So, tomorrow was my deadline to finish my current work. That would have given me a week off to deal with a definitely going to be stressful week at work before diving into revisions on a previous work that has been haunting me for the last couple of weeks. And as of about 15 minutes ago I wrapped up the last chapter that needed to be done on this project!
I checked my note cards to make sure that I have covered everything that I wanted to in this draft and I have done so. And a whole lot more! It really veered off in its own direction as I was writing, as most of my stuff is wont to do, but that is perfectly ok. This was actually the first time I had a beginning, middle, and an end before I even started writing. Usually I have one of the three and then kind of fit things around it. It is, by far, bare bones and maybe a little incoherent in places but that's what revisions are for. It has everything a story needs; it just has to be polished until it shines. And polishing will probably start in January.
The next month is dedicated to working on round 2 revisions of my previous work and also planning for NaNoWriMo. But stay tuned, because I have something that I'm toying with right now and if it works out the way I want it to I will have something completely new (for me) coming soon.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Breakthrough
So, the other night, in my attempt to get to sleep, my mind wandered off into novel land. Normally, I fully enjoy being there as I know that it means I'm making progress towards something, but this time I was a little perturbed. You see, the breakthrough I had was NOT for the ms I'm currently working on! How is this fair? All I want to do is finish this WIP before the end of the month so when I take my vacation from work I can focus on the project that said breakthrough was about. It's too hard to have both story lines going on in my head right now. They're very different types of stories and it would not be good to confuse the two. I have 14 days (eep!) to finish 4 chapters, if nothing else in this ms comes to light it's completely do-able.
That being said... I'm so excited about this breakthrough!! I've never really been able to piece everything together on the project and it's been so frustrating. There always seemed to be something missing but I could never put my finger on it. And then, there I was, laying in bed all ready to go to sleep and there was the answer. "It's HER he wants!" I'm 99% sure the words actually flashed up along my eyelids, in neon. It was the weirdest thing ever. And I know that statement probably means nothing to you but it will. If I can get what I want done during vacation I will be starting to post more about my actual work than just what I'm working on. Promise.
I really want to get started on this and see how it makes different parts come together but I know that I need to finish my current WIP before I do. If I abandon it now it will never get finished. And it has to get finished! I'm really trying to get on this finish what you start bandwagon. So I will finish in 14 days and in the mean time I will take notes on everything having to do with her.
That being said... I'm so excited about this breakthrough!! I've never really been able to piece everything together on the project and it's been so frustrating. There always seemed to be something missing but I could never put my finger on it. And then, there I was, laying in bed all ready to go to sleep and there was the answer. "It's HER he wants!" I'm 99% sure the words actually flashed up along my eyelids, in neon. It was the weirdest thing ever. And I know that statement probably means nothing to you but it will. If I can get what I want done during vacation I will be starting to post more about my actual work than just what I'm working on. Promise.
I really want to get started on this and see how it makes different parts come together but I know that I need to finish my current WIP before I do. If I abandon it now it will never get finished. And it has to get finished! I'm really trying to get on this finish what you start bandwagon. So I will finish in 14 days and in the mean time I will take notes on everything having to do with her.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Moving Right Along
So surprisingly enough I actually did something I said I was going to do regarding this WIP. A week or so ago I went chapter by chapter of stuff that I've already written and made a note card with a brief synopsis of what happened in the chapter, characters introduced (if any) and where I thought it needed to go. After a few hours of that I pulled out my little pop-up tape thingy and taped all those little cards in a straight line. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped back to view it all. Guess what! There aren't as missing elements as I thought there were!! Woot.
I still have quite a bit of work to do just to finish this first draft, but it really isn't as patchy as I originally thought it was. I am super excited about it. It has given me the motivation to get working again. Maybe it was actually seeing the whole thing laid out in front of me or the fact that it was a bunch of little pieces that made up the whole but I'm feeling (somewhat) good about this thing. So I plucked one of those fill in type note cards and sat down to writing. Only 6 more to go!
I still have quite a bit of work to do just to finish this first draft, but it really isn't as patchy as I originally thought it was. I am super excited about it. It has given me the motivation to get working again. Maybe it was actually seeing the whole thing laid out in front of me or the fact that it was a bunch of little pieces that made up the whole but I'm feeling (somewhat) good about this thing. So I plucked one of those fill in type note cards and sat down to writing. Only 6 more to go!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Did You Hear That?
Douglas Adams once said, "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." I now fully understand what he means by that. They really do make a pretty noise as they go flying right past your head, as I am learning today.
Short of NaNoWriMo, this is the first deadline I've set for myself and I am nowhere near making it. But I'm ok with it, or at least I'm trying to be. I know what works for me and what doesn't. And getting severely homesick in the middle of my writing does NOT work for me. Sitting down and setting a timer so I at least write for 20 minutes DOES work for me (when I'm feeling unmotivated) (which is more often than I would like to admit). Making notes on a big sheet of paper taped to my wall works; not updating said notes when I have new thoughts does not. I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.
That being said I have re-set my deadline for September 30 and I know that I can make that one. Over the next couple days I'm going to make note cards for every scene/chapter that I've written so I know what is still left to get down. It doesn't help that I don't write linearly, but I'm going to tape said note cards on my big sheet of paper along my time line and fill in the gaps with what I know is missing. Sounds easy enough and if I can force myself to do it I know I can. Good thing this weekend is a long one (woo hoo 3 days!) because I'm going to need every spare minute I can get to get this organized. Wish me luck.
Short of NaNoWriMo, this is the first deadline I've set for myself and I am nowhere near making it. But I'm ok with it, or at least I'm trying to be. I know what works for me and what doesn't. And getting severely homesick in the middle of my writing does NOT work for me. Sitting down and setting a timer so I at least write for 20 minutes DOES work for me (when I'm feeling unmotivated) (which is more often than I would like to admit). Making notes on a big sheet of paper taped to my wall works; not updating said notes when I have new thoughts does not. I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.
That being said I have re-set my deadline for September 30 and I know that I can make that one. Over the next couple days I'm going to make note cards for every scene/chapter that I've written so I know what is still left to get down. It doesn't help that I don't write linearly, but I'm going to tape said note cards on my big sheet of paper along my time line and fill in the gaps with what I know is missing. Sounds easy enough and if I can force myself to do it I know I can. Good thing this weekend is a long one (woo hoo 3 days!) because I'm going to need every spare minute I can get to get this organized. Wish me luck.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Some Up, Some Down
So here it is, Monday again. These things just keep happening no matter how much I try to get them to stop. Alas, it seems to be out of my control so I'll just have to deal with it.
This weekend was a little bit better than the previous. I actually did some writing and it was the first time in about a month that I had. And it wasn't just a few paragraphs or a couple of crappy notes. I finished two chapters and started a third. I'm proud of myself for actually doing it, but I'm still a little disappointed, too. How can I be disappointed when I put down about 3,000 (not so) quality words? Because I did it all on Saturday. Sunday was another day of procrastination watching cheesy chick flicks. I don't even like chick flicks, there was just nothing else on.
So turn the TV off and get to writing, you say. Love to but then I run into the problem that I have internet access. I've tried turning off the wi-fi connection on my computer but it is so easy to turn on when I don't feel like typing. I would just turn off our connection completely but hubby fantastic is a video game nerd and when I'm "writing" he is hanging out in a war zone with his virtual friends.
I must learn to move past this procrastination. Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited that I finally got some writing done and I think that this weekend was overall a success. Now if I can just carry that through the week I might actually reach my deadline (in 9 days, eep!).
This weekend was a little bit better than the previous. I actually did some writing and it was the first time in about a month that I had. And it wasn't just a few paragraphs or a couple of crappy notes. I finished two chapters and started a third. I'm proud of myself for actually doing it, but I'm still a little disappointed, too. How can I be disappointed when I put down about 3,000 (not so) quality words? Because I did it all on Saturday. Sunday was another day of procrastination watching cheesy chick flicks. I don't even like chick flicks, there was just nothing else on.
So turn the TV off and get to writing, you say. Love to but then I run into the problem that I have internet access. I've tried turning off the wi-fi connection on my computer but it is so easy to turn on when I don't feel like typing. I would just turn off our connection completely but hubby fantastic is a video game nerd and when I'm "writing" he is hanging out in a war zone with his virtual friends.
I must learn to move past this procrastination. Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited that I finally got some writing done and I think that this weekend was overall a success. Now if I can just carry that through the week I might actually reach my deadline (in 9 days, eep!).
Monday, August 15, 2011
Ugh
And because it bears repeating.... Ugh! I have not picked up a pen (or set my fingers to the keyboard) to make any progress on my WIP. It's pathetic, especially with a self-imposed deadline bearing down on me. I just seem to be stuck. And not just in my writing progress, I'm stuck in general. Since this page isn't about my life, per se, but instead my writing or lack there of, I shall not complain too much.
Too many things have gotten in the way of my creativity for too long. Now when I try to sit and write I turn on the TV or I Stumble for hours on end. I literally did nothing on Sunday but putz around the interwebz. I wish I could say that things are getting better in the real world and so I am able to jump back into my made up world but I'd be lying. So, as I've said before, I need to force myself to write. As of this post, I am sitting in my office (with the TV off) and I am going to set a timer as soon as this post is finished. 15 minutes is my goal for tonight. 15 minutes of what will be pure stream of consciousness nonsense but I'm hoping it will trigger something. I would be happy with just one sentence of usable material. We shall see.
PS - I will not make a habit of these whiny posts, I promise!
Too many things have gotten in the way of my creativity for too long. Now when I try to sit and write I turn on the TV or I Stumble for hours on end. I literally did nothing on Sunday but putz around the interwebz. I wish I could say that things are getting better in the real world and so I am able to jump back into my made up world but I'd be lying. So, as I've said before, I need to force myself to write. As of this post, I am sitting in my office (with the TV off) and I am going to set a timer as soon as this post is finished. 15 minutes is my goal for tonight. 15 minutes of what will be pure stream of consciousness nonsense but I'm hoping it will trigger something. I would be happy with just one sentence of usable material. We shall see.
PS - I will not make a habit of these whiny posts, I promise!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Did You Ever Wonder?
What would happen if Cinderella (pre-Prince) went to college? My current WIP is turning out to be a little like that scenario. I don't know how or when it took that turn but I was reading an editor's blog on the hook line and then started reading through my notes and what I have already written. There it was, in sparkly letters, right in front of my face.
It actually helps me a lot more than I thought it would. I was struggling with getting the story going. I've already written the middle and the end and now I need to tie it all together with a beginning. (Hopefully I'm not the only one who works backwards like that) Having that little insight pop into my mind really made me stop and think. Here's hoping it's enough for me to meet my deadline. Only 29 days to go!
It actually helps me a lot more than I thought it would. I was struggling with getting the story going. I've already written the middle and the end and now I need to tie it all together with a beginning. (Hopefully I'm not the only one who works backwards like that) Having that little insight pop into my mind really made me stop and think. Here's hoping it's enough for me to meet my deadline. Only 29 days to go!
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