version is *nearly* there, it's just missing something.

Sassy3421 · Sep 11, 2011

Finished another round of edits! I'm thinking it will be pretty much the last one for this book!

DocBrown · Sep 11, 2011

I spent a few minutes on some writing, but not much.

I also made a new blog entry, 495 words, but that's supplemental writing.

Tonight will hopefully not be too busy at work. I'd like to start editing an old novella. I have two drafts, one 23k and the other 18k, I'd like to marry the two into the perfect 20k novella.

wonderactivist · Sep 11, 2011

Busy weekend of working, writing, remembering, writing, working on my synopsis--and now I feel like an AWFUL writer. Can I just give up on publishing and write for fun? The pay's the same and it's less stress.

Lucie

PS: About 800 words for the weekend and I'm glad to be writing again. Turns out, I actually enjoy writing mysteries. Just not marketing.

heyjude · Sep 12, 2011

wonderactivist said:
BCan I just give up on publishing and write for fun? The pay's the same and it's less stress.

Of course you can. Publishing is hard! As long as you enjoy writing, let it be a hobby.

Yay for everyone with forward progress.

I actually managed a page or so yesterday. My characters are starting to give me intriguing hints. It'll come together.

DocBrown · Sep 12, 2011

I managed to get together 1300+ words at work. Not sure how much of that is actually new wordage. Not much I suspect. But even copy and paste with a few edits is progress for me!

Jilly McGilly · Sep 12, 2011

Majorly detoured with some nonwriting stuff over the past several days, but I did want to check in with you guys and give you a "yeah!" on all your accomplishments.

TheIT · Sep 12, 2011

Wrote about a page in the notebook at lunch today.

Namatu · Sep 13, 2011

Had a Bigger Idea over the weekend and now I'm wondering what the original Idea was that I posted about previously. Hm, I knew I should have written that down. It'll come to me.

wonderactivist said:
Can I just give up on publishing and write for fun? The pay's the same and it's less stress.

I try to approach it all as just for fun. That doesn't motivate me to be too focused on querying

, but it takes pressure off of the writing process, and querying just becomes a thing I do (slowly) that could be good for me. Like exercise. Maybe. Don't think too hard on that comparison.

Ah! I remember the original Idea! Now I need a new character or two.

Zelenka · Sep 13, 2011

No words today but a few more notes on the rewrite. It's a bit frustrating since I seem to have all these ideas and pictures but no real idea how to start writing it without just making all the same mistakes. And I'm very glad I cut the part about the TV show I had in it since I just found out they have actually made the show that I made up for my novel.

Splendiferous September 500 words/day, all genres welcome

Storm Rising A Kelli Storm Novel

Lost in a plot hole

for certain qualities of "sane"

Going home!

Plotting murder..most of the time

Lost in mental space.

Storm Rising A Kelli Storm Novel

Hopes to one day write for food.

Storm Rising A Kelli Storm Novel

Still chasing plot bunnies.

Hopes to one day write for food.

for certain qualities of "sane"

Infuriatingly Theoretical

Going home!

Plotting murder..most of the time

Hopes to one day write for food.

Making my own sunshine

Hopes to one day write for food.

Crumpled!

Infuriatingly Theoretical

Lost in mental space.

Going home!