Current Project: untitled proposal
Status: page ten
I stuck two check marks up there to represent the split personality of our Saturday Check-In. Last week, many of us declared a personal goal. How's it coming? If this isn't concrete goal time for you, let us know what's you're up to anyway.
I realized yesterday there isn't going to be one single easy thing about writing this book. Between the inherent complications of the plot, there will be the twists and turns, both internal and external, that intrigue me in a mystery or suspense, so I know I'm in for a ride with this one. Accepting that is a little liberating as I have officially quit thinking that any minute now, it's all going to come together like a well oiled machine. (Hint psyche: if you want to prove me wrong and hit me with flashes of insight, now would be a good time.)
I can't wait to hear how you're all doing. Have a great weekend.
13 comments:
You are crackin', Alice!! Way to go!
I said my goal was to get my RS proposal off to my agent and get 200 pgs done on the new para. Well, I got the proposal off to my agent on Thurs. (woohoo!!!) Feels so good to have that GONE. I started the new para but I'm only about 3 pgs into it.
In other news...my agent spoke to my editor, and my editor said she saw the prelim. sketch for the cover for STOLEN SEDUCTION and thought I was going to LOVE it. Sexy pose on top, tropical run-for-your-life pic on bottom. Now I can't wait to see it for myself!
Hope everyone else is hard at work and had a productive week!
Way to go Eli on getting your proposal off to your agent. I bet the new cover will be as captivating as the others.
3 pgs vs 200 pgs. Hm.... Me thinks perhaps you thought you were superwoman?
And as for saying I'm crackin' -- since when is ten pages and too many questions and too few answers crackin'? LOL, I'll take it anyway as a little encouragement is always appreciated, but right now it feels as though I'm stuck in quicksand. (SOmeone throw me a rope............)
LOL, Alice. That 200 pgs is my goal for early July, not this week, silly.
Eli -- Oops.
Confession time -- I didn't reach my stated goal of 6250 words per week (not even close!). Last week was a real mixed bag for me. My day job is in turmoil (huge rumors of being bought out by another major high tech player has brought morale down to an all time low) and that hasn't made it easy to concentrate or be very positive about much of anything right now.
However, I also have to laugh at myself. Contrary to what I've previously said, I find myself really putting a lot more thought into the beginning of this story than I ever have before. So what did I do last week? I spent a lot of time thinking. Thinking about who my characters really are -- not the superficial things, but their core personalities, their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone's responses to my Character vs. Plot post made me go back and examine the plot idea for my current WIP in relation to the things I now know about my characters (you know, that whole character and plot being inextricably entwined thing?). And even though I didn't meet my stated goal, I feel like my WIP will be stronger for the time I spent last week.
I'm going to change my previously stated goal. Rather than keep a static weekly goal, I'm going to adopt Wavy's idea of making a new realistic goal each week. Here are my new goals for the coming week:
1. Finish my character/plot analysis
2. Write a minimum of 2500 words
My third personal goal is to try not to get too depressed about the day job. This one is going to be the toughest of the three. Monday should be a killer, since that's the day the rumors say the announcement will be made.
Way to go Alice and Eli!
Hang in there Debbie- you are motivated enough and things will start working to get you the word count. It's rare that I get an idea and start writing. The idea is usually stewing in my head while I'm writing something else and that makes the story flow well when I'm ready to write it.
I just returned from co-hosting a morning workshop on critiquing with the local writer's group. This week I scheduled two book signings for when the next book is out, and I'm up to page 129 on my WIP. I also had a vision of ending the book differently, ran it by my editor and she loved it, so that has put a new spark into what I'm working on.
Ah, Debbie, it sounds as though you're going through some tough times at work. I hope it all works out somehow and that you'll remember to tell us so we won't worry too much about you.
As for letting your brain do the walking this week -- you are so right. I spend a lot of time thinking about a book as I am first writing about it. The beginning changes umpteen times, the people grow deeper -- Paty says she thinks about a book as she's writing one so she'd ready to flow, more or less, into the new book after she finishes the present book. I can't do that. I guess a more accurate statement is I won't let myself do that because I know I would get too distracted.
Every writer is different! There's no right or wrong way and time in your head is as valid as time on the keyboard and a million percent more valuable than dead ends on a keyboard.
Don't be hard on yourself. It sounds to me you are developing good habits and that you're also discovering depths to the process you hadn't realized were there before. Congratulations!
Paty, page 129 and a new ending to boot? Wow! way to go.
Your list of appearances is mind boggling to me (I so seldom creep out from under my rock...)
Thanks for checking in.
Yay for productive weeks!
I edited 104 pages! I'm still waiting on my packet from the contest before I can mail the judge so I am in good shape. The MS has been edited several times already, but I just felt like I owed it a good polish.
Goal #1 this week was to pick my next contest to enter. I'm going to do the Rebecca. Because their entry fee is low, I may couple that with the Emerald City Opener.
Goal #2 was to pick my next project. And Lordy how I have wrestled with this one. I've certainly put the time in, but AAAAAAGH. Can. Not. Choose. My dear mother listened to me pitch my current docket and SHE was no help either. ERRRG.
Next week:
Goal #1 Finish Edits. Send as soon as I get the sending information.
Goal #2 Pick Project. Write Three Pages. (Saturday)
Goal #3 Email someone for help with my website questions. (Wednesday)
Eli--For a second I thought you had a serious goal of 200 pages this week. I can't wait to see the latest cover, and now I'm so eager to hear about your latest series. I think your agent will love it!
Alice--sometimes when we feel the most stuck, we are actually on the verge of the biggest breakthroughs. Kind of like transition in labor---your brain has trouble keeping up with the huge idea that you are about to give birth to.
Debbie--Similar to what I said to Alice, I think that sometimes just thinking IS important. If it helps you feel like you are making more progress you can keep a separate file or notebook just for character stuff. I know that Genene does thin. Joanna Bourne had a neat snippet of her notebook on her blog a while back. It's definitely all part of the process.
Paty--what an awesome week! You rock! Congrats on the new promo opportunities!
Alice, Wavy -- thanks for the words of encouragement! They mean quite a lot right now. And Alice, I'll definitely let you guys know what's going on as soon as I know something real.
And I did feel like I was accomplishing something last week, even if there weren't words on the page. Hopefully it'll mean that when I finally do get words down that I won't be hitting the delete key quite so often!
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