Goals and progress toward them

[merrihiatt]

if i can get the kids to take a nap at the same time over the weekend, i might be able to work this out then. otherwise, it's going to have to wait until tuesday, as monday is a holiday and i won't be back in the office until tuesday morning. now it's time to... what's it called? that thing that always interferes with my writing... oh yeah, work.

A friend of mine said the other day how nice it must be to just lay around my apartment and then, when I feel like it, write a few lines. Reminded me that the average person has no idea what it takes to write a book. Such a glamorous life... NOT!

[merrihiatt]

1,600/3,400 written today. Methinks I need to get my butteth in gear.

[Al Stevens]

No closer to my goal. I think I need another suspect.

[Rob Lopez]

Originally Posted by Al Stevens

No closer to my goal. I think I need another suspect.

Is this for a Stanley Bentworth novel?

[Rubay H.]

Cool thread!
At the moment I'm revising my novel (working title) Pandora Mech. I'm leaning towards self-pub on this one because it's so niche and deals with things that are happening in robotics right now or very near future and I'm afraid it will no longer be relevant two years from now.
But it's soooo not ready yet and definitely needs to be combed through a couple of more times before anyone sees it. I got a copy-editor waiting in the wings but I really need to find a good content editor to take a look at it. Unfortunately, I have no funds for one yet.

I do have a short story I'm finishing up on and have been playing around with a cover. I'll try and shop it around a bit before I self-pub but it's going to be over 7,000 words and a hard sell to any magazine out there. We'll see.

Good luck everybody!

[Katallina]

@ merrihiatt: I think we all have days like this. The thing that helps me is to try and figure out "why?". Is something in life stressing you? Or perhaps it was a day you needed to get away from the PC for a little while? Is a plotline or character's development either uncertain or you aren't sure what you have fits?

I'm not gonna lie, I'm behind too. I got the "Christmas Eve" chapter done and I'm happy with how it went. I've also started the "Christmas" one, even written a new scene at the beginning, but it still has a ways to go.

I think I have two problems: (1) Revision, to me, is about correcting the choices I made in my original draft. Making sure all the dots connect, if you get what I'm saying. I am *not* good at making decisions with any type of speed so that feels weird. And (2) I'm aiming for my book to release in November / December since the setting has a holiday feel to it (its not the center of the book, but the timing makes sense, I think?) My brain keeps slipping between "I have months to get this done" and "Oh, my! I need to make sure I get this out to betas! I need to make sure I get it edited. I need to work with all that feedback. (*recoils in horror* -- not because I can't take advice, but rather because it will mean another round of making a *million* choices.) I need to contact bloggers and have eArcs ready. I need to get those eArcs ready. I need to figure out how I set my files up so they will look nice when I go on CreateSpace.... The list goes on and on.

Anyone else ever struggle with this? Help! *laughs* (And yes, I realize people can only share their experience; *this* is something where I can only help myself and if I'm going this route its something I need to find a way to master -- or at least convince myself I have "down".)

I'm glad to see so many people interested in this thread. It's fun seeing how everyone is doing.

[merrihiatt]

Al, the butler did it.

Katallina, I spent a big chunk of time applying for jobs. Boo! Hiss! I need to bring in more $$$ to pay the rent, so that is inching its way up my priority list. I also am a bit slower in the beginning. When I hit the halfway point, I know I'm on the downhill side and I'll often knock off 8-10,000 words in one sitting.

It's funny you mention choices because I almost never make them. I "see" the scene unfolding in my head and write what I see, hear and feel. All kinds of twists and turns end up happening that I would never have thought of (such as a mountain lion chasing two of my characters up a tree. No fear, turns out Butterscotch was the groundskeeper's pet. I did not know the cougar was tame, neither did my characters!).

[Katallina]

@ Merri: I totally agree that characters show the way. All I mean is that my characters ALL want to tell me what happened in the scenes they are in and I have to figure out who to listen to. *laughs* As for going back to work: boo and hiss is right. My situation gives me a lot of time to work on my writing but it makes me terrible at managing my time and working with deadlines. (As I said earlier, getting better at that is something I really need to work on.)

I heard back from my cover designer. She read the sample chapters I sent her and 'really enjoyed them'. On one hand: yay! On the other, she's designing the cover soooo yeah. Need to get this draft done so I can get some feedback and make sure what I've got isn't the literary equivalent of a can of spam. *laughs* At least writing can always improve. (And I suppose being wiling to recognize something can always be better must count for something.) Anyway, *wrong channel* when I'm going to be sitting down to work on this.

Moving along...

@ Robertbevan: I'm looking forward to checking your book out. I was a dungeon master for a D&D group for nearly five years back in high school / university. My friends and I would plan monthly weekend events we called gamer gatherings and my D&D stuff was one of the highlights. So I have a soft spot for anything about that.

[merrihiatt]

Met my goal today and enjoyed an interesting twist that I did not see coming. Love that!

[Rubay H.]

Originally Posted by merrihiatt

Met my goal today and enjoyed an interesting twist that I did not see coming. Love that!

Ooh, love it when that happens! It happened to me tonight, too. Maybe there's something in the water...

[merrihiatt]

There may be. May we all drink up!!!

[bearilou]

I'm here to cheer people on.

[ohthatmomagain]

I'm in the second novel slump-- not because I have nothing to write-- but apparently I'm lazy. My inner editor remembers how many times I had to edit the last book and wants to not do that again. My inner writer is suffering because of it. Need to kidnap said editor and tie her up for a few months.

[Kit Walker]

Originally Posted by ohthatmomagain

My inner editor remembers how many times I had to edit the last book and wants to not do that again. My inner writer is suffering because of it. Need to kidnap said editor and tie her up for a few months.

Distract her with chocolate and coffee (or whatever her favorites are), then tell her it won't be like that again. My own inner editor knows it's all bribery and lies, but goes for it anyway...

[WeaselFire]

My goal is to get a first novel in a series published by the end of the world as we know it. Which is supposed to be December 21, 2012, so I'll give myself until then. From there, one every 4-6 months. But I am a terrible procrastinator.

I'm also under publisher deadlines for a non-fiction tech book so I need to put aside the fiction for a bit to get that done. Or at least that's my current excuse for procrastinating. I've written a ton of my novel in my head, revised it, replotted it and figured out every plot twist, but I have yet to put actual words on paper. Or bits in a Word file.

I keep hoping I get struck by lightning or shot in a liquor store hold up so I have that life-altering near-death experience that turns me into a freakish hermit that can't stop writing. Only I don't play golf and I don't drink, so those scenarios are about as likely as winning the lottery and buying a private writing island.

Jeff

[WeaselFire]

Originally Posted by ohthatmomagain

Need to kidnap said editor and tie her up for a few months.

So, it's THAT kind of second novel, is it...?

Jeff

[ohthatmomagain]

Originally Posted by WeaselFire

So, it's THAT kind of second novel, is it...?

Jeff

lol, no *blush* It's actually the opposite (Christian YA lol)

[merrihiatt]

** raises hand tentatively ** Hi, I'm Merri and I'm a freakish hermit.

[ohthatmomagain]

Originally Posted by merrihiatt

** raises hand tentatively ** Hi, I'm Merri and I'm a freakish hermit.

Nothng wrong with being a hermit... if my kids would let me, I'd be more hermitish (but they like to do things like play at the park and... eat out )

So, I did something productive today. I wrote a story for a romance competition I'm entering in a few days (when I get it edited). Ok, so it's not 'self-pub' but it's something. And it might be a little dark for a romance, but I blame General Hospital---

[merrihiatt]

Good luck, Kelly!

[merrihiatt]

2,050 words written on Winter Love today. I think my 3,000 words a day goal is a bit too lofty. Especially with weekend activities coming up. I'm not changing it yet, though. I still want to have the first draft done by June 1st. If I miss that goal, it will only be by a few days.

[ohthatmomagain]

Originally Posted by merrihiatt

Good luck, Kelly!

Thanks

2500 words is awesome! I'd keep the goal bc some days you might write more, some less. Hoping you get done by June 1st (or there abouts )

[Kit Walker]

Originally Posted by Al Stevens

No closer to my goal. I think I need another suspect.

Would it help to toss some ideas around in The Sandbox? Or...something?

[HistorySleuth]

A goal, good idea. I can come back and check on myself and see how long it took.

1.) Finish this round of edits on the book in my siggy
2.) Go back through check facts and make sure I did footnotes where I needed to.
3.) Do the index
4.) Send to my editor
5.) Get it up on createspace and get back to writing fiction, something more relaxing, like murder.

[merrihiatt]

3,100/3,000 words written today. Woot! Surpassed my goal and spent half the day visiting Mom at the care center. Double win!