Melissa:
After the great month of work in April, I fell off the writing wagon. There's been no more words reworked or written by me. Life has taken over.
It's been a bumpy few months here in the home with one of our dogs. We have two German Shepards, sisters from the same litter. They've been fighting skin infections from allergies for over a year now, one more so than the other. We have made many, many visits to the vet and found a few issues that were fixed. But Athena never really got a permanent fix. The last two months have been worse than normal. She hit a low in June and quit eating. We did what we could, but her liver was not well. So, she lost her battle at the end of June. We are now focusing on keeping Sheba occupied and going on. With being litter mates they have never known life without the other one. Even if one left for the vet, they always came home. So Sheba's a little lost right now. We are working on relearning our daily routines without Athena.
July looks to be a busy month for us so I likely won't get any new words until August. Hopefully we'll be back on track and into our routine by then.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
April Update
Melissa:
So I thought I'd talk about my process a little bit. When I wrote this story I started it with note cards that had ideas to touch on and scenes to write scratched on them. I shuffled them around to make a story-line and added more as the story went. This lead to the bare bones, and I mean BARE BONES, of a story. This is the strategy that got me from beginning to end. Where people outline, I start writing with ideas on things to touch on and let the story become its own. After finishing this process, the details in between need touched up and adjusted.
The first round of re-writes was where I printed the bare bones out and wrote in changes, new scenes, adjustments, and so much more. The story grows in size and starts to take on life as I fleshed out some moments between the characters and even gave more depth to the characters.
After this, I typed the huge round of changes into my document. This was like a round of re-writes itself as I made a few more changes. I even fleshed things out a little more where I just had notes to make changes. I even left questions about things to look into.
That's where this round of re-writes comes in. See, my mind breaks the story into different levels. There's many things that feel important to touch on in; Christmas, personal, romance, and a worrying aspect. The romance and some personal touches were addressed in the first round of re-writes. The second brought more to my attention. So, this round is more adding and adjusting for the worrying aspect. And a touch of the Christmas one too. And... Well, it is on all the points too. lol. But I know the worry details need to be brought to life.
When I was trying to piece the worry aspect together, I came up with an idea. I just needed to see if what I was thinking could be done. This is where "I'll call a friend" comes in handy. I did just that, chatted about it, and came to a huge realization that could totally work! I even had a character I wrote in that I thought I'd have to eliminate along with a whole scene, it didn't feel connected to the rest of the story. But! My subconscious had another idea with adding this scene, I just had to figure out that piece. I did and I was so excited!
This all brings me to Camp NaNoWriMo. I know, a long path to tell you how I did. But It's the path I've been taking, for a few Camp NaNoWriMo's now. ;) This is where I want to add in the worry aspect I feel is needed more of.
How did Camp NaNoWriMo go?
I wanted to write 30 minutes a day. With life, it's what works best for me. I didn't think I could sign up for that so I started with the hours category. I was bummed that you have to do 30 hours in a month. But, while in my cabin chat I mentioned this. A fellow camper told me the minute option would work. And it did! I hurried to switch my goal to 900 minutes in a month, which would be 30 minutes a day.
I had some rocky days with life in full swing. Weekends, that use to be my writing time, has become hard to grab minutes with everyone home and all we are doing. But, I did it.
Goal: 900 minutes of re-writes
Accomplished: 901 minutes of re-writes
How far am I in my story?
Maybe half way. I'm guessing. I find it hard to figure out when working on the computer in Scrivener. I could do the math, I guess. But...it takes time I don't want to spend on math. lol. I do feel I've fixed up and added items in that smooth scenes out. I do still have work ahead of me though.
I will note that I think working a half hour a day helps keep me going. I stay excited about what I'm working on and don't feel to be overwhelmed with what I'm working on or that other things are forgotten about (working full time and family, there is always something left in the dust). I get through a section, have time to think about it and how it relates in the book. When I come back I can add to it or move on. Sometimes I go longer because the scene takes me longer to get through. But I make notes and make adjustments that night and the next. This worked out really well for me as re-writes can be daunting.
Of course, this is NOT the end of re-writes. There's still a lot to iron out and make flow. There is more work to be done, but I feel that working on these different aspects and adding them in fills in the story and what I'm working towards. After all this, and some help from a friend, I can then iron out the special moments and make them spark.
Did you do Camp NaNoWriMo? How'd it go? What was your goal? Do you have a process for re-writes? Please, let me know in the comments.
So I thought I'd talk about my process a little bit. When I wrote this story I started it with note cards that had ideas to touch on and scenes to write scratched on them. I shuffled them around to make a story-line and added more as the story went. This lead to the bare bones, and I mean BARE BONES, of a story. This is the strategy that got me from beginning to end. Where people outline, I start writing with ideas on things to touch on and let the story become its own. After finishing this process, the details in between need touched up and adjusted.
The first round of re-writes was where I printed the bare bones out and wrote in changes, new scenes, adjustments, and so much more. The story grows in size and starts to take on life as I fleshed out some moments between the characters and even gave more depth to the characters.
After this, I typed the huge round of changes into my document. This was like a round of re-writes itself as I made a few more changes. I even fleshed things out a little more where I just had notes to make changes. I even left questions about things to look into.
That's where this round of re-writes comes in. See, my mind breaks the story into different levels. There's many things that feel important to touch on in; Christmas, personal, romance, and a worrying aspect. The romance and some personal touches were addressed in the first round of re-writes. The second brought more to my attention. So, this round is more adding and adjusting for the worrying aspect. And a touch of the Christmas one too. And... Well, it is on all the points too. lol. But I know the worry details need to be brought to life.
When I was trying to piece the worry aspect together, I came up with an idea. I just needed to see if what I was thinking could be done. This is where "I'll call a friend" comes in handy. I did just that, chatted about it, and came to a huge realization that could totally work! I even had a character I wrote in that I thought I'd have to eliminate along with a whole scene, it didn't feel connected to the rest of the story. But! My subconscious had another idea with adding this scene, I just had to figure out that piece. I did and I was so excited!
This all brings me to Camp NaNoWriMo. I know, a long path to tell you how I did. But It's the path I've been taking, for a few Camp NaNoWriMo's now. ;) This is where I want to add in the worry aspect I feel is needed more of.
How did Camp NaNoWriMo go?
I wanted to write 30 minutes a day. With life, it's what works best for me. I didn't think I could sign up for that so I started with the hours category. I was bummed that you have to do 30 hours in a month. But, while in my cabin chat I mentioned this. A fellow camper told me the minute option would work. And it did! I hurried to switch my goal to 900 minutes in a month, which would be 30 minutes a day.
I had some rocky days with life in full swing. Weekends, that use to be my writing time, has become hard to grab minutes with everyone home and all we are doing. But, I did it.
Goal: 900 minutes of re-writes
Accomplished: 901 minutes of re-writes
How far am I in my story?
Maybe half way. I'm guessing. I find it hard to figure out when working on the computer in Scrivener. I could do the math, I guess. But...it takes time I don't want to spend on math. lol. I do feel I've fixed up and added items in that smooth scenes out. I do still have work ahead of me though.
I will note that I think working a half hour a day helps keep me going. I stay excited about what I'm working on and don't feel to be overwhelmed with what I'm working on or that other things are forgotten about (working full time and family, there is always something left in the dust). I get through a section, have time to think about it and how it relates in the book. When I come back I can add to it or move on. Sometimes I go longer because the scene takes me longer to get through. But I make notes and make adjustments that night and the next. This worked out really well for me as re-writes can be daunting.
Of course, this is NOT the end of re-writes. There's still a lot to iron out and make flow. There is more work to be done, but I feel that working on these different aspects and adding them in fills in the story and what I'm working towards. After all this, and some help from a friend, I can then iron out the special moments and make them spark.
Did you do Camp NaNoWriMo? How'd it go? What was your goal? Do you have a process for re-writes? Please, let me know in the comments.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
March Update:
Melissa:
And...I thought I posted this. *head desk*
I'm sorry for my addle brain these days. I'm thinking I have to many irons in the fire and I'm not sure which ones are red hot, ready to remove. Ugh.
So the month started slow. I was getting caught up with real world, mundane life things. Things seemed to be coming into line. Then, my grandma took a turn for the worse. We knew the day was nearing but you never know when that day will be. And you are never truly ready for it. Watching someone dwindle away is hard. We visited and spent time with her. And we spent time together as a family for the funeral.
As you can probably guess, I really didn't get any words or re-writes in. That happens. I did start pulling information for re-writes and had a new idea come to mind that would add a new layer to my current WIP. I got to chat it over with a dear author friend who helped me bring it to life in my mind. Now to add the hints, worries, and result to the story in re-writes.
That works for me. :)
So we move forward. And, as if there's not enough to do in life, I decided to jump into Camp NaNoWriMo. Yep. I signed up. I found that if I sign up for minutes, I can set it so I'll work on my project 30 minutes a day. Which is what I want with life happening around me.
I'm in. Here's to April camp fires at Camp NaNoWriMo.
And...I thought I posted this. *head desk*
I'm sorry for my addle brain these days. I'm thinking I have to many irons in the fire and I'm not sure which ones are red hot, ready to remove. Ugh.
So the month started slow. I was getting caught up with real world, mundane life things. Things seemed to be coming into line. Then, my grandma took a turn for the worse. We knew the day was nearing but you never know when that day will be. And you are never truly ready for it. Watching someone dwindle away is hard. We visited and spent time with her. And we spent time together as a family for the funeral.
As you can probably guess, I really didn't get any words or re-writes in. That happens. I did start pulling information for re-writes and had a new idea come to mind that would add a new layer to my current WIP. I got to chat it over with a dear author friend who helped me bring it to life in my mind. Now to add the hints, worries, and result to the story in re-writes.
That works for me. :)
So we move forward. And, as if there's not enough to do in life, I decided to jump into Camp NaNoWriMo. Yep. I signed up. I found that if I sign up for minutes, I can set it so I'll work on my project 30 minutes a day. Which is what I want with life happening around me.
I'm in. Here's to April camp fires at Camp NaNoWriMo.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
January & February Update:
Melissa:
So, I'm figuring you are guessing this post is not going to share I've been productive one. It is for January and February, after all. And I'm a few days late into March when posting. Okay, half a month late. Well, you are right.
I've been working on getting caught up around home after the holidays. I swear each year takes more and more effort to get back on track. I haven't figured out why, seeing the Kiddo is older now. (Don't you tell me it age catching up with me.) I like to think I'm keeping myself too busy. ;D
I've also been working on content editing work and photography. So there is a lot of time wrapped up in both of those. With the photography, I've picked up programs that help touch up the photos. I took a few classes online to learn Photoshop, twice a week for four weeks. That was time consuming as I practiced what I learned.
I feel I'm starting to get things back on track so before the end of this month (March) I should be able to get back to re-writes.
So, I'm figuring you are guessing this post is not going to share I've been productive one. It is for January and February, after all. And I'm a few days late into March when posting. Okay, half a month late. Well, you are right.
I've been working on getting caught up around home after the holidays. I swear each year takes more and more effort to get back on track. I haven't figured out why, seeing the Kiddo is older now. (Don't you tell me it age catching up with me.) I like to think I'm keeping myself too busy. ;D
I've also been working on content editing work and photography. So there is a lot of time wrapped up in both of those. With the photography, I've picked up programs that help touch up the photos. I took a few classes online to learn Photoshop, twice a week for four weeks. That was time consuming as I practiced what I learned.
I feel I'm starting to get things back on track so before the end of this month (March) I should be able to get back to re-writes.
Monday, January 1, 2018
New Year Resolutions 2018 (2017 Results)
 |
| Photo By: Melissa @ Spellbound in a Flash (Me) |
Happy New Year!!
Hard to believe another year has rolled by and we are looking at twelve new months. Where does the time go?!
I thought I'd share my resolutions for 2017 with results. *bites nails* I'll copy the resolutions as I typed them at the beginning of 2017 and type results in blue. Drum roll please....
1) Write/edit every other day. (except when working on editing jobs, which are worked on daily) I know it's said to write daily. But writing daily seems to stress me out more. I went through a period a few years ago that I wrote/edited every other day. It might have been slow moving, but I didn't feel stressed and it seemed to give my brain time to digest and move on with what I'd written, making it all fit together better.
I started to do this. I didn't hold to the every other day schedule though. I looked back through my monthly posts for 2017 and I did get many hours in on projects, which helps.
2) Finish Christmas Warmth. I started this in November for NaNoWriMo, and stopped with the holidays. This is a small goal, one easily reached, as there isn't much to add to the story to bring it through to a conclusion that's sitting in my mind.
I did finish Christmas Warmth in the beginning of the year! A win! I didn't have much to work on, so knew this would be an easy win. It's now ready for a full round of re-writes.
3) Get re-writes of Christmas Spirit done. There are many things that need to be added to the bones of this story, things I missed in my thinking when writing it. So, I'll need to add and adjust the story in this first pass of re-writes. It could easily take me all year with my pacing.
I did get through Christmas Spirit with one round of re-writes! I worked on paper copy then went to the computer and made more changes while typing in the changes. I'm actually working on a another round now. Woot! It's not a complete win as it's not finished to send off, but I didn't know how many rounds I would go with this one.
4) Write a short story. I have this idea that I started to research and stopped. I want to research it again and outline it. Maybe even get to start writing it. It's a secret project but I can say it's got steampunk in it. ;)
I did not get to this story idea. And...I think I know what this was to be, but I'm disappointed to say I'm not 100% sure what story this was to be.
5) Send something to a friend. If things go well this year, I'd like to get something to a rough point to send to someone to read. This is a first for me. I've sent no words to anyone to read. I've had no faith in my words to send them out, even to a friend. I want to overcome this fear.
I did not do this either. I was hoping the round of re-writes with Christmas Spirit would bring me to a point where I could send it to someone to help me with the next rounds. But, I've got another round to get through as there are things I want to tie in through the book first.
It's hard to face the music. I know I didn't follow through like I had hoped. But I did get a few huge goals completed, that being headway on Christmas Spirit and Christmas Warmth.
Now, on to 2018's Resolutions.
These resolutions are going to be similar to 2017's. I am determined to get my Christmas Business series up and going.
1) Write/re-writes/edits every other day - I still like this schedule. It's easier on my stress levels and helps me keep up with working.
2) Finish re-writes on Christmas Spirit - I want to get through this one round of re-writes and get help from friends on it.
3) Send Christmas Spirit to someone to read - This is so I can get another set of eyes on it to help iron out those tough, rough spots and flow of the story.
4) Start re-writes on Christmas Warmth - This one depends on what I learn about Christmas Spirit. I really want to get Christmas Spirit done but want to start on Christmas Warmth as well.
5) Outline for Christmas Wishes - Okay, I don't really outline, but I do make rough plans on where the story will go.
6) Join NaNoWriMo in November - I so love the rush to get through 50,000 words and really missed it in 2017. I want to get the rough bones of Christmas Wishes started in NaNoWriMo so I have something to work on in the future.
7) Exercise - This is unrelated to writing, but so very important in all angles. Exercising helps give me a release for stress and frustration, but it also gives me energy to keep up with all I have in my plans.
This year I have very specific ideas for what I want to do. I feel I'm getting closer to wanting to get a book out to shop around, so these steps are very important to get there. (And see if the book is really ready, along with me.)
What are your resolutions this year?
November and December Update:
Melissa:
November:
NaNoWriMo is past. I didn't do a traditional NaNoWriMo project, but I did set a goal tracker for 30 hours in the month to work on re-writes. And I passed!
I accomplished my 30 hour goal!!
In those 30 hours, I finished the round of re-writes on the printed pages I had of Christmas Spirit. I also finished typing in the changes and started a new round of re-writes on the computer. Exciting! This was a lot of work accomplished, or so it felt to me.
December:
What month is it!?! I'm saddened to say I did nothing in December in the way of words. We started the month with head colds and then the holiday time grabbed on and spun us away. We have been busy with so many different things for the holiday, so all other things have taken a back burner to life.
November:
NaNoWriMo is past. I didn't do a traditional NaNoWriMo project, but I did set a goal tracker for 30 hours in the month to work on re-writes. And I passed!
I accomplished my 30 hour goal!!
In those 30 hours, I finished the round of re-writes on the printed pages I had of Christmas Spirit. I also finished typing in the changes and started a new round of re-writes on the computer. Exciting! This was a lot of work accomplished, or so it felt to me.
December:
What month is it!?! I'm saddened to say I did nothing in December in the way of words. We started the month with head colds and then the holiday time grabbed on and spun us away. We have been busy with so many different things for the holiday, so all other things have taken a back burner to life.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
October Update
Melissa:
I had plans... Ugh.
Goal: 15 hours Re-writes on Christmas Spirit
Actual: 8 hours Re-writes on Christmas Spirit
So, I started out good. I figured half an hour a day and if I missed it would be easy to make up. Then we had an away football game that was a couple hours away. And then another one. The weekends were a wash with driving, game, and photos. (I take and touch up photos for the guys on the team with Kiddo.)
Then the biggest hold up happened. Scrivener locked up. Yep. This is that one thing no one wants to see happen. I couldn't get into my project. AT ALL! My heart sunk. I thought I was going to have to type every word and character all over again. And lose all my character and places details. I took a breath and tried to relax. I sent an email to Scrivener, hoping for all hope they could unlock it. It took five days and emails to get there but we did. *phew* I was so relieved when I finally was able to see words on the screen again.
So, I did get some work done. Not as much as hoped, but closer to what I expected. We can always hope for more.
I'm not officially doing NaNoWriMo in November. I don't have a plot board or ideas down to work from to hit 50k words in sprint writings. But I am taking the month to work on words. I set up a Goal Tracker for November of 30 hours of Re-writes/re-read for Christmas Spirit. I want to get this book to a rough draft that can be worked from and move forward with it.
Plans for November:
Goal: 30 Hours Re-writes/Re-read of Christmas Spirit
As for Scrivener locking up, would anyone be interested in a post to how I was able to fix it? Of course the help center told me what to do, but I could share the details with you if you're interested.
I had plans... Ugh.
Goal: 15 hours Re-writes on Christmas Spirit
Actual: 8 hours Re-writes on Christmas Spirit
So, I started out good. I figured half an hour a day and if I missed it would be easy to make up. Then we had an away football game that was a couple hours away. And then another one. The weekends were a wash with driving, game, and photos. (I take and touch up photos for the guys on the team with Kiddo.)
Then the biggest hold up happened. Scrivener locked up. Yep. This is that one thing no one wants to see happen. I couldn't get into my project. AT ALL! My heart sunk. I thought I was going to have to type every word and character all over again. And lose all my character and places details. I took a breath and tried to relax. I sent an email to Scrivener, hoping for all hope they could unlock it. It took five days and emails to get there but we did. *phew* I was so relieved when I finally was able to see words on the screen again.
So, I did get some work done. Not as much as hoped, but closer to what I expected. We can always hope for more.
I'm not officially doing NaNoWriMo in November. I don't have a plot board or ideas down to work from to hit 50k words in sprint writings. But I am taking the month to work on words. I set up a Goal Tracker for November of 30 hours of Re-writes/re-read for Christmas Spirit. I want to get this book to a rough draft that can be worked from and move forward with it.
Plans for November:
Goal: 30 Hours Re-writes/Re-read of Christmas Spirit
As for Scrivener locking up, would anyone be interested in a post to how I was able to fix it? Of course the help center told me what to do, but I could share the details with you if you're interested.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
August and September Update
Melissa:
I was on such a great roll. And then it all comes to an abrupt end.
By that statement you can probably guess I didn't get anything accomplished in the two months this post is for. True. I've been working on for-pay content editing work. And, somewhere along the way I got swept up in life and events happening. A wedding for a dear friend's daughter. Football season. And all sorts of things that go on from day to day. I've started diving into my photography which takes time as well. I've been going to free functions to practice and better my craft with the camera. Which all has left little time for writing.
I'm sitting at the beginning of October telling myself I will not do NaNoWriMo this year. I will not. (reminder for me) Reason, I've not planned out the next novel I plan to write. I can't dive into the next one without some guidance. I don't really outline, but I do have a direction in mind when I start. And I have a rather (RATHER) loose idea, but that's it. I will, however, work on edits.
We are four days into October and I've managed to get two hours in on typing in re-writes, and making other changes. I created a Goal Tracker for it on the NaNoWriMo website. (I totally love this new feature!)
Goal: 15 Hours of Re-writes for Christmas Spirit (at least, if done sooner I'll dive into more works).
I'm hoping for half an hour a day. If I get behind, I should be able to make up lost time on weekends. (cross your fingers) This will be the same plan for November, though hopefully more hours to work toward.
Here's to doing ALL THE THINGS! Have a great October!
I was on such a great roll. And then it all comes to an abrupt end.
By that statement you can probably guess I didn't get anything accomplished in the two months this post is for. True. I've been working on for-pay content editing work. And, somewhere along the way I got swept up in life and events happening. A wedding for a dear friend's daughter. Football season. And all sorts of things that go on from day to day. I've started diving into my photography which takes time as well. I've been going to free functions to practice and better my craft with the camera. Which all has left little time for writing.
I'm sitting at the beginning of October telling myself I will not do NaNoWriMo this year. I will not. (reminder for me) Reason, I've not planned out the next novel I plan to write. I can't dive into the next one without some guidance. I don't really outline, but I do have a direction in mind when I start. And I have a rather (RATHER) loose idea, but that's it. I will, however, work on edits.
We are four days into October and I've managed to get two hours in on typing in re-writes, and making other changes. I created a Goal Tracker for it on the NaNoWriMo website. (I totally love this new feature!)
Goal: 15 Hours of Re-writes for Christmas Spirit (at least, if done sooner I'll dive into more works).
I'm hoping for half an hour a day. If I get behind, I should be able to make up lost time on weekends. (cross your fingers) This will be the same plan for November, though hopefully more hours to work toward.
Here's to doing ALL THE THINGS! Have a great October!
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
July Update:
Melissa:
I joined Camp NaNoWriMo. I know, I know. I said in June's post I didn't know when I'd get back to writing or re-writes, and at the earliest it'd be August. That was true then. The schedule for editing work changed and opened up July. So I figured what the hay, I'll give it a go.
Also, I failed miserably at Camp NaNoWriMo in April, so why not attempt it again? What's the worst that'll happen? I could fail again (even though I hate that). But it would be some work towards the story.
I signed on to work 30 hours. I wasn't to thrilled with this. I wanted 15 hours, to work at least a half hour a day. Camp NaNoWriMo writing by the hour only goes as low as 30 hours. I understand it's camp and you strive to get as much as you can in, but life still happens too. I didn't think I was going to hit 30 hours, there was to much still in motion at the time. So I also signed up for a Goal Tracker in NaNoWriMo for 15 hours. I figure if I fail at one place I'll win at the other. lol.
What am I working on? I'm continuing with Christmas Spirit.
I know. That image has to be flipped or something, right. I was further along in the first image. So you know what that means. That's right. I finished the book with it's first round of re-writes in print and have started typing in the changes! Woot woot! Exciting!
How did the Camp NaNoWriMo go?
30 Hour Goal of Re-writes on Christmas Spirit:
~ 30 Hours ACCOMPLISHED in Re-writes of Christmas Spirit!
That's exciting news. It was a good month for working.
I joined Camp NaNoWriMo. I know, I know. I said in June's post I didn't know when I'd get back to writing or re-writes, and at the earliest it'd be August. That was true then. The schedule for editing work changed and opened up July. So I figured what the hay, I'll give it a go.
Also, I failed miserably at Camp NaNoWriMo in April, so why not attempt it again? What's the worst that'll happen? I could fail again (even though I hate that). But it would be some work towards the story.
I signed on to work 30 hours. I wasn't to thrilled with this. I wanted 15 hours, to work at least a half hour a day. Camp NaNoWriMo writing by the hour only goes as low as 30 hours. I understand it's camp and you strive to get as much as you can in, but life still happens too. I didn't think I was going to hit 30 hours, there was to much still in motion at the time. So I also signed up for a Goal Tracker in NaNoWriMo for 15 hours. I figure if I fail at one place I'll win at the other. lol.
What am I working on? I'm continuing with Christmas Spirit.
Where I am at the start of July:
Where I am at the end of July:
I know. That image has to be flipped or something, right. I was further along in the first image. So you know what that means. That's right. I finished the book with it's first round of re-writes in print and have started typing in the changes! Woot woot! Exciting!
How did the Camp NaNoWriMo go?
30 Hour Goal of Re-writes on Christmas Spirit:
~ 30 Hours ACCOMPLISHED in Re-writes of Christmas Spirit!
That's exciting news. It was a good month for working.
Thursday, June 15, 2017
April, May, and why not June Update
Melissa:
April:
The month started off slow but good. I've been pleased with the progress over last few months. I've had sections that had a great bit added and other sections where I switched the POV and adjusted the scene slightly. I love it! It feels like I'm really getting somewhere!
Christmas Spirit:
Goal: 30 hrs for April
Results: 9 hrs
So what's my excuse? I knew 30 hours was a dream goal. I never expected to get there, an hour a day, not with all that we were coming up upon. But I never thought I'd do less than 10 hours either. Kiddo started baseball, and I go to the games to watch and take pictures. There are a lot of games! Also I've been working with Kiddo on college stuff. All sorts of forms and visits were in April for a college he thought he was going to (he's recently changed to another). So time was tied up with Kiddo, which would probably be most of the last of many things now that he's graduated and going into college.
May:
And this month was a bust all around. It felt like a short month as we were still playing catch up from three of the four weekends in April being filled with college visits. We had Prom to ready for and pictures to be taken. Then I headed to Balticon for the last weekend.
Like I said, a bust for me.
And why not toss in June?
I know we are coming to the mid point of June and there's still 15 days remaining. Anything could change. But, I'm not foreseeing it going anywhere and I'm not going to get my hopes up just to be crushed.
I spent the first 10 days tied up with Kiddo's graduation from high school then his Graduation party. We had the school picnic and then I got sick with this sinus infection. It's been busy. I am also working on for pay content editing work. And I've concluded I need to get another part-time job on the weekends, so I'm looking for that now too.
Sadly, the writing will have to take a back burner until life gets back on track all around.
I'm not planning on joining Camp NaNoWriMo for July. I have another editing project coming in (yea!) and I want to get back on track with a few things here. August is going to be a bit tricky in the beginning, and then Kiddo starts college so... I'm not sure how that will go. We'll see when the time comes.
I want to get a few things squared away and get to writing again, even for half an hour a day.
I have an idea for a special system to use in a book creating itself in my mind. It has to do with color and light. I have to research it and learn more and I don't have a story to go with it yet, but the idea of this system sounds neat...in my head. ;) I'll note it and maybe some day it'll work into a story idea.
So, here's to a few months of getting caught up then back at it once again!
April:
The month started off slow but good. I've been pleased with the progress over last few months. I've had sections that had a great bit added and other sections where I switched the POV and adjusted the scene slightly. I love it! It feels like I'm really getting somewhere!
Christmas Spirit:
Goal: 30 hrs for April
Results: 9 hrs
So what's my excuse? I knew 30 hours was a dream goal. I never expected to get there, an hour a day, not with all that we were coming up upon. But I never thought I'd do less than 10 hours either. Kiddo started baseball, and I go to the games to watch and take pictures. There are a lot of games! Also I've been working with Kiddo on college stuff. All sorts of forms and visits were in April for a college he thought he was going to (he's recently changed to another). So time was tied up with Kiddo, which would probably be most of the last of many things now that he's graduated and going into college.
May:
And this month was a bust all around. It felt like a short month as we were still playing catch up from three of the four weekends in April being filled with college visits. We had Prom to ready for and pictures to be taken. Then I headed to Balticon for the last weekend.
Like I said, a bust for me.
And why not toss in June?
I know we are coming to the mid point of June and there's still 15 days remaining. Anything could change. But, I'm not foreseeing it going anywhere and I'm not going to get my hopes up just to be crushed.
I spent the first 10 days tied up with Kiddo's graduation from high school then his Graduation party. We had the school picnic and then I got sick with this sinus infection. It's been busy. I am also working on for pay content editing work. And I've concluded I need to get another part-time job on the weekends, so I'm looking for that now too.
Sadly, the writing will have to take a back burner until life gets back on track all around.
I'm not planning on joining Camp NaNoWriMo for July. I have another editing project coming in (yea!) and I want to get back on track with a few things here. August is going to be a bit tricky in the beginning, and then Kiddo starts college so... I'm not sure how that will go. We'll see when the time comes.
I want to get a few things squared away and get to writing again, even for half an hour a day.
I have an idea for a special system to use in a book creating itself in my mind. It has to do with color and light. I have to research it and learn more and I don't have a story to go with it yet, but the idea of this system sounds neat...in my head. ;) I'll note it and maybe some day it'll work into a story idea.
So, here's to a few months of getting caught up then back at it once again!
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
March Update
Melissa:
Oh my! I forgot to post this. How can I do that? I've been trying to keep up with all the things. lol.
So I had some big plans for March. I was cruising along on re-writes at the beginning of March. I was thrilled as some sections stayed with the same idea but re-written and other scenes got additions, large additions.
Christmas Spirit:
32 hours by March 10th ~ I upped the goal to 38 hours by March 31st.
-- I added 11 hours to the clock, bringing me to a total of 28 hours spent on the project since the beginning of the year.
The total hours spent don't feel like a lot as I look back now. But when working, it feels like a lot is getting done. I'm currently on page 146 out of 359. I think this is a very good progression. I know I can't work daily on the project with all going on in life at the moment - work, kiddo college stuff, editing work, and more.
Here's a picture of the progress, so can see the pages going by. This page has been read through and, as you see on the left, I've added a good bit to this section. I need to read it again and add a bit more, so I'm still on page 146.
So what's on the horizon for April?
I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo. My goal is 30 hours of work by the end of April. That's one hour a day. I know one hour a day isn't going to happen, especially with content editing work to be done too. But I hope to get close. This means I'm going to have to buckle down and do the time. I know there's a few college visits this month as well, which will take my Saturdays and make Sunday's harder to get everything done. But I'm going to try.
Oh my! I forgot to post this. How can I do that? I've been trying to keep up with all the things. lol.
So I had some big plans for March. I was cruising along on re-writes at the beginning of March. I was thrilled as some sections stayed with the same idea but re-written and other scenes got additions, large additions.
Christmas Spirit:
32 hours by March 10th ~ I upped the goal to 38 hours by March 31st.
-- I added 11 hours to the clock, bringing me to a total of 28 hours spent on the project since the beginning of the year.
The total hours spent don't feel like a lot as I look back now. But when working, it feels like a lot is getting done. I'm currently on page 146 out of 359. I think this is a very good progression. I know I can't work daily on the project with all going on in life at the moment - work, kiddo college stuff, editing work, and more.
Here's a picture of the progress, so can see the pages going by. This page has been read through and, as you see on the left, I've added a good bit to this section. I need to read it again and add a bit more, so I'm still on page 146.
So what's on the horizon for April?
I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo. My goal is 30 hours of work by the end of April. That's one hour a day. I know one hour a day isn't going to happen, especially with content editing work to be done too. But I hope to get close. This means I'm going to have to buckle down and do the time. I know there's a few college visits this month as well, which will take my Saturdays and make Sunday's harder to get everything done. But I'm going to try.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
February Update
Melissa:
Wow, that was one short month! I had forgotten it was short by 2-3 days. It's surprising how much of a difference 2 days can make.
I've been stumbling along this month with family stuff, content editing work, and re-writes. It's going well. Could be better, but well. I'm not going to complain. I'm content with the work I've completed.
Goals:
Christmas Warmth: 5,000 word goal.
-- I had stopped working toward this one at the end of January. I was content with what I added and will add and adjust when I go through re-writes with this one. This goal ended February 28th.
Christmas Spirit: 32 hours by March 10th.
-- I have added 12 hours in February to my 5 hours in January, bringing me to a total of 17 hours logged. That leaves 15 hours to be put in by March 10th. It's doable, but I probably won't get all of them in.
Something additional I wanted to share about Christmas Spirit, I'm 84 pages into 359 pages of the book. I've had sections that I've added a good bit and I've had sections I redid keeping the same idea but adding something that changes things in that scene. Those things could be reactions or feelings or even when something is done in the scene.
Want to see a picture of the page comparison? Maybe I'll start sharing an image each month, to see the progress even if it is slow.
It looks like a ton of pages to get through yet, but that's okay because I feel like I've come a long way in what I have completed. I even had a great sentence to add come to mind when driving to work this morning! That's what happens to me after I work through a sections, I get a clear idea the next day since my mind slept on the idea. This idea was something that ties a previous scene and who Em is to the moment she's in. I love the feel when those moments hit me.
This book needs LOTS of work and still will when I'm done with these re-writes, but I have a great feeling about this book and series. If I can get it to where I want, with help from friends, I would love to share this one with the world.
At least that's what I'm thinking now, may change later. ;)
Wow, that was one short month! I had forgotten it was short by 2-3 days. It's surprising how much of a difference 2 days can make.
I've been stumbling along this month with family stuff, content editing work, and re-writes. It's going well. Could be better, but well. I'm not going to complain. I'm content with the work I've completed.
Goals:
Christmas Warmth: 5,000 word goal.
-- I had stopped working toward this one at the end of January. I was content with what I added and will add and adjust when I go through re-writes with this one. This goal ended February 28th.
Christmas Spirit: 32 hours by March 10th.
-- I have added 12 hours in February to my 5 hours in January, bringing me to a total of 17 hours logged. That leaves 15 hours to be put in by March 10th. It's doable, but I probably won't get all of them in.
Something additional I wanted to share about Christmas Spirit, I'm 84 pages into 359 pages of the book. I've had sections that I've added a good bit and I've had sections I redid keeping the same idea but adding something that changes things in that scene. Those things could be reactions or feelings or even when something is done in the scene.
Want to see a picture of the page comparison? Maybe I'll start sharing an image each month, to see the progress even if it is slow.
It looks like a ton of pages to get through yet, but that's okay because I feel like I've come a long way in what I have completed. I even had a great sentence to add come to mind when driving to work this morning! That's what happens to me after I work through a sections, I get a clear idea the next day since my mind slept on the idea. This idea was something that ties a previous scene and who Em is to the moment she's in. I love the feel when those moments hit me.
This book needs LOTS of work and still will when I'm done with these re-writes, but I have a great feeling about this book and series. If I can get it to where I want, with help from friends, I would love to share this one with the world.
At least that's what I'm thinking now, may change later. ;)
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
January Update:
Melissa:
Ugh. Where did January go?!? Really. A whole month has flown by without me even seeing it. Or so it feels that way. Recovering and catching up from the holiday's seems to always take longer than I hope. Then I've gone on college visits with Kiddo. Ugh! I'm so glad I don't have to make that choice again. So many colleges to visit and chose from. How do you know?
I did get some work done. Yea for small miracles!
It'll be easier for me to track my work this year thanks to NaNoWriMo's new feature, Goal Tracker. You can set a goal for a length you'd like and for words or hours. You can also do more than one Goal Tracker! Totally awesome!
My goals so far:
Christmas Warmth: 5,000 word goal by February 28th. 4,018 words achieved.
-- This totally works for me as there are some sections that still need to be added but will be done in re-writes when I'm reading through the story.
Christmas Spirit: 32 hours by March 10th. 5 hours spent in re-writes.
-- This is a slow start, but I will pick up the pace. This means I have 27 hours to get through in a little over February. February is a short month, but I believe I can do it!
So, I am working. Any and all small skips forward are an accomplishment. Here's to continuing on for February!
How did your January go? Did you get done what you wanted? Or was it weighted down with recovering and getting caught up from the holidays?
Ugh. Where did January go?!? Really. A whole month has flown by without me even seeing it. Or so it feels that way. Recovering and catching up from the holiday's seems to always take longer than I hope. Then I've gone on college visits with Kiddo. Ugh! I'm so glad I don't have to make that choice again. So many colleges to visit and chose from. How do you know?
I did get some work done. Yea for small miracles!
It'll be easier for me to track my work this year thanks to NaNoWriMo's new feature, Goal Tracker. You can set a goal for a length you'd like and for words or hours. You can also do more than one Goal Tracker! Totally awesome!
My goals so far:
Christmas Warmth: 5,000 word goal by February 28th. 4,018 words achieved.
-- This totally works for me as there are some sections that still need to be added but will be done in re-writes when I'm reading through the story.
Christmas Spirit: 32 hours by March 10th. 5 hours spent in re-writes.
-- This is a slow start, but I will pick up the pace. This means I have 27 hours to get through in a little over February. February is a short month, but I believe I can do it!
So, I am working. Any and all small skips forward are an accomplishment. Here's to continuing on for February!
How did your January go? Did you get done what you wanted? Or was it weighted down with recovering and getting caught up from the holidays?
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
New Year Resolutions
 |
| Photo By: Melissa L. Hayden At: Spellbound in a Flash |
You may have read my generic resolutions for 2017 at my book blog. Here I'm going to put a little more fine tooth comb to it.
1) Write/edit every other day. (except when working on editing jobs, which are worked on daily) I know it's said to write daily. But writing daily seems to stress me out more. I went through a period a few years ago that I wrote/edited every other day. It might have been slow moving, but I didn't feel stressed and it seemed to give my brain time to digest and move on with what I'd written, making it all fit together better.
2) Finish Christmas Warmth. I started this in November for NaNoWriMo, and stopped with the holidays. This is a small goal, one easily reached, as there isn't much to add to the story to bring it through to a conclusion that's sitting in my mind.
3) Get re-writes of Christmas Spirit done. There are many things that need to be added to the bones of this story, things I missed in my thinking when writing it. So, I'll need to add and adjust the story in this first pass of re-writes. It could easily take me all year with my pacing.
4) Write a short story. I have this idea that I started to research and stopped. I want to research it again and outline it. Maybe even get to start writing it. It's a secret project but I can say it's got steampunk in it. ;)
5) Send something to a friend. If things go well this year, I'd like to get something to a rough point to send to someone to read. This is a first for me. I've sent no words to anyone to read. I've had no faith in my words to send them out, even to a friend. I want to overcome this fear.
So that's it. I think these things will keep me busy enough for the year. What's your resolutions?
Friday, December 2, 2016
November Update:
Melissa:
And it was NaNoWriMo month!!
I knew going into the month that I would not start writing on the first. I was totally cool with this.
I finished up a content editing job and readied to dive into writing Christmas Warmth. I thought it would be neat to dive in while at Panera Breads, different scenery and all. Until I was sitting at Panera Breads looking through my flash drive for the document...and couldn't find it. Eep! I raced home, panicked as to where this novel could be. I looked through all my computer hard drives (one desk top and laptop again) then looked through the flash drive again, finally finding the right document. Phew! I was panicking but trying to stay calm, knowing if I let myself panic that I would not find it. The worry was that I'd set up the novel in Scrivener with lots of notes. I had taken a lot of time in making folders for chapters and placing scenes in order with details and descriptions for writing. I was worried I lost it all. But I found it!
It's been a hard month to keep up with NaNoWriMo. I didn't get writing in every day. I didn't get started until the 7th as I had pay work. Pay work always comes first, it helps keep things going around here. Then we had lots going on with Kiddo and college searches and tours along with a few events since he's a senior this year. Lots of time tied up in the traveling and such too. And we can't forget about a holiday, which I didn't get the Friday after off this year. And car issues, so I didn't get to stay home all the time as I had to pick Kiddo up or drop him off for work.
It was a bit hairy for a while. There was a time I didn't think I'd hit 50,000 words. I was okay with this too, at least I was getting words. Life kept happening. But I hate losing and was determined to hit the word count. I found an extra wind and drive to keep going. The house may have been a bit messy a few days. I may have skipped out on watching a movie. But I got those words in!
I pushed through and finished on the last day with a 3 hours to spare.
That's right! I won NaNoWriMo 2016!
Is the book done, you ask. No. Not by a long shot. I still have a few scenes to add in or add to. There are all those drafts of re-writes to be done next. So lots of work still ahead of me. But, the bones are in place to work with.
What are the plans for December? Rest. Well, not that much rest. I guess I need to get the house ready for Christmas. But in the way of writing, I want to add what I skipped over in order get done and win NaNoWriMo, those few scenes missing or missing a part. Then it's to re-writes of the first Christmas novel I have here. It's just the bare bones of a story and has a lot of work needed to fill in the gaps of things I left out when racing to write it.
And it was NaNoWriMo month!!
I knew going into the month that I would not start writing on the first. I was totally cool with this.
I finished up a content editing job and readied to dive into writing Christmas Warmth. I thought it would be neat to dive in while at Panera Breads, different scenery and all. Until I was sitting at Panera Breads looking through my flash drive for the document...and couldn't find it. Eep! I raced home, panicked as to where this novel could be. I looked through all my computer hard drives (one desk top and laptop again) then looked through the flash drive again, finally finding the right document. Phew! I was panicking but trying to stay calm, knowing if I let myself panic that I would not find it. The worry was that I'd set up the novel in Scrivener with lots of notes. I had taken a lot of time in making folders for chapters and placing scenes in order with details and descriptions for writing. I was worried I lost it all. But I found it!
It's been a hard month to keep up with NaNoWriMo. I didn't get writing in every day. I didn't get started until the 7th as I had pay work. Pay work always comes first, it helps keep things going around here. Then we had lots going on with Kiddo and college searches and tours along with a few events since he's a senior this year. Lots of time tied up in the traveling and such too. And we can't forget about a holiday, which I didn't get the Friday after off this year. And car issues, so I didn't get to stay home all the time as I had to pick Kiddo up or drop him off for work.
It was a bit hairy for a while. There was a time I didn't think I'd hit 50,000 words. I was okay with this too, at least I was getting words. Life kept happening. But I hate losing and was determined to hit the word count. I found an extra wind and drive to keep going. The house may have been a bit messy a few days. I may have skipped out on watching a movie. But I got those words in!
I pushed through and finished on the last day with a 3 hours to spare.
That's right! I won NaNoWriMo 2016!
Is the book done, you ask. No. Not by a long shot. I still have a few scenes to add in or add to. There are all those drafts of re-writes to be done next. So lots of work still ahead of me. But, the bones are in place to work with.
What are the plans for December? Rest. Well, not that much rest. I guess I need to get the house ready for Christmas. But in the way of writing, I want to add what I skipped over in order get done and win NaNoWriMo, those few scenes missing or missing a part. Then it's to re-writes of the first Christmas novel I have here. It's just the bare bones of a story and has a lot of work needed to fill in the gaps of things I left out when racing to write it.
Monday, November 7, 2016
September & October Update:
Melissa:
September:
I'm late getting this post up. *sigh* Life has been moving fast with Kiddo playing football and going to college tours on Saturdays. The days are limited.
But, I'm thrilled to announce.... I finished my re-writes! The steampunk story is done with re-writes. Took me longer than I intended, sure. But they are done! I had sections I had to completely re-write, sections I added to, and new sections added all together. And there are those words that got removed because they just didn't fit. All's good because it worked out!
The story has come out to be about 86,000 words total. Amazing right!? This story had started as a simple little thing to maybe hit 40,000 about a young woman. It grew to over double that with characters and plot. I love what it became! And how it's lead into more stories to follow.
My plan for October.... to re-read Christmas Spirit (working title) in preparation for writing Christmas Warmth (working title) during November for NaNoWriMo. Exciting plans! Now to keep life on the calm so I can get everything done, including content editing work coming in.
See you next month!
October:
Do you believe I had that short section for September done but never posted it!? Yea, that seems to be the way life's been going. We've had football games and gone on college visits. And tried to keep up with the house in all that's going on. LOL! That's funny!
So, did I get to do what I wanted in October... Sort of. With all that we've been doing with kiddo for his senior year this month it's been packed full. But I am about half way through a quick read through of Christmas Spirit (working title). This works because Christmas Warmth (working title) is from a different characters POV and her story at Christmas time.
I finished out October with a content editing job and will finish up the first week of October. After that I'll dive into NaNoWriMo. I'm good with starting a week late because I usually finish a week early with the required goal of words to win.
So here's to creating all sorts of words!
September:
I'm late getting this post up. *sigh* Life has been moving fast with Kiddo playing football and going to college tours on Saturdays. The days are limited.
But, I'm thrilled to announce.... I finished my re-writes! The steampunk story is done with re-writes. Took me longer than I intended, sure. But they are done! I had sections I had to completely re-write, sections I added to, and new sections added all together. And there are those words that got removed because they just didn't fit. All's good because it worked out!
The story has come out to be about 86,000 words total. Amazing right!? This story had started as a simple little thing to maybe hit 40,000 about a young woman. It grew to over double that with characters and plot. I love what it became! And how it's lead into more stories to follow.
My plan for October.... to re-read Christmas Spirit (working title) in preparation for writing Christmas Warmth (working title) during November for NaNoWriMo. Exciting plans! Now to keep life on the calm so I can get everything done, including content editing work coming in.
See you next month!
October:
Do you believe I had that short section for September done but never posted it!? Yea, that seems to be the way life's been going. We've had football games and gone on college visits. And tried to keep up with the house in all that's going on. LOL! That's funny!
So, did I get to do what I wanted in October... Sort of. With all that we've been doing with kiddo for his senior year this month it's been packed full. But I am about half way through a quick read through of Christmas Spirit (working title). This works because Christmas Warmth (working title) is from a different characters POV and her story at Christmas time.
I finished out October with a content editing job and will finish up the first week of October. After that I'll dive into NaNoWriMo. I'm good with starting a week late because I usually finish a week early with the required goal of words to win.
So here's to creating all sorts of words!
Thursday, September 1, 2016
August Update
Melissa:
It's September 1st and I'm slightly bummed with myself. I didn't get done with the book as I had hoped. Not for a lack of trying through! I've found a lot that needed work and feel the story is stronger for all the work these last two months. I shouldn't be upset with myself, there have been a few big events this month that slowed me, one being surgery and the other is school starting for kiddo along with football - those both pulled days from my writing schedule.
I've also found that with all else I do in a day, I need to have a schedule. So I usually only work on writing for an hour a day, some days more if I have the time with kiddo out and such. But mostly with working full time, cooking dinner, and all other things in life, an hour is what I can squeeze out most evenings. I also take breaks. I can't stress over it as I find I start to clam up on the words.
I also knew coming into the ending that it would need completely redone. In the last two read through's and re-writes I avoided the ending. I've made new short sections of things to touch on but didn't read it. I knew the story needed more work and without that work I couldn't even do the ending any justice. So now I'm at that ending. I'm pulling pieces from the three sections I've worked up and have notes on what additional needs to be touched on. Wow. It's a process! lol
I've learned one lesson this month:
In rewrites its not always how big of a section you get through or how many words you add or delete. No. Sometimes, it's what you realize needs done and how to add it in that's the major accomplishment. I found that out the first night in August. I didn't get through a large section but it dawned on me that I had a character that needs to be seen before I had him, at the end. And I scribbled notes on where to add him along with searched for a name for him. I had an idea of what his part is in the story but didn't really create him before.
So, I'm working through the ending of the story now. I feel much better with the direction of the story, though I know it needs a hell of a lot of work yet. I'm still going to be embarrassed to send it to anyone to read, but that's a step I'm going to have to overcome one day here.
For now, I'm working on this ending and hoping to finish the book in a weeks time (that's what I keep saying and that week comes and goes).
It's September 1st and I'm slightly bummed with myself. I didn't get done with the book as I had hoped. Not for a lack of trying through! I've found a lot that needed work and feel the story is stronger for all the work these last two months. I shouldn't be upset with myself, there have been a few big events this month that slowed me, one being surgery and the other is school starting for kiddo along with football - those both pulled days from my writing schedule.
I've also found that with all else I do in a day, I need to have a schedule. So I usually only work on writing for an hour a day, some days more if I have the time with kiddo out and such. But mostly with working full time, cooking dinner, and all other things in life, an hour is what I can squeeze out most evenings. I also take breaks. I can't stress over it as I find I start to clam up on the words.
I also knew coming into the ending that it would need completely redone. In the last two read through's and re-writes I avoided the ending. I've made new short sections of things to touch on but didn't read it. I knew the story needed more work and without that work I couldn't even do the ending any justice. So now I'm at that ending. I'm pulling pieces from the three sections I've worked up and have notes on what additional needs to be touched on. Wow. It's a process! lol
I've learned one lesson this month:
In rewrites its not always how big of a section you get through or how many words you add or delete. No. Sometimes, it's what you realize needs done and how to add it in that's the major accomplishment. I found that out the first night in August. I didn't get through a large section but it dawned on me that I had a character that needs to be seen before I had him, at the end. And I scribbled notes on where to add him along with searched for a name for him. I had an idea of what his part is in the story but didn't really create him before.
So, I'm working through the ending of the story now. I feel much better with the direction of the story, though I know it needs a hell of a lot of work yet. I'm still going to be embarrassed to send it to anyone to read, but that's a step I'm going to have to overcome one day here.
For now, I'm working on this ending and hoping to finish the book in a weeks time (that's what I keep saying and that week comes and goes).
Thursday, August 4, 2016
July Update
Melissa:
I'm late with updating for July, but I have good reason! I do! Really! I've been busy, working hard on re-writes of my steampunk fairy tale retelling. YES! It's hard to believe, I know.
I've feared re-writes in the worst way for a long time. I still do. But after a few passes I wanted this to be a huge leap toward finishing. I'm going through the print changes I've red marked and making new and necessary ones now, along with adding new sections to make things flow better and fill in a few holes. No, not all holes are gone, I know that. But I feel as I'm getting through a great deal of them. And maybe, just maybe, this story is shaping up into something. :) (I know, it's that glory feeling at the moment and it will fade very soon, like when it's crushed.)
I've actually grown the story from about 66k to 75k words, and still climbing as I'm not done! Exciting! (Again, this will most likely get cut down again when I go through it with someone who knows what they are doing and not a friend.)
I'm surprised that I'm actually having fun with this round of re-writes. I feel as I have a clearer mind in where the story is going and what the characters are doing. I might, eventually make changes of POV as I'm seeing things differently with this round of works. But, first, I want to finish this and send to a friend (who knows what she's doing in books) to read and discuss. I know the words are still rough and it's not the best of stories (my reader will probably laugh so hard she'll fall off the couch) but at least I took the next step in the way of words.
What helped get me going? I was free of editing work for the month of July and Camp NaNoWriMo was happening. So, why not? I proposed 50k words in a month for Camp NaNoWriMo. And I made it!
How did I count words for that? Well, with re-writes I was reading, rather detailed and slowly, along with adding and deleting words. So, I took the sections read and adjusted at their total word count when done with the section and added each section I completed. I actually finished at just over 52k for NaNoWriMo.
My next goal, to finish these re-writes by the end of August and starting into my Christmas Business series to do the same.
Here's to a great month in words!
I'm late with updating for July, but I have good reason! I do! Really! I've been busy, working hard on re-writes of my steampunk fairy tale retelling. YES! It's hard to believe, I know.
I've feared re-writes in the worst way for a long time. I still do. But after a few passes I wanted this to be a huge leap toward finishing. I'm going through the print changes I've red marked and making new and necessary ones now, along with adding new sections to make things flow better and fill in a few holes. No, not all holes are gone, I know that. But I feel as I'm getting through a great deal of them. And maybe, just maybe, this story is shaping up into something. :) (I know, it's that glory feeling at the moment and it will fade very soon, like when it's crushed.)
I've actually grown the story from about 66k to 75k words, and still climbing as I'm not done! Exciting! (Again, this will most likely get cut down again when I go through it with someone who knows what they are doing and not a friend.)
I'm surprised that I'm actually having fun with this round of re-writes. I feel as I have a clearer mind in where the story is going and what the characters are doing. I might, eventually make changes of POV as I'm seeing things differently with this round of works. But, first, I want to finish this and send to a friend (who knows what she's doing in books) to read and discuss. I know the words are still rough and it's not the best of stories (my reader will probably laugh so hard she'll fall off the couch) but at least I took the next step in the way of words.
What helped get me going? I was free of editing work for the month of July and Camp NaNoWriMo was happening. So, why not? I proposed 50k words in a month for Camp NaNoWriMo. And I made it!
How did I count words for that? Well, with re-writes I was reading, rather detailed and slowly, along with adding and deleting words. So, I took the sections read and adjusted at their total word count when done with the section and added each section I completed. I actually finished at just over 52k for NaNoWriMo.
My next goal, to finish these re-writes by the end of August and starting into my Christmas Business series to do the same.
Here's to a great month in words!
Monday, July 11, 2016
The Story is Still Growing: May Update
MAY
Melissa:
In re-writes there are sections I work through and different thoughts pop into my head, some are good and seem are that it flows well (of course with touch ups). Other thoughts are like... Oh the holes. My goodness the plot holes, the character holes, the world holes. How on earth did I even think this?!?
Then the panic starts to set in. The worry and anxiety. I'll never fix it. I'll never get it to work together.
I have to stop myself. Remind myself. The story is still growing. It needs lots of work to get to a smooth flow and these are the pieces I need to find now. This is creating the whole of what I want to share.
JUNE
Melissa:
Um... Where does the time go?! I didn't even realize June was passed until it was long gone. So needless to point out the obvious, but I will. Just so I admit it and face the cold truth. I got no new words in. No writing. No re-writes. Nothing.
But on the last day of the month I decided to join Camp NaNoWriMo to get re-writes done. My goal, to get through my steampunk story then move on to my 1st Christmas Business story.
Bring it on!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Melissa:
In re-writes there are sections I work through and different thoughts pop into my head, some are good and seem are that it flows well (of course with touch ups). Other thoughts are like... Oh the holes. My goodness the plot holes, the character holes, the world holes. How on earth did I even think this?!?
Then the panic starts to set in. The worry and anxiety. I'll never fix it. I'll never get it to work together.
I have to stop myself. Remind myself. The story is still growing. It needs lots of work to get to a smooth flow and these are the pieces I need to find now. This is creating the whole of what I want to share.
JUNE
Melissa:
Um... Where does the time go?! I didn't even realize June was passed until it was long gone. So needless to point out the obvious, but I will. Just so I admit it and face the cold truth. I got no new words in. No writing. No re-writes. Nothing.
But on the last day of the month I decided to join Camp NaNoWriMo to get re-writes done. My goal, to get through my steampunk story then move on to my 1st Christmas Business story.
Bring it on!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Sunday, May 1, 2016
March and April Update
Melissa:
So, for those that do check this blog, you probably think I've fallen off the face of the earth. No updates in two months, that's not good. Well, in a sort of way it's all true...
It's been a rough few months in our house. My son had to go in for a third surgery, arthroscopic, to remove more scar tissue build up in his knee. Then he got botox shots to help with the hamstring that was spasming. And he got a new crazy brace that he had to wear. So we kept him home for 2 weeks to get all this done and really focus on getting his knee straight.
The stress level was getting crazy high for me. I couldn't get to everything and take care of my family at the same time. So, writing did get put on the back burner. I needed to take care of myself and my family first.
Now, moving ahead to April. Kiddo's birthday is here too. But he's doing much better and we were seeing good results. This last week was a great response at therapy, if he stays at this level for the next week they will have him running then. Woot woot! This is what we are working for.
The stress level seems to have dropped a bit in the last two weeks. So I finally pulled out one of those stories I was re-writing and got back to it. I'm only working on it for about a half hour a day. I know, seems like not much but with all else going on in the day, this is what I feel I can do without stressing out over everything.
I'm taking steps in the right direction! I think I'll finish reading to right before the big finale and go back to type up all the changes. There are things that need to be revealed in the big ending so I want to have those listed and read to do the re-writes in that section, to do it right.
So, how has your months gone?
So, for those that do check this blog, you probably think I've fallen off the face of the earth. No updates in two months, that's not good. Well, in a sort of way it's all true...
It's been a rough few months in our house. My son had to go in for a third surgery, arthroscopic, to remove more scar tissue build up in his knee. Then he got botox shots to help with the hamstring that was spasming. And he got a new crazy brace that he had to wear. So we kept him home for 2 weeks to get all this done and really focus on getting his knee straight.
The stress level was getting crazy high for me. I couldn't get to everything and take care of my family at the same time. So, writing did get put on the back burner. I needed to take care of myself and my family first.
Now, moving ahead to April. Kiddo's birthday is here too. But he's doing much better and we were seeing good results. This last week was a great response at therapy, if he stays at this level for the next week they will have him running then. Woot woot! This is what we are working for.
The stress level seems to have dropped a bit in the last two weeks. So I finally pulled out one of those stories I was re-writing and got back to it. I'm only working on it for about a half hour a day. I know, seems like not much but with all else going on in the day, this is what I feel I can do without stressing out over everything.
I'm taking steps in the right direction! I think I'll finish reading to right before the big finale and go back to type up all the changes. There are things that need to be revealed in the big ending so I want to have those listed and read to do the re-writes in that section, to do it right.
So, how has your months gone?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)