The Kidlit Gang's Support and Accountability Thread

Kitty Pryde

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I wrote a 1000 word skit for the teachers to perform to entertain our fourth and fifth graders. Does that count...? I need to write an essay, and I still owe 1500 words on my WIP. I'm on the case!
 

Smish

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I'm not going to reach my goal for the week. My goal was 3,000 words. I still want that to continue to be my weekly goal, but I'm going to modify it to be 500 words a day. Unless I write every day, I probably won't reach the goal at the end of the week. :gone:
 

Britwriter

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Okay, ya know what sucks? Having a great few hundred words and then having Word shut down. I save like crazy normally, but must have typed really fast and outran autosave. I had an awesome paragraph or two in there. Grr. Then it locked me out. Now I have to start over. Now, I'm only at 4 words today. Grrr. Must have chocolate.

Oh gosh, I hope you found a big bar of chocolate. My worst fear is my computer dying.

Sissybaby - good job! Keep going! You can repeat. You can repeat. You can repeat.

I'm so pleased I committed here. :) Instead of spending the week jumping from one project to another, I focused on my PB, had my trusted betas read it and comment, and tonight I finished it, polished it, and sent it off to the publisher who asked to see more of my work. It might not be what they're looking for, but I was really happy with how it turned out, so if it's a rejection, I feel ready to send it elsewhere. :)

Keep going everyone! If I can do this while watching Jubilee stuff on TV and helping my kids bake for tomorrow's tea party, anyone can do it! This thread made me keep returning to the computer whenever I had five minutes, and it forced me to send my drafts to my trusty betas, instead of constantly putting it off.

How's everyone else doing?
 

heza

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I'm joining the thread (finally)! I had been avoiding it--didn't even open it--because I didn't want to feel guilty, but now Camp Nano has started, and I need to be committed somewhere. (Be careful when you put me in my straight jacket; I tend to bite.)

I had promised myself last month that I would get the first draft of my MG written by the end of July, and then I found myself making excuses because this is going to be the busiest month I've had at work since I was hired on in Jan and Dad is having two surgeries (minor ones) at the end of June/beginning of July. But you know what? I can find excuses for not writing no matter how little is going down. So instead of putting it off, I signed up for Nano, and heck, I might just do the June prompt, too. (Btw, the end of the world will have to take place in a Fast Food Restaurant because I'm STILL working on that one).

So, in light of Camp, my word goal is going to be ~1660/day.

Spiral -- I'm so glad you're writing again! It's really tough to come back from a situation like that, and I hope you find some comfort in getting back to something you love and establishing a routine with it.

Laura -- Ouch! I did that this weekend, but it was work-work writing that I lost. Bleh. Not as emotionally devastating, but time consuming and tedious to repeat. You inspired me to back up my drafts on various media.

Sissy -- Is this the WIP about Julia and Victory? fun fact, I named the magical school in my WIP a few weeks ago: Dinsmore Academy. This weekend, I wracked my brain trying to figure out why that sounded way too familiar. Now, I'm going to have to figure out a new name. Lol. It was probably a placeholder anyway. I need to make all of my names creeptastic, and now, Dinsmore makes me think of pretty little girls and flowers and sunshine.
 

Morrell

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No fighting, no biting, Heza. :e2teeth: (anybody remember that... it was an I Can Read book about little alligators by Else Holmelund Minarik, illus. by Sendak)

I got 1899 words today. You would think I could come up with one more word to make it 1900... but, no. I'm done.
 

Laura J

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Ugh, thank goodness. That was not pretty. But, I am done for the day. 500 words. I had planned to make up yesterday's loss, but didn't. The one good thing is that this is my second first draft. I know I just need to move the story forward. I can fix the words later on. The first one took me so long, because I kept editing as I went along.

Hopefully, it will be more fun to write tomorrow. I was too tired today. Night all. Hope everyone was able to make some progress.
 

JoyMC

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Awesome job, everyone!

I got in 1000 words yesterday and 500 today. I am feeling so torn and a little adulterous, unable to leave a new YA idea alone, even though I was off to a really solid start on new MG. I have never written two first drafts simultaneously. It's weird. (And I hope I can still post here, even if I'm maybe working on a YA more than a MG. I feel more like a member of the kidlit gang than anything.)
 

heza

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(And I hope I can still post here, even if I'm maybe working on a YA more than a MG. I feel more like a member of the kidlit gang than anything.)


I highly doubt anyone will cane you for posting here, even if you are a filthy YAer. :p (I'm simultaneously working on a YA MS, too... it's just not the completion priority because I want to sub the MG first, but like yours, it won't leave me alone).

So last night, I forced myself to do nothing else after walking the dog except write. I was supposed to write 1667 per Camp NaNo, but I told myself I'd write half before dinner and half after dinner. I buckled down and got 1580 words out in about an hour, and then completely lost all concentration. Now NaNo is telling me I have to write 1700 words a day to catch back up.

RuthD said:
No fighting, no biting, Heza. :e2teeth: (anybody remember that... it was an I Can Read book about little alligators by Else Holmelund Minarik, illus. by Sendak)

I'm starting to realize that I didn't have the same book-intensive upbringing everyone else did. I didn't read any of the classic children's books that you guys seemed to have. I never read Where the Wild Things Are or this alligators book or anything by Judy Bloom. I'm busy reading what's currently on the market, but there's a big hole in my past education. When I was a kid, we had a collection of Sweet Pickles books, Dr. Seus books, and Trixie Belden books. That was pretty much all I read (in addition to what was in our two-shelf school library), over and over again, until I got into Jr. High.

Yay for your word counts Joy and Laura!
 

Laura J

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I barely pulled it out yesterday with 18 words extra. In reality, I got a late start because I spent my allotted writing time watching writing videos on you tube.

I really got a lot out of Dan Wells 7 points of story structure series. It made me realize what needed to happen next to move the story along. So simple, so helpful. I was pretty happy I had included almost all of the parts, I just needed to understand their role better. And I needed another try/fail, I was making it too easy on her and my final conflict wasn't as hopeless as it should be. 'The hero should stand alone.' So, now my anxiety ridden MC is alone and facing her enemy. I'm kind of excited for writing today, though my schedule is iffy.

I don't think I would have gone back to the keyboard last night at 11:30 to finish up 230 more words, if I didn't make the commitment.

The only day I missed it was the mishap day, AND it turns out that Word did save my stuff on a recovery document. I had to exit and reopen Word and there it was. I added in what I still needed, which turned out to be not very much, since I moved on.

I have it saved on Carbonite and on a little disc. I'm a neurotic saver. But, when I hit save and it locked up. Luckily, Word had my back, yo WORD.

Hope everyone is productive today. It is suppose to rain here, and that makes a good day for writing.
 

heza

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I used to be a writer like you, but then I took a pencil to the knee. (That was for David.)

I don't even know what I did last night, but it wasn't getting my word quota. I can waste so much time and not even remember how or have anything to show for it.

So I'm going to write at lunch instead of surfing the forum. If you see me here, tell me to go away!
 

SheilaJG

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heza, your green light is on. Sign off and write. I'm going to try and do the same.

David, I've heard scary things about Skyrim. Frightening things about parents ignoring their children, marriages ruined. I wish you luck beating that distraction.

Good work, Laura and Joy! I've never heard of Dan Wells 7 points of story structure. I will have to check that out.
 

heza

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I wasn't here to read this post, so I don't know what you're talking about.... :p

*signs off*
 

Morrell

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I also don't know, because I, too, am writing.

Just for the record.

:e2paperba You can't see me, right?
 

heza

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I need support!

I didn't get to write during lunch because I ended up having to work-work through lunch and work late, so I got home late, and blah, blah, blah... I didn't get anything written. My lack of word count is starting to pile up, and it looks like a daunting task to catch back up.
 

Laura J

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:Hug2:Just go forward, don't try and make up what you think you owe. I let that go. I will carry over a hundred, but I can't let it tally up. It's like video game time and my kid. He gets an hour a day. He can rollover up to an hour, but never goes over two. I can rollover owed words up to 750, but don't owe back more than that.

It is really hard on those days when life gets in the way. I am headed out without writing because my kid has an activity, my dh forgot his gymbag and I spent the morning making dinner, talking to my folks and to a friend in need. No writing today so far. Sigh. I also don't know what I want to write next in the story, which has halted me. I think I would write no matter what if i knew what was coming up. I'm at a wall. And so is my character, literally.

Good luck and keep working. You can do it:Sun:
 

sissybaby

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I managed to write 500 words yesterday, even with swimming lessons, a three hour baseball game - okay, so the kids and hubby needed a break - and having my son home all day bugging me.

Oh, and I guest blogged for someone else for the first time ever! But that was only 125 words, so it doesn't count.

Today I am at zero word count so far, but I still have a couple of hours.

This accountability thing is helping me. Seriously.
 

JoyMC

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Oh Smiiiiiii-iiiiiish! How are those 500 words/day coming?

Heza, hang in there! I like a weekly goal instead of a daily goal, because there are certainly some days when everything just gets away from you and it's not going to happen. Don't beat yourself up.

I just got in 1000 words, and I might get more, but I'm going to stop and get dinner in the oven first!
 

Smish

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I've been at a work conference all week, so my word count is... zero. :e2cry:
 

ruecole

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I totally forgot I signed up for this accountability thread! We got a call from hubby's dad on the 1st that hubby grandfather was dying. We had to make a short notice out of town trip. We didn't get back till the 3rd and by then my brain was mush. Talk about a tough weekend.

Anyway, I have been doing some writing, just not on my WIP like I should be. My word count for this week is a little over 1000 words. I'm only about 3000 words behind. :p

Rue
 

Laura J

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I'm not moving forward because I don't know what is the next thing that needs to happen. I know some things afterwards, but I really didn't want to skip around this time. My first one has a couple of huge holes where I skipped around and didn't go back. I want to avoid this. I stared at the screen for a while and nothing. I even took my netbook with me to the bowling alley. I so can not write where it is noisy. I only added a couple of words and they weren't at the end. I did a little revising, which I don't count since it is not moving my story forward.

Hoping for a better day. But, my house is such a mess. Boxes and tubs from the move are stack up and so are the dishes. Here's hoping!
 

Smish

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*hugs rue* :Hug2:

Oh, heck, hugs for everyone else, too. :e2arms:
 

JoyMC

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So sorry, Rue!

I'm not moving forward because I don't know what is the next thing that needs to happen. I know some things afterwards, but I really didn't want to skip around this time. My first one has a couple of huge holes where I skipped around and didn't go back. I want to avoid this.

But isn't it better to leave some holes - and be sure to go back and fill them this time - than sit stuck, not doing anything. When I skip for the sake of moving forward, I insert a comment saying I did so, and leaving a note if I have any idea what goes there [i.e., SOMETHING TO MAKE X CHARACTER MAD AT Y CHARACTER], and then my first task after getting to the end of the first draft is going in and addressing all those holes (and usually by that point, I've had all sorts of revelations and know how to fill them in).

I did get in an additional 1150 words last night, so yesterday was a big day - over 2000 words! (Though not as big as some - Mandy Hubbard tweeted yesterday that her biggest word count day was 9000. Wow!)
 

heza

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I'm sorry about your misfortune, Rue. You and your family are in my thoughts. (But even with your trials, you're still doing better than me on your word count, so you should be proud.)


But isn't it better to leave some holes - and be sure to go back and fill them this time - than sit stuck, not doing anything. When I skip for the sake of moving forward, I insert a comment saying I did so, and leaving a note if I have any idea what goes there [i.e., SOMETHING TO MAKE X CHARACTER MAD AT Y CHARACTER], and then my first task after getting to the end of the first draft is going in and addressing all those holes (and usually by that point, I've had all sorts of revelations and know how to fill them in).

I did get in an additional 1150 words last night, so yesterday was a big day - over 2000 words! (Though not as big as some - Mandy Hubbard tweeted yesterday that her biggest word count day was 9000. Wow!)


Yay for your word count, Joy!

I think it depends on your writing personality and what motivates you as to whether it's better to leave holes or stand still until you've written something. I've had the same issue as Laura in a few projects where I write the things I know and the things that interest me, and then there's just this big blankness everywhere else. It was happening in this WIP, too. And there were so many big blanknesses that I felt sort of paralyzed to go back and fill them in. So this time around, I'm making sure I write something narrative everywhere.

That doesn't mean what I've written is perfect (or even mediocre) or that I won't add more narrative where there's currently not any as things occur to me, but it seems to help immensely to have some narrative there, even if I know it's not the wording I'll keep. For some reason, it's much easier for me to approach rewriting a whole page of prose that's there than filling in one paragraph where I said "X happens, here."

I don't know why I work that way, I just seem to! :D