Jackie, Blodeuedd and I are back to working up Flash Fiction fun. We will do flash fiction posts every two weeks, give or take due to holiday's and such. We are starting today with the first Flash Fiction. I will post my complete story here. Jackie will add the beginning and a link to her flash fiction on her Live Journal. Blodeuedd will be posting on her blog.
~~~~~~~~~~
((Title-less))
By: Melissa Hayden
Meesha dropped her chin a touch, raising the inside of her eyebrows knowing it gave her brown eyes a wide-eyed look. Her eyes roamed the dark street as she hobbled down the metal sidewalk. Meesha redirected her hand from rubbing at her sore thigh to weaving through the air with the growing volume of music. Good thing she found the decorative gold band in the dressing room with this outfit. The stocking and band will hold it together, hopefully long enough for her to get back.
She looked over her shoulder. Meesha cursed herself. That was a rookie response, but with her leg losing feeling with each step, she couldn’t chance he find or follow her.
Almost there. Just to the end of the block. The street was filling with others, men and women of all creations for the nightly bazaar. She leaned forward, picking up her pace. Step, slid, step, slid. She could do it. The attire she found in the dressing room will let her blend in. Everything was revealing in this heated world, and she looked at her amounting exposed skin. She thought she was lucky that one of the dancers had a lover on the side that liked to grace her with the gold and metals plentiful in this station. She should blend right in, even if she wasn’t used to this dress.
The buzz of a scooter hit her ears causing her to stumble. Don’t look. Keep moving. Act normal. Another coming to the bazaar. She kept telling herself as the scooter hovered at her back.
She turned at the tall door, reaching for the scanner as she was yanked back onto the scooter by hard hands. One clasped over her mouth, the other around her waist. In this costume she had nothing to fight with. No secreted knives, no blasters. With this much skin showing, she was lucky to have the sheer material draped at her back to put the minimal protection between her skin and the sticky seat she landed on.
“Now I have you.” The stench of death from his meal breezed through the man’s mask turned Meesha’s stomach as his hoarse voice went on. “You thought you could get away with it. It’s mine and you are too.”
He was an off-worlder, maybe a Theadian from the size of his hands. But what would he want with the wand? It didn’t matter; the magic in it was desired by many on this side of the galaxy, probably from the other side too.
“Go.” He roughly called to the driver. “I have what I came for. Get to the ship and off this station.”
When he looked down at her, Meesha saw his eyes blink. Twice - once down, once across. Definitely a Theadian and she’s in his fierce grasp.
~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Writing Update - April
Melissa:
**Beginning of April:
So, I'm working on re-writes. Skyla Dawn Cameron has pushed me out of my comfort zone and wants me to share some writing with her. *deep breath* This is something I struggle with. I don't share. I have no faith in what I write, and reading what I have...I believe it's justified (at this stage). I'm struggling. I have no idea what method works best as this is the first time for me to do hard core re-writes. But, I'll get there. I will get some of this done and share it with Skyla. That's my first step in improving and facing my fears. My goal, by April 15th to have something to send her - no matter how small.
In the beginning I decided I didn't like Jayda's story anymore. It's a disaster and I don't know what the definite rules were again. Then I decided to dig in and tear it apart. I'm keeping the concept of everything but rearranging when things are shared - moving to what I think at this time is the appropriate scenes. Haha, funny. I realized I was doing a major info dump at the beginning, and that wouldn't work. I need to gradually come to it all, not smack the reader in the head. And that's what I'm trying to do.
I've used colored stickies with coordinated colored pencils. I've marked the different sections with different colors; what is to move to where and world info that I need to work in with what everyone does to explain why. Will it all work out in the end? We will see. I'm sure my method will change a number of times as I go through the story.
**End of April:
Well....life got complicated. I know, it's not an excuse but it did take from my me time. I spent loads of hours going over the first 3,000 words of the story. Probably too much time. I ended up taking what I had and re-wrote it all. Added, deleted, adjusted, and flat out re-did it. So that's started and I need to get on to the next section. I still have notes on the side that I want to add in, whether in this section or later I'm not sure.
I did, however, give up on the colored pencil thing. I do have stickie notes with things to add along with scrap papers everywhere with ideas to add in. *sigh*
I've been tracking my word count two different ways. The count I'm going to list below is actual adjust to original count. On my tracking for RaToJanNoWriMo group I've been tracking the reading and changes. They calculation is:
(words edited before changes) x 10% = Y
Then:
Y + (changes, whether - or +, make +) = count
I still didn't have a great count at the end. I think only 3,500 words total. This re-writing is the part I don't know how to do it. I try to not spend too much time as the draft I have is horrid! But to get a story to a point that it's useful. I know I'm going to have to do many edits to get it to anything reasonable, but... Oh well. Onward I go.
I will mention...I have been getting an urge to write shorts again. I miss doing the Flash Fiction Fridays and when I see some of those images at Pinterest, well I want to write a short few thousand words. I think I'm going to have to do so for a month, create a bunch of different stories as the mood strikes me. Maybe after I get through Jayda's story once.
Also, you may have seen the first post, but my Flash Fiction buddies are back at it! Blodeuedd, Jackie, and I have been wanting to get back to these and finally have. I'll post my shorts here with a teaser and link to Jackie's post. We'll also link Blodeuedd's site if you'd like to visit her as well.
My Final Counts for April: 2,131
Total actual additional words: 1,729
Short story: 402
It's nothing to call home about, but it's a start. Being it's my first time going back through a story and trying to make something of the mess I have, it's a good start. For me anyway.
May is a big month of events for me, school picnic and BALTICON!!! lol. I'll work my best at getting through more sections, and getting the first...6k? to Skyla to laugh at.
Jackie:
I was going to start my part here with a lament about not getting anything done because of illness, end of school stuff, and whatever other excuses I had. That is, until I realized that I'd actually done the Flash while it was still April! So I have a word count!:
Flash short: 723 words
The sad part was that I was trying very hard to keep it within the 250-500 word range. Oh well, maybe on the next one, right? The important thing was that I wrote and published (as much as LiveJournal can be considered publishing) something. I will take it!
In other news, I finished up my courses at school for the 2013-14 Fall/Winter term. I managed to squeeze out an A in my Creative Writing course and was told by the professor that my short story was the strongest of all my work. It gives me a little extra confidence building which will hopefully stick with me in an encouraging fashion, outside of the school format, to keep up with my writing. The shorts mentioned above will hopefully aid in stirring up the creative juices. Meanwhile, the novels I'm reading now (I'm trying to make up for lost time) are intended for a little de-stressing as well as further research in what to do (and not to do) throughout a large project. I'm excited to get back to edits and have another complete draft done in the foreseeable future.
With respect to my "reading for research" notion (it isn't really mine and it's definitely not original, it's just that I'm more aware now,) I want to mention the use of metaphor and imagery in the books I read in the latter half of April: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) and Proven Guilty & White Night by Jim Butcher. I enjoyed the Galbraith book for its simple mystery (though she took over 400 pages to break it down.) When it came to metaphor, I found my eyes going a bit crossed at times, particularly when a muddy puddle was used to describe the state of the case at one point. The beginning idea seemed to fall apart the more it was being explained. In contrast, Butcher can write the heck out of metaphors, making them surprising, culturally relevant, and just plain fun at times. I haven't been big on the use of these writers' tools but I will be paying close attention to other books to see if I can learn from them and improve this facet of my own work.
Going into May, my plan is to write the Flash shorts, work on edits, and read as much as possible to expand my horizons. I'll add pom-pom shaking to the list, to keep Melissa working as best she can to meet her goals :) Let's see what happens from here...
**Beginning of April:
So, I'm working on re-writes. Skyla Dawn Cameron has pushed me out of my comfort zone and wants me to share some writing with her. *deep breath* This is something I struggle with. I don't share. I have no faith in what I write, and reading what I have...I believe it's justified (at this stage). I'm struggling. I have no idea what method works best as this is the first time for me to do hard core re-writes. But, I'll get there. I will get some of this done and share it with Skyla. That's my first step in improving and facing my fears. My goal, by April 15th to have something to send her - no matter how small.
In the beginning I decided I didn't like Jayda's story anymore. It's a disaster and I don't know what the definite rules were again. Then I decided to dig in and tear it apart. I'm keeping the concept of everything but rearranging when things are shared - moving to what I think at this time is the appropriate scenes. Haha, funny. I realized I was doing a major info dump at the beginning, and that wouldn't work. I need to gradually come to it all, not smack the reader in the head. And that's what I'm trying to do.
I've used colored stickies with coordinated colored pencils. I've marked the different sections with different colors; what is to move to where and world info that I need to work in with what everyone does to explain why. Will it all work out in the end? We will see. I'm sure my method will change a number of times as I go through the story.
**End of April:
Well....life got complicated. I know, it's not an excuse but it did take from my me time. I spent loads of hours going over the first 3,000 words of the story. Probably too much time. I ended up taking what I had and re-wrote it all. Added, deleted, adjusted, and flat out re-did it. So that's started and I need to get on to the next section. I still have notes on the side that I want to add in, whether in this section or later I'm not sure.
I did, however, give up on the colored pencil thing. I do have stickie notes with things to add along with scrap papers everywhere with ideas to add in. *sigh*
I've been tracking my word count two different ways. The count I'm going to list below is actual adjust to original count. On my tracking for RaToJanNoWriMo group I've been tracking the reading and changes. They calculation is:
(words edited before changes) x 10% = Y
Then:
Y + (changes, whether - or +, make +) = count
I still didn't have a great count at the end. I think only 3,500 words total. This re-writing is the part I don't know how to do it. I try to not spend too much time as the draft I have is horrid! But to get a story to a point that it's useful. I know I'm going to have to do many edits to get it to anything reasonable, but... Oh well. Onward I go.
I will mention...I have been getting an urge to write shorts again. I miss doing the Flash Fiction Fridays and when I see some of those images at Pinterest, well I want to write a short few thousand words. I think I'm going to have to do so for a month, create a bunch of different stories as the mood strikes me. Maybe after I get through Jayda's story once.
Also, you may have seen the first post, but my Flash Fiction buddies are back at it! Blodeuedd, Jackie, and I have been wanting to get back to these and finally have. I'll post my shorts here with a teaser and link to Jackie's post. We'll also link Blodeuedd's site if you'd like to visit her as well.
My Final Counts for April: 2,131
Total actual additional words: 1,729
Short story: 402
It's nothing to call home about, but it's a start. Being it's my first time going back through a story and trying to make something of the mess I have, it's a good start. For me anyway.
May is a big month of events for me, school picnic and BALTICON!!! lol. I'll work my best at getting through more sections, and getting the first...6k? to Skyla to laugh at.
Jackie:
I was going to start my part here with a lament about not getting anything done because of illness, end of school stuff, and whatever other excuses I had. That is, until I realized that I'd actually done the Flash while it was still April! So I have a word count!:
Flash short: 723 words
The sad part was that I was trying very hard to keep it within the 250-500 word range. Oh well, maybe on the next one, right? The important thing was that I wrote and published (as much as LiveJournal can be considered publishing) something. I will take it!
In other news, I finished up my courses at school for the 2013-14 Fall/Winter term. I managed to squeeze out an A in my Creative Writing course and was told by the professor that my short story was the strongest of all my work. It gives me a little extra confidence building which will hopefully stick with me in an encouraging fashion, outside of the school format, to keep up with my writing. The shorts mentioned above will hopefully aid in stirring up the creative juices. Meanwhile, the novels I'm reading now (I'm trying to make up for lost time) are intended for a little de-stressing as well as further research in what to do (and not to do) throughout a large project. I'm excited to get back to edits and have another complete draft done in the foreseeable future.
With respect to my "reading for research" notion (it isn't really mine and it's definitely not original, it's just that I'm more aware now,) I want to mention the use of metaphor and imagery in the books I read in the latter half of April: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) and Proven Guilty & White Night by Jim Butcher. I enjoyed the Galbraith book for its simple mystery (though she took over 400 pages to break it down.) When it came to metaphor, I found my eyes going a bit crossed at times, particularly when a muddy puddle was used to describe the state of the case at one point. The beginning idea seemed to fall apart the more it was being explained. In contrast, Butcher can write the heck out of metaphors, making them surprising, culturally relevant, and just plain fun at times. I haven't been big on the use of these writers' tools but I will be paying close attention to other books to see if I can learn from them and improve this facet of my own work.
Going into May, my plan is to write the Flash shorts, work on edits, and read as much as possible to expand my horizons. I'll add pom-pom shaking to the list, to keep Melissa working as best she can to meet her goals :) Let's see what happens from here...
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Flash Fiction (1)
Blodeuedd, Jackie, and I were big fans of Flash Fiction Friday a while back. We participated in these every week, having a new short story to share every Friday. Then life happened. We got busy with so much going on. Along with the image protection of artists that slowed us in getting images to inspire. (Note: we are fans of artists getting recognition. We love their images and feel inspired ourselves from them.)
Now fast forward months, maybe even a year. We miss it. We want to do Flash Fiction again and we came about to doing it.
We will do flash fiction posts every two weeks, give or take due to holiday's and such. We are starting today with the first Flash Fiction. I will post my complete story here. Jackie will add the beginning and a link to her flash fiction on her Live Journal. Blodeuedd will be posting on her blog.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Ax's Call
By: Melissa L. Hayden
As the moon drifted behind clouds and the gaseous fog thickened, Ax tilted her head back causing the heavy hood to slide from her pale face, granting Ax a wider view of the dark street. She flexed her fingers, keeping the irritation of waiting from tightening her grip on her specially crafted crossbows.
Ax blinked three times. Knowing she should lower her hood, she didn't. She needed to put the call out. The towns people weren't her worry. If anyone saw her eyes from their barred windows they'd think they were glow stones at their neighbors, or some poor soul lost to the gases. The humans stayed in at night due to the thick fogs, it was safest, but once in a while there were those that lost their minds to the gases.
She hadn't heard of any lost to the gases here, but she'd not gone looking for those tales. The rumors of this town's horrors hit her ears three days prior and she wasted no time arriving, then out to hunting.
Ax turned, her metal crafted crossbows at the ready, to the sound of nails scraping on metal and stone. He was close and on the move.
Ax moved with her back to the wall, grateful she oiled the hinges in her armor after last night's fruitless search. Even though it didn't come to her last night, she'd left a trail for it. And it was baited. She needn't move far, it'd come to her. Ax felt her lips stretch across her teeth, she lived for these moments. This is what she was created for.
She saw the shine of her eyes flaring brighter off the swirling gases. Ax then noted the sudden shift of the mist. She steered the even weight of her crossbows into the mist moving toward her. Squeezing the trigger of one bow while coiling tension tightened in her other trigger finger, as the next spiced arrow of the first bow slipped into place.
Ax felt her heart jump at the wail of the beast. She widened her eyes, looking into the mist, drawing the evil to her, calling it with her glowing eyes.
The scrapping of nails and pounding of its feet answered her call. They always came to the glowing eyes of a potential mate. It would find no mate here. A fight for dominance, yes. But Ax would win, for she is the ax.
~~~~~~~~~~
Bird's Eye
by Jackie Lester
Kara stood with her back to the gate. Her senses were already heightened, now even more so since initiating the connection with Breen, her crow. Her normally hazel coloured eyes blazed with a light so bright, it blocked everything in front of her. It was always a little disorienting at first but she quickly adjusted to her new vantage point, looking over the town through the eyes of her bird.
To keep reading, click here: Bird's Eye
Now fast forward months, maybe even a year. We miss it. We want to do Flash Fiction again and we came about to doing it.
We will do flash fiction posts every two weeks, give or take due to holiday's and such. We are starting today with the first Flash Fiction. I will post my complete story here. Jackie will add the beginning and a link to her flash fiction on her Live Journal. Blodeuedd will be posting on her blog.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Ax's Call
By: Melissa L. Hayden
As the moon drifted behind clouds and the gaseous fog thickened, Ax tilted her head back causing the heavy hood to slide from her pale face, granting Ax a wider view of the dark street. She flexed her fingers, keeping the irritation of waiting from tightening her grip on her specially crafted crossbows.
Ax blinked three times. Knowing she should lower her hood, she didn't. She needed to put the call out. The towns people weren't her worry. If anyone saw her eyes from their barred windows they'd think they were glow stones at their neighbors, or some poor soul lost to the gases. The humans stayed in at night due to the thick fogs, it was safest, but once in a while there were those that lost their minds to the gases.
She hadn't heard of any lost to the gases here, but she'd not gone looking for those tales. The rumors of this town's horrors hit her ears three days prior and she wasted no time arriving, then out to hunting.
Ax turned, her metal crafted crossbows at the ready, to the sound of nails scraping on metal and stone. He was close and on the move.
Ax moved with her back to the wall, grateful she oiled the hinges in her armor after last night's fruitless search. Even though it didn't come to her last night, she'd left a trail for it. And it was baited. She needn't move far, it'd come to her. Ax felt her lips stretch across her teeth, she lived for these moments. This is what she was created for.
She saw the shine of her eyes flaring brighter off the swirling gases. Ax then noted the sudden shift of the mist. She steered the even weight of her crossbows into the mist moving toward her. Squeezing the trigger of one bow while coiling tension tightened in her other trigger finger, as the next spiced arrow of the first bow slipped into place.
Ax felt her heart jump at the wail of the beast. She widened her eyes, looking into the mist, drawing the evil to her, calling it with her glowing eyes.
The scrapping of nails and pounding of its feet answered her call. They always came to the glowing eyes of a potential mate. It would find no mate here. A fight for dominance, yes. But Ax would win, for she is the ax.
~~~~~~~~~~
Bird's Eye
by Jackie Lester
Kara stood with her back to the gate. Her senses were already heightened, now even more so since initiating the connection with Breen, her crow. Her normally hazel coloured eyes blazed with a light so bright, it blocked everything in front of her. It was always a little disorienting at first but she quickly adjusted to her new vantage point, looking over the town through the eyes of her bird.
To keep reading, click here: Bird's Eye
Monday, April 21, 2014
Writing Update - March
Melissa:
Well, I had a goal of 20,000 words for the month. That seems to be my normal goal these days. The month started off slow for me. I didn't get to really sit down and write until Saturday 15th. And when I did I started off with over 5,000 words. Then Sunday I added another 1,700 words. The weekend was just shy of 7,000 words by 72. Shame. I should have sat down to get those 72 words. But that got me on a roll as I'm coming down the pike to the end of Christmas Spirit.
It's like an adrenaline rush when you are coming down those last words, even if it is about 22k. There is light at the end of the tunnel and it feels damn proud to be approaching it. All that work, hell ya! I'm sprinting toward it. I want to see those two little words typed on the page. The End.
The month closed with me totaling out words at.... 20,001!
Yes, I broke the 20k I wanted, barely. lol. The sweet thing, I got to write The End. However, the bad news, it was about 5k short of the 70k I wanted. It's okay. I know. It'll add up when I get to re-writes, but I was sort of hoping, and looking forward too, seeing 70k. But, it's done and shelved. I'll go back to it later and see how I feel about it.
I picked up Jayda's story. Ga! Is that a mess. I didn't realize how bad it was until now. But, started tearing it apart. I'm re-writing things to different areas. Important to remember, SHOW, not Tell. And I'm trying to fix that now.
Total words for March: 20,001
Christmas Spirit: 17,871
Jayda's story: 2,130
Jackie:
For me, March was about wrapping up my Creative Writing course and finally doing the re-writes as suggested by the teacher. I had gotten decent grades throughout the term, so I didn't want to mess with them too much. The last assignment was a portfolio to be handed in, worth 40% of my final mark but a second copy was needed to apply for entrance into the Creative Writing major or minor program. I've applied to add the CW minor to my degree but won't find out until late May/ early June if I'm accepted. Either way, I'm glad I actually applied. It forced another big step in the process of showing my work to others. All applicants are assessed by the members of the CW department, so it means more people seeing what I wrote and determining its worth. I have to admit, that's kind of scary. Whatever happens, at least I tried, right?
In pulling the portfolio together, it meant looking for any possible themes in my work or perhaps a recurring tone, etc. This was a bit eye opening for me because I mostly enjoy writing with a bit of humour but noticed that my school work tended to hit on human emotions and experiences. In fact, I think it all was a bit sad in the end though I believe the work wasn't totally without hope either. Still, I felt it wasn't a true reflection of what I'm capable of, particularly in light of my larger NaNo drafts, so I did manage to add in a couple of pieces that lightened the overall mood of my portfolio and added the levity I prefer to write with. It will be interesting to see what comments I receive back on these works and the portfolio as a whole, but I have to wait until the and of April. Cue the nail biting...
Now, it's time for me to get back to those first drafts I have and see if all that I've learned can make them into finished works worth sending out for query. That's my plan, at least where to start, going into April. Hopefully I can join Melissa in a word count celebration by the end of next month :)
Well, I had a goal of 20,000 words for the month. That seems to be my normal goal these days. The month started off slow for me. I didn't get to really sit down and write until Saturday 15th. And when I did I started off with over 5,000 words. Then Sunday I added another 1,700 words. The weekend was just shy of 7,000 words by 72. Shame. I should have sat down to get those 72 words. But that got me on a roll as I'm coming down the pike to the end of Christmas Spirit.
It's like an adrenaline rush when you are coming down those last words, even if it is about 22k. There is light at the end of the tunnel and it feels damn proud to be approaching it. All that work, hell ya! I'm sprinting toward it. I want to see those two little words typed on the page. The End.
The month closed with me totaling out words at.... 20,001!
Yes, I broke the 20k I wanted, barely. lol. The sweet thing, I got to write The End. However, the bad news, it was about 5k short of the 70k I wanted. It's okay. I know. It'll add up when I get to re-writes, but I was sort of hoping, and looking forward too, seeing 70k. But, it's done and shelved. I'll go back to it later and see how I feel about it.
I picked up Jayda's story. Ga! Is that a mess. I didn't realize how bad it was until now. But, started tearing it apart. I'm re-writing things to different areas. Important to remember, SHOW, not Tell. And I'm trying to fix that now.
Total words for March: 20,001
Christmas Spirit: 17,871
Jayda's story: 2,130
Jackie:
For me, March was about wrapping up my Creative Writing course and finally doing the re-writes as suggested by the teacher. I had gotten decent grades throughout the term, so I didn't want to mess with them too much. The last assignment was a portfolio to be handed in, worth 40% of my final mark but a second copy was needed to apply for entrance into the Creative Writing major or minor program. I've applied to add the CW minor to my degree but won't find out until late May/ early June if I'm accepted. Either way, I'm glad I actually applied. It forced another big step in the process of showing my work to others. All applicants are assessed by the members of the CW department, so it means more people seeing what I wrote and determining its worth. I have to admit, that's kind of scary. Whatever happens, at least I tried, right?
In pulling the portfolio together, it meant looking for any possible themes in my work or perhaps a recurring tone, etc. This was a bit eye opening for me because I mostly enjoy writing with a bit of humour but noticed that my school work tended to hit on human emotions and experiences. In fact, I think it all was a bit sad in the end though I believe the work wasn't totally without hope either. Still, I felt it wasn't a true reflection of what I'm capable of, particularly in light of my larger NaNo drafts, so I did manage to add in a couple of pieces that lightened the overall mood of my portfolio and added the levity I prefer to write with. It will be interesting to see what comments I receive back on these works and the portfolio as a whole, but I have to wait until the and of April. Cue the nail biting...
Now, it's time for me to get back to those first drafts I have and see if all that I've learned can make them into finished works worth sending out for query. That's my plan, at least where to start, going into April. Hopefully I can join Melissa in a word count celebration by the end of next month :)
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Writing Update - February
Melissa:
Another month past in 2014. ALREADY!?! Where is this year going? I wanted to be done with Christmas Spirit by now. Ha! I don't like dragging things out to long, I want a raw base on paper as I'm afraid I'll loose the grasp on where the characters are in feeling and where going. I've got to get my keister in gear!
I did have my International Pub Writing Day (IPWD) with Skyla Dawn. I was a tad nervous I wouldn't make it. We got a snow storm and my local area wasn't playing nice. They called it an Emergency Situation and we weren't to be driving. Well...I went out anyway. Hey, I took the kiddo to doctors and roads were clear as a bell and they Emergency was lifted. So I went to my local pub, had lunch, drank two Banana Bread beers, and wrote. What stinks, my laptop battery doesn't last any longer than about 45 minutes. So had to use dad's ipad to write in word. But I transferred over. For the day I came out with 4095 words! Woot!
Another thing that seems to be surfacing... my husband is accepting the book/writing/working as a real thing. That it's something I want to do. He's actually supporting it! Shocker. He used to pick on me, but now he's all supportive about it. He was completely supportive about IPWD too! Other than an excuse for me to drink beer. ;) This makes me happy and I relax a bit more knowing that he's not thinking I'm making this stuff up.
But back to words for February. In the group RaToJanNoWriMo group I pledged to write 20,000 words in February. Yes, it's less than January. I know there are less days in February and mundane life was starting to pile up, so things needed to get done. I cut back what I wanted for the month. How'd I do?
Total Word Count for February:
Christmas Spirit: 16,039
(coming to a grand total thus far... 47,014 words)
Christmas Spirit was the only project I worked on. I fell short for the month. Saddening to me. But that happens when life doesn't stop going.
For March in RaToJanNoWriMo I have pledged 20,000 words again. I'd *like* to finish out Christmas Spirit by the end of March. But that would be more than 20k in the month to do that. Then start into Jayda's world once again for April. Maybe even a short story for April to submit. Hmm...we'll see how March goes. ;) It's all totally doable, I just need to make it happen.
Jackie:
I missed out on the IPWD because of a holiday my daughter had the week before. I truly like the many benefits that IPWD was offering: beer, writing, a day off work. I'll be joining in for sure next time!
My month flew by in work, movies, essays, and poetry.
It's the last two things on the list there that really count towards actual writing, so I have a few thoughts on the subject of essays and poetry for this month. For essays, I have to admit, I always struggle here. I think I finally figured out why that is exactly: I don't like to have an opinion. That's not to say that I waiver and then to submit to prevailing ideas. It's more that I don't like to assert my opinion openly and really, that's what essays are. I had to write one for my film class with back up evidence to prove my point and I think I completely flailed despite having an initial, firm idea in mind. So, for March and the next essay I have due, I'm going to strive towards having a clearer idea of what I really think and prove it better, which I hope will solidify my writing as a result. Now, if I can only manage to accomplish this BEFORE the due date, it just might actually work. We'll see, I guess.
Poetry is a different ball game altogether and has been something I've avoided like the plague in the past. I do have a few favourite poets, like W.H. Auden and Robert Frost but true modern poetry escapes me for the most part. Naturally, having to write in either form (new or old) for someone who feels this way is rather intimidating or at least, I thought it would be. I have to admit that I'm really beginning to enjoy these challenges more and more. Poetry forces you to tell a story in a limited space with limited words; it requires a fine balance between implicit and explicit meaning.It also forces you to choose the right words to convey the meaning you are looking for. These can all be really scary things to think about but I'm truly hoping that writing with the...constraints?...of the poetic form will help me improve my skills overall. I now think of new poems I might like to write from ideas that flashes through my head. Before, a simple idea would just be the beginning of a potential story arc to pursue with a novel length work as the ultimate goal. I now understand that I have options when it comes to writing formats...lots of them :)
That wraps it up for our February progress and goals for March (and beyond). Happy writing to all of you out there.
Another month past in 2014. ALREADY!?! Where is this year going? I wanted to be done with Christmas Spirit by now. Ha! I don't like dragging things out to long, I want a raw base on paper as I'm afraid I'll loose the grasp on where the characters are in feeling and where going. I've got to get my keister in gear!
I did have my International Pub Writing Day (IPWD) with Skyla Dawn. I was a tad nervous I wouldn't make it. We got a snow storm and my local area wasn't playing nice. They called it an Emergency Situation and we weren't to be driving. Well...I went out anyway. Hey, I took the kiddo to doctors and roads were clear as a bell and they Emergency was lifted. So I went to my local pub, had lunch, drank two Banana Bread beers, and wrote. What stinks, my laptop battery doesn't last any longer than about 45 minutes. So had to use dad's ipad to write in word. But I transferred over. For the day I came out with 4095 words! Woot!
Another thing that seems to be surfacing... my husband is accepting the book/writing/working as a real thing. That it's something I want to do. He's actually supporting it! Shocker. He used to pick on me, but now he's all supportive about it. He was completely supportive about IPWD too! Other than an excuse for me to drink beer. ;) This makes me happy and I relax a bit more knowing that he's not thinking I'm making this stuff up.
But back to words for February. In the group RaToJanNoWriMo group I pledged to write 20,000 words in February. Yes, it's less than January. I know there are less days in February and mundane life was starting to pile up, so things needed to get done. I cut back what I wanted for the month. How'd I do?
Total Word Count for February:
Christmas Spirit: 16,039
(coming to a grand total thus far... 47,014 words)
Christmas Spirit was the only project I worked on. I fell short for the month. Saddening to me. But that happens when life doesn't stop going.
For March in RaToJanNoWriMo I have pledged 20,000 words again. I'd *like* to finish out Christmas Spirit by the end of March. But that would be more than 20k in the month to do that. Then start into Jayda's world once again for April. Maybe even a short story for April to submit. Hmm...we'll see how March goes. ;) It's all totally doable, I just need to make it happen.
Jackie:
I missed out on the IPWD because of a holiday my daughter had the week before. I truly like the many benefits that IPWD was offering: beer, writing, a day off work. I'll be joining in for sure next time!
My month flew by in work, movies, essays, and poetry.
It's the last two things on the list there that really count towards actual writing, so I have a few thoughts on the subject of essays and poetry for this month. For essays, I have to admit, I always struggle here. I think I finally figured out why that is exactly: I don't like to have an opinion. That's not to say that I waiver and then to submit to prevailing ideas. It's more that I don't like to assert my opinion openly and really, that's what essays are. I had to write one for my film class with back up evidence to prove my point and I think I completely flailed despite having an initial, firm idea in mind. So, for March and the next essay I have due, I'm going to strive towards having a clearer idea of what I really think and prove it better, which I hope will solidify my writing as a result. Now, if I can only manage to accomplish this BEFORE the due date, it just might actually work. We'll see, I guess.
Poetry is a different ball game altogether and has been something I've avoided like the plague in the past. I do have a few favourite poets, like W.H. Auden and Robert Frost but true modern poetry escapes me for the most part. Naturally, having to write in either form (new or old) for someone who feels this way is rather intimidating or at least, I thought it would be. I have to admit that I'm really beginning to enjoy these challenges more and more. Poetry forces you to tell a story in a limited space with limited words; it requires a fine balance between implicit and explicit meaning.It also forces you to choose the right words to convey the meaning you are looking for. These can all be really scary things to think about but I'm truly hoping that writing with the...constraints?...of the poetic form will help me improve my skills overall. I now think of new poems I might like to write from ideas that flashes through my head. Before, a simple idea would just be the beginning of a potential story arc to pursue with a novel length work as the ultimate goal. I now understand that I have options when it comes to writing formats...lots of them :)
That wraps it up for our February progress and goals for March (and beyond). Happy writing to all of you out there.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Writing Update - January
Melissa:
Well, I joined RoTaJanNoWriMo in an amazing writer group I'm part of on Facebook. These amazing people help push me along. I set a goal of 25,000 words in January. And I hit it! Woot, woot! *do a little dance* I actually went over by a few words. I rounded out January at 25,250 words!
Total word count for the month: 25,250
Words in Christmas Spirit: 23,597
Short SciFi Flash Fiction: 559
Short Fiction: 1,094
Awesome right!?! I'm excited. I was worried there at the end that I wouldn't hit 25k, but I pulled through. I do feel as if I'm not going to get finished with Christmas Spirit anytime soon though. I am at a total count of 30,948 at the moment. I'm looking to closing out at about 70k. It feels as if I've been trying to write this one forever now. But I'm not giving up. I'd love to close the book out by the end of February. Will it happen...I don't think so. I think too many words and a shorter month along with all sorts of family stuff (nothing bad, just normal parenting stuff) going on I won't get there. But it won't stop me from trying.
But...
*leaning in* I want to tell you a secret. *looks around* *whispering* I'm starting to feel a shift in what I'm wanting to do in the evenings. Shh. Don't tell anyone. I'm noticing I'm not wanting to blog as much as I use to. I want to write. Shh, sh, sh. *waves hand* But...don't tell anyone. Okay? That's our secret.
A big secret. I enjoy doing both, but I feel the shift of what I want to do with my time. Amazing. And I love it.
So, for February I've set a goal of 20k words for myself. I'm wanting to get a six-below draft done to let simmer and get back to Jayda's story. I'm in the mood for fantasy.
Jackie:
Wait...what? Did I just read that serious admission up there? I did! And I totally get it. Melissa and I talk about this often: the need for time to do all the things we want to accomplish and the utter lack of any extra to be squeezed in for writing, specifically. It's a large part of why I'd stepped back from daily or even weekly blogging quite some time ago. In the end, there's only a limited time available for soooo many tasks, it becomes about prioritizing the dreams :)
In furthering my own dreams, I'm back to school for the second term of my Creative Writing course, as well as an additional course that involves watching movies and writing about them, blog style, which is ironic now that I think of it :p
In CW, we had to hand in a ten page short story on our return to class, then we got to workshop the pieces with the entire class reading and commenting on them. This was a very cool experience, seeing what outsiders see about your story and what they notice that you might have completely overlooked. I had the desperate desire to get in there and red pen my fellow classmates' work (because I have a silly compulsion about grammar and spelling) but it was more about flow, content, rounded characters, and so on than it was getting the spelling right. I guess the idea is that there will be an editor down the road to fix those little details (if any of us become that lucky.)
After the workshop, we had to take our stories home and edit them accordingly. THIS was difficult. I got a decent grade on my first version but needed to add in some details about the characters. So how do you do this without screwing up the whole story? This is the biggest issue I've encountered in the NaNo projects to date, so it was a lesson I was anxious to learn. The simple answer to the question is: very carefully. That's not a lot of help, right? Well, it's a matter of reading and re-reading to make sure that the details are consistent and that the flow, tone, theme, etc. are maintained after stuff is added in. It isn't easy but it is rewarding when positive feedback is given by the re-readers. Now, I have to work on using that skill in much bigger projects...
So, while I haven't added anything to ANY of my WIP's, I have worked towards increasing my skills. In a funny twist, I thought the movie course would be a breezy elective that would up my GPA and help me get to my degree a little quicker. What it's ended up doing is making me pay attention to the fine details of filmmaking, what a scene conveys about the overall story, etc. I'm hoping this will actually translate to better details in my writing down the road, increasing my ability to add in descriptions and appropriate settings, that kind of thing. Cool, right?
In the meantime, I'll be virtually shaking pom-poms to help Melissa hit her word target over the next month.
Well, I joined RoTaJanNoWriMo in an amazing writer group I'm part of on Facebook. These amazing people help push me along. I set a goal of 25,000 words in January. And I hit it! Woot, woot! *do a little dance* I actually went over by a few words. I rounded out January at 25,250 words!
Total word count for the month: 25,250
Words in Christmas Spirit: 23,597
Short SciFi Flash Fiction: 559
Short Fiction: 1,094
Awesome right!?! I'm excited. I was worried there at the end that I wouldn't hit 25k, but I pulled through. I do feel as if I'm not going to get finished with Christmas Spirit anytime soon though. I am at a total count of 30,948 at the moment. I'm looking to closing out at about 70k. It feels as if I've been trying to write this one forever now. But I'm not giving up. I'd love to close the book out by the end of February. Will it happen...I don't think so. I think too many words and a shorter month along with all sorts of family stuff (nothing bad, just normal parenting stuff) going on I won't get there. But it won't stop me from trying.
But...
*leaning in* I want to tell you a secret. *looks around* *whispering* I'm starting to feel a shift in what I'm wanting to do in the evenings. Shh. Don't tell anyone. I'm noticing I'm not wanting to blog as much as I use to. I want to write. Shh, sh, sh. *waves hand* But...don't tell anyone. Okay? That's our secret.
A big secret. I enjoy doing both, but I feel the shift of what I want to do with my time. Amazing. And I love it.
So, for February I've set a goal of 20k words for myself. I'm wanting to get a six-below draft done to let simmer and get back to Jayda's story. I'm in the mood for fantasy.
Jackie:
Wait...what? Did I just read that serious admission up there? I did! And I totally get it. Melissa and I talk about this often: the need for time to do all the things we want to accomplish and the utter lack of any extra to be squeezed in for writing, specifically. It's a large part of why I'd stepped back from daily or even weekly blogging quite some time ago. In the end, there's only a limited time available for soooo many tasks, it becomes about prioritizing the dreams :)
In furthering my own dreams, I'm back to school for the second term of my Creative Writing course, as well as an additional course that involves watching movies and writing about them, blog style, which is ironic now that I think of it :p
In CW, we had to hand in a ten page short story on our return to class, then we got to workshop the pieces with the entire class reading and commenting on them. This was a very cool experience, seeing what outsiders see about your story and what they notice that you might have completely overlooked. I had the desperate desire to get in there and red pen my fellow classmates' work (because I have a silly compulsion about grammar and spelling) but it was more about flow, content, rounded characters, and so on than it was getting the spelling right. I guess the idea is that there will be an editor down the road to fix those little details (if any of us become that lucky.)
After the workshop, we had to take our stories home and edit them accordingly. THIS was difficult. I got a decent grade on my first version but needed to add in some details about the characters. So how do you do this without screwing up the whole story? This is the biggest issue I've encountered in the NaNo projects to date, so it was a lesson I was anxious to learn. The simple answer to the question is: very carefully. That's not a lot of help, right? Well, it's a matter of reading and re-reading to make sure that the details are consistent and that the flow, tone, theme, etc. are maintained after stuff is added in. It isn't easy but it is rewarding when positive feedback is given by the re-readers. Now, I have to work on using that skill in much bigger projects...
So, while I haven't added anything to ANY of my WIP's, I have worked towards increasing my skills. In a funny twist, I thought the movie course would be a breezy elective that would up my GPA and help me get to my degree a little quicker. What it's ended up doing is making me pay attention to the fine details of filmmaking, what a scene conveys about the overall story, etc. I'm hoping this will actually translate to better details in my writing down the road, increasing my ability to add in descriptions and appropriate settings, that kind of thing. Cool, right?
In the meantime, I'll be virtually shaking pom-poms to help Melissa hit her word target over the next month.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
2014 Plans...Er, Resolutions? Goals!
Melissa:
It's the new year. I'm planning on things going my way.
Ha ha ha!
Okay, now that I have that out of my system. Really. I am hoping for no big catastrophes this year. (Not that we ever plan them.) But as long as everyone keeps breathing and no major injuries along the way I think I can accomplish a few goals I want to in 2014. In writing anyway.
1.) Rough draft of Christmas Spirit. - I started this one in December 2013, but only got 7,300 or so words. I will get the first draft done early this year. I'm working on it now, and won't stop until I pass the final note card and type The End.
2.) Read and Re-write Jayda's 1st book. I had started re-writing it in 2013 when life got complicated with my dad and step-mom. But I need to start over in re-writing and add a whole leg to the story. Lots LOTS need fixed here. I want to get it to a ground zero I can work from. (have to a point where friends can tell me what I'm needing to fix up, add to, delete, etc.)
3.) Go back to Christmas Spirit and re-read/write it. I'd *like* to have this somewhere workable before end of 2014. Something I could share with a few friends and they can tell me what I'm doing wrong.
4.) It things go well, maybe I could start into The Steampunk novella series I started. I'd like that...maybe. Depends on the mood.
5.) As for NaNoWriMo 2014... well, I realized I don't do sequels too well so maybe I can start another idea? But I have to get lots of research done to move on with that one. As to when I can add research to the time schedule this year...I don't know.
To many these sound like easy tasks. For me, I know it's all going to be time consuming. I'm ready to put that time in, and I'll tell my family they need to work with me. But I'm slow about going through the processes, so it will take me a long while.
If I can get through the first three numbers here in 2014, I'll be ecstatic!
Although, I'd hate to skip out on NaNo as I love doing it...we'll see where I am by November. That is eleven months away, you know. ;)
Jackie:
I'm with Melissa: the word "resolution" has an air of fatality about it, most likely because of the number of failed resolutions I already have behind me from prior years. "Goals" is a much better way of putting things :)
For me, I fully intend to continue on with my studies, hoping to...someday...finish my Bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing. I'm almost halfway there, which is great, and gives me a starting point for my list of goals for the year:
1) Finish enough classes to be able to apply to the Creative Writing program, adding that subject into my degree program.
2) Work on/ complete my book 2, the one I started during the month of November but had to set aside during exam time.
3) Re-read book 1 in its entirety and get the word count up to 80k. Re-read and edit again.
4) Try to organize life/school stuff to enable me a better chance of fully participating in NaNoWriMo this year.
That's where I'm going to draw the line. I think it might be a bit much to get it all accomplished in 2014, especially because I take courses through the summer months as well, but if I have these set out in print, for all the world to see, there's a slightly better chance they'll be check marked as done by the end of the year.
Well, Jackie, I think we have some great realistic goals ahead of us. Maybe next year we can take a step further and look for more words. But, we will see how life treats us this year before we get there.
Cheers, Jackie, and to all that visits us here. Here's to a year full of words and much more.
As Jackie has joked, lets break some lead.
It's the new year. I'm planning on things going my way.
Ha ha ha!
Okay, now that I have that out of my system. Really. I am hoping for no big catastrophes this year. (Not that we ever plan them.) But as long as everyone keeps breathing and no major injuries along the way I think I can accomplish a few goals I want to in 2014. In writing anyway.
1.) Rough draft of Christmas Spirit. - I started this one in December 2013, but only got 7,300 or so words. I will get the first draft done early this year. I'm working on it now, and won't stop until I pass the final note card and type The End.
2.) Read and Re-write Jayda's 1st book. I had started re-writing it in 2013 when life got complicated with my dad and step-mom. But I need to start over in re-writing and add a whole leg to the story. Lots LOTS need fixed here. I want to get it to a ground zero I can work from. (have to a point where friends can tell me what I'm needing to fix up, add to, delete, etc.)
3.) Go back to Christmas Spirit and re-read/write it. I'd *like* to have this somewhere workable before end of 2014. Something I could share with a few friends and they can tell me what I'm doing wrong.
4.) It things go well, maybe I could start into The Steampunk novella series I started. I'd like that...maybe. Depends on the mood.
5.) As for NaNoWriMo 2014... well, I realized I don't do sequels too well so maybe I can start another idea? But I have to get lots of research done to move on with that one. As to when I can add research to the time schedule this year...I don't know.
To many these sound like easy tasks. For me, I know it's all going to be time consuming. I'm ready to put that time in, and I'll tell my family they need to work with me. But I'm slow about going through the processes, so it will take me a long while.
If I can get through the first three numbers here in 2014, I'll be ecstatic!
Although, I'd hate to skip out on NaNo as I love doing it...we'll see where I am by November. That is eleven months away, you know. ;)
Jackie:
I'm with Melissa: the word "resolution" has an air of fatality about it, most likely because of the number of failed resolutions I already have behind me from prior years. "Goals" is a much better way of putting things :)
For me, I fully intend to continue on with my studies, hoping to...someday...finish my Bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing. I'm almost halfway there, which is great, and gives me a starting point for my list of goals for the year:
1) Finish enough classes to be able to apply to the Creative Writing program, adding that subject into my degree program.
2) Work on/ complete my book 2, the one I started during the month of November but had to set aside during exam time.
3) Re-read book 1 in its entirety and get the word count up to 80k. Re-read and edit again.
4) Try to organize life/school stuff to enable me a better chance of fully participating in NaNoWriMo this year.
That's where I'm going to draw the line. I think it might be a bit much to get it all accomplished in 2014, especially because I take courses through the summer months as well, but if I have these set out in print, for all the world to see, there's a slightly better chance they'll be check marked as done by the end of the year.
Well, Jackie, I think we have some great realistic goals ahead of us. Maybe next year we can take a step further and look for more words. But, we will see how life treats us this year before we get there.
Cheers, Jackie, and to all that visits us here. Here's to a year full of words and much more.
As Jackie has joked, lets break some lead.
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