Last Weeks Goals:
- Continue revising/editing through Chapter 20. I still did not make it to chapter 20, but I worked through another 21 pages--putting me at the beginning of chapter 18. Current word count hovers around 86,715. I add, I take away, and we hover. :)
- Complete my summary. Yay! I have a rough draft of my summary. It stands at 6 pages double spaced.
- Continue revising/editing through Chapter 21.
- Beg my hubby to critique my summary and tighten it.
- Have my flash fiction story ONLINE ready to submit to a magazine for Laurel's challenge.
Goodness, my mind is fuzzy, or it is just hard to pick one thing to mention...I think the one truth I can share is this. Sometimes you have to write when you don't feel like it. Luckily I almost always feel like it, so maybe I should rephrase it to be, "sometimes you have to work on a goal even if you don't feel like it."
Putting some kind of summary together was really hard for me. Why? Because I wanted to add every character, every subplot in the story. You can't do that in a summary. It needs to be as short and concise as possible and still be interesting. Every time I opened that document I cringed. Then I sat there until I added at least one or two more paragraphs to move me closer to the end of the summary. I did this all week long and now I have a summary! Yay for me! It stinks, but now that it is on paper I can fix that.
How did you do on your goals last week? Would you be interested in an online critique conferencing group? I opened a Dimdim.com account so we can have live chats and start a critique group. If you are interested what days and times would be good for scheduling?
"Beg my hubby to critique my summary and tighten it." I love that! I'm not ready for a crit group (and I won't be if I don't stop procrastinating) but an online crit group sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I don't always feel like writing, especially when I get stuck. I procrastinate horribly. What do I do to get past this? I sit down and write/revise something, anything! Even if it is only for five minutes or 50 words.
ReplyDeleteI belong to a critique group, but I'd be willing to join. I'm pretty flexible, so whatever works best for you and others.
Good job on your goals!
Is that critiquing in real time, as in a chat group or via email? I'd probably do better in real time, so if that's what you're suggesting, I could do that. Email, I'd probably procrastinate. lol.
ReplyDeleteMonday or Sunday nights are best for me as I never work 12 hours on those days.
Yes, this would be a real time critique group. If your computer has a cam and mic we can even talk instead of typing at each other. Dimdim is a conference room type place with a shared whiteboard.
ReplyDeleteI only have the free setting right now, so I hope that gives us the use of cams and mic. I am willing to sign up and pay for the service if we get enough people to make it worth while.
I really need some fresh eyes on my work to help me move to the next step and I am willing to return the favor. Personally, I'm still a little leery about emailing large chunks of my writing until I get to know people better. :)
My goals are still going very well, I'm hoping to be done with my first draft within the next two months. I don't know if I'm ready for a crit group yet, though it sounds awesome!! I don't want to show anyone my stuff because it's so messy! Chapters aren't even broken up *ashamed*
ReplyDeleteJen, mine were not broken up for a long time. I'm still not sure I've picked the best places to break it up either. That is part of why I need a crit group.
ReplyDeleteWhen we start, feel free to just drop in and visit with us. I think we should try it sometime next week. It may take us a bit to figure out how we want it to work and get into a routine.
Ooooh can I join? My writing is totally the opposite of yours though, being broken up and v.bitty! :S Also I'm not finished my WiP, is that ok?
ReplyDeleteBut, um, if it is this sounds interesting and having other people to crit stuff regularly would be really really helpful! PLUS I'd be only too willing to return the favour. It'd be exciting!
Oh, I do live in the UK (which might pose a problem for normal people but I rarely sleep) but am a student so can totally stay up to do a live chat in theory if I'm allowed to be involved...?
In regards to your poll, I always vote for sending out queries because its one of the scariest steps for a writer and I say just do it. Of course, I also think your ms should be ready.
ReplyDeleteEither way, you should definitely 'do a little dance'. (I just got my fourth person, and know that little dance.)
Good luck with the goals and I added a link to your site on my site. Hope that's okay! :)