OctNoWriMo 2014!

Wrote a 500-word author statement for my big creative nonfiction piece. It still needs proper referencing and edits, but I've got about 10 days to do that.

Then I sat down to do the week's readings for Life Writing. I expected it to take about 3 hours. Except the first 2 readings totaled about 100 pages, which took me about 4 hours. *flop* There's still one more reading to do (about 12 pages) but that'll have to be done another day.

I've been speeding through edits on the first novel and short story, but I got too ambitious about finishing a second novel. That one will be added to next month's goal.

Did a 12-page reading, which finished off all the reading for classes next week. Then slacked off for far too long. And now I have critiqued 2 of 5 short pieces for Monday's class.

Going out in about an hour, so I don't have time to do the remaining 3, so I'm tempted to just call it a day and do them tomorrow.

Finished the other 3 crits this morning, and have since been lazing in bed. Just printed and posted them all - only to find a student had posted another story for crit. At 3pm the day before we're supposed to discuss it.

Sorry, but the deadline was midnight Thursday, not 3pm Sunday. Not even going to read it.

Still haven't had time to write, and I fear I might not have time until next weekend, but I had hoped to finish one of my WIPs by the end of the month. But the past few weeks have just been crazy.

BUT! My college football team walked away with an EPIC win, so I'm so incredibly very insanely happy right now. (Anybody want to add anymore adverbs into that?)

AND the team I like to root against got blown out hehe. Now my NFL just gotta pocket another win and this would make a perfect football weekend.

mrsmig said:

I went to the farmers' market today and as a result spent most of the day "putting up" - saucing, freezing, dehydrating - instead of writing.

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This is what I do when I'm not writing (and ought to be). I start pawning food off on everyone I know when I'm not writing, because it's my favorite "I would be writing, but I absolutely had to make this first."

Call it stocking up for when you go on a writing binge?

Cliff Face said:

Sorry, but the deadline was midnight Thursday, not 3pm Sunday. Not even going to read it.

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Yeah, that's not even close.

chompers said:

Still haven't had time to write, and I fear I might not have time until next weekend, but I had hoped to finish one of my WIPs by the end of the month. But the past few weeks have just been crazy.

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Hey you! get back to writing! (my PL team lost yesterday, and thankfully my Saints are Sunday night, so I can actually accomplish something with my afternoon today)

I'm all caught up with all my writing to be done. I'm still chipping away at a query, but that's the only to-do left. I have on MS to beta, but I've already chalked that up to be finished after Nano, regardless of when I start it.

Every time someone hears my nano idea and says "Wow, you have to write that, it's a great idea" or "I'd love to read a book like that", I wilt a little further.* The project is ambitious for me for a nano (historical) but it's gone from "that'd be cool" to "ugh, expectation."


*yes, I'm complaining about people saying nice things. I usually write in a bit of a vacuum.

I'm still high on the win.

And I think my Pro team is playing Monday night this week instead. Need to confirm.

mrsmig said:

Just remember you don't have to finish the MS for NaNo - just get those first 50k words down (she said, knowing full well that she herself is not doing NaNo this year).

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Yes and no... I dont' HAVE to finish it, but I'm a nano veteran, and the story itself is probably 65k. It's soundly YA (to me) and it's not a huge story in terms of world building or backstory. If I was on the ball, I could nail the whole thing down in November.

I am worried I will have to keep stopping for research, and also that ML'ing my region will knock a lot of momentum off my month.

Mostly, I'm more worried every time someone says it's a great idea, because I have to do it justice.

My goodness, I am a giant whiner. Disregard me

Keep in mind that the first draft doesn't have to be perfect - that's what edits are for.

Well, I broke down and did that late-submission critique. But now *that* is the last crit I'll be doing for my degree.

Go go go! Yew can dew eet!



On my end, as predicted I did nothing else yesterday apart from that critique and attending class. Today, I've added about 250 words to my creative nonfiction piece (it's still within the word count range, as the first draft was a little short), and it is now hopefully a bit stronger.

Still need to thoroughly edit it, but I have time still. I think next up I'm going to tackle the bibliography. As this is a creative essay, we've been told that we don't need "proper" in-text referencing, and to add in the bibliography anything we read which influenced our writing, whether it's referred to obviously or not. So I need to decide just how much can be added to the bibliography, and then also figure out how to reference a diverse type of sources, as we were allowed to use non-academic sources for some of it.

So I may work on that in a moment, and then call it a day.

Updates:

1) Revision -- 47000 out of 75000. 62% Aiming for 75% by Friday.
2) Brief idea outline. Planning on doing full outline tomorrow. Or at least attempt.
3) Read 3 review books. Reviewed 1 of them. Should also be able to work on them tomorrow.

Collected some data for my bibliography, but haven't actually done it properly yet. Then went out to classes, during which time I had a sudden flash of insight about a theme for a blog I want to start when I start self-e-publishing some of my writing. Hooray!

Other than that, not getting anything done today.

That's awesome, Vamp.

So... I've done a couple more edits on this CNF piece, and it's in pretty good shape now. Still need to finish off the referencing, and then it's just a matter of making sure it all makes sense, is written well, and doesn't, y'know, suck, and then I can submit it. And I've got... *counts* 4 days to do it.

I'll probably take 1 day off to work on the next assignment, though. But overall, I'm pretty happy with how it's progressing.

@xXVampyrePrincessXx Love the costume, Vamp! Make up is amazing.

@Cliff Face You're looking great! Plenty of time left. I always procrastinated my essays and research papers, so my stress level was through the roof a day before it was due.

@mrsmig So close to your WIP word count!


Revision: 55800/75000. That's 74%. And the next couple of chapters should be fairly easy. Going to have to add another 2-3k words at the end, but I'm feeling way more confident with my story after this month.

Title of WIP: I think I'm almost sold on LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN, but today I thought ST. PETER SAID NO was a good title too. Going to have to sleep on this.

Outline: Figured out bare-bones of what's going to happen with first 1/4th of novel and have a general idea of the end. Fleshed out setting and several characters. Figured out POV. Feeling way more confident with this NaNo than previous ones.

Been working on the referencing. Such a tedious task! Slowly chipping away at it, though.

xXVampyrePrincessXx said:

I just ran three miles dressed like Jack Skellington.

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Super cute! the makeup stayed on well!

mrsmig said:

Got up a head of steam this morning and broke through the 85k mark, and I'll have the morning free tomorrow. Fingers crossed I'll get some real work done.

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85k! You've come so far. Push for that goal!

CoffeeBeans said:

• Finish editing the current MS Done!
• Complete ComiCon costumes Done!
• Write two blog posts looking ahead to ComiCon not even one.
• Find betas, and send MS out to them four betas found and I still haven't posted in the betas board!
• Hold regional Nanowrimo planning events Five events held
• Plan my Nano novel umm... I have most of a scene list.
• Make Nanowrimo gift bags/info packets supplies purchased, still have to make them.
• Read books for nano-research 3/5 read, the last two were too bad to finish.

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I still have to sign up for my class starting in November. I'm honestly debating not doing it, just because the month is so crazy. The counterweight is that I have already gotten my parents' hopes up that I'll actually do something intellectual in my spare time...

I'm not ready for nano. I need another week at least. I have to make and print info packs, make up the goodie bags, plan the next two weeks worth of meetings... and on and on...

Vamp, that is an awesome costume!

Not a win for me because it'll just be the novel edited this month. This sinus infection screwed me over. At least official NaNo will be better since I'm feeling stronger and not blowing my nose all night anymore.