#ROW80 Round 4 Goals

Omg, how did we make it to Round 4 already??! I don’t even know where the year went!

I’m going to continue with fewer goals as not to overwhelm myself. Usually the last quarter of the year is tremendously and stressful, so I need room to breathe.

That said, here are my goals:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline (the rewrite is almost done now).
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor)
~Begin edit of Secret Project
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders)
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week
~Read 1 book a week
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course!

In between all of this, I may have freelance jobs that pop up and change my schedule, so that’s a thing. Also, my mom is having surgery later this month and I will be helping her so that may change things a bit, too, until she’s doing better. I may adjust these goals to compensate.

And that’s it for me.

#ROW80 Final Check-in 12/20/15

I’ve decided to wrap this up due to the fact that the next week is going to be nuts and I tend to forget about my Wednesday check-ins. So, here’s where I finished at:

~Finish Fireborn (I’m within 5k-10k to the end) – Unfortunately not, but I am so close I can taste it. The draft is at 19k after rewriting the last 5k or so. It’s my #1 priority after finishing up Pirouette in the new year.
~5k more on Covenant –Unfortunately not. Only wrote 1,345 words, but that’s something!
~Barring unforeseen craziness, I’d like to participate in NaNoWriMo with a modified goal of 30k (because my wrists can’t take 50k). Need to decide on a project, Survivor Rewrite or Ever Touched. Both need to be written, and there are compelling reasons for working on both but…just. can’t. decide! DONE! Participated in NanoWriMo with Ever Touched and ended with a wordcount of 32k.
~Pirouette revision for publisher – On page 30 of 250, so I’ve finally moved on from the first 24 pages! Yay!

Non-writing goals:

~Shoot test roll of 35mm film and develop HALF DONE. Shot test roll, but need new chemicals which I have not bought yet. And I also need to finish cleaning/dusting and reorganizing my darkroom
~15 minutes of physical activity (anything that gets me out of my chair counts: cleaning, walking, straightening, breaks from writing, etc) 3 times per week DONE for the most part. I managed physical activity at least once a week, but sometimes I got two or three in, so I call that a win.

I’ve had some personal stuff happening this round, and freelance work as well, so I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped. But I’m moving forward, if slowly, and that’s what counts.

Chocolate consumption: Not as much as I’d like, as a rule, this round because dieting. I’m sure the holidays will blow this all to hell anyway. 😉

How did you do on this round?

And Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! I will be participating in ROW80 next year.

 

 

#ROW80 Check-in 11/29/15

I am finally able to do a proper #ROW80 post! I was busy with Thanksgiving prep, then Thanksgiving! I had a 4-day weekend from work which has gone by so fast! I go back tomorrow and I am NOT looking forward to it!

I also got all of my Christmas shopping done. 🙂

As for NanoWriMo, I am up to 31,548 words, which means I made my goal of 30k! YAY! And, early, no less! Yesterday I had a migraine/TN pain combo which put me in bed early (like, waaay early!) and on Friday I went Christmas shopping which was exhausting, so here we are. On Thanksgiving I took a break — and I was too busy to really think about writing, honestly.

So I made it. I also revised Changeling 3 for posting on Tuesday, finally!

On Tuesday I am also starting the revision for Pirouette for submission to the publisher I mentioned a few weeks back. I was hoping to start this weekend, but it wasn’t in the cards. I still need to think about the first scene, anyway — I want to present my MC using her forbidden magic, but I have rewritten this scene several times and it’s just not working for me. It’s been said that you start a novel when the MC’s life is about to change irrevocably — which is what I did. But I can’t put my finger on why it’s not working. So, 2 days to think about it.

Stats!
Words written: 31,548
Words remaining: 0
Word wars: 11
Word wars with myself: 5
Chapters written: n/a, as I stopped doing chapter divisions
What’s happening: Brianna is in over her head
What’s next: Something?
Feeling: Not bad!

Chocolate consumption: It’s more like pie consumption this week! We had a grand total of 5 pies for Thanksgiving, and none of them were chocolate. I think my favorites were (homemade) pecan and caramel apple! Been sneaking some WW chocolate caramel thingies. I also need to get back onto the program. But, leftovers!

#ROW80 Check-in 11/18/15

It’s already Wednesday, and a week till Thanksgiving! Holy crap, time is flying!

I’ve broken 20k on Nano (Ever Touched). The decision to start over was a good one. It’s going well. I’m roughly 8k in, and around 10-11k counting the scenes I will be keeping from the original. 10k to go to make my goal.

I’ve also written 1k or more every day this month except one (931). It is the most I’ve written ALL YEAR. I am usually more productive than that, but I’ve had a lot going on that contributed to having less words. The important thing is that I kept writing, even if it was a little.

(Part of me is hoping I can continue writing 1k a day consistently — but I worry about my wrists. Been feeling a bit of twinging for the past 2 days).

Physical activity – 3 times, 15 minutes each (or more in one case)

Darkroom – I started cleaning it this past weekend. I also put together a wish list for what chemicals I need.

Stats!
Words written: 20,552
Words remaining: 9,448
Word wars: 11
Word wars with myself: 5
Chapters written: 3
What’s happening: Another uncomfortable conversation
What’s next: Brianna needs to chill
Feeling: Better!

Chocolate consumption: Not a lot? Dang I’m completely falling down on the chocolate train. Yikes.

#ROW80 Check-in 11/11/15

Nano is in full swing, and I was typing away yesterday on Ever Touched when I came to a horrifying conclusion: it was just not working. No matter how I framed it, this story sucked. I know Nano is all about the wordcount and I believe in that to a degree, but the sick feeling in my stomach would not go away. Especially after last night’s work. I’d thought maybe it was pressure related (book 3 of a series), maybe it was because I was pantsing it and felt like I was floundering….but no matter what I told myself, the feeling continued to get worse. And I can’t continue on a project if I feel this way, Nano or not.

So I made a decision. I would start over. I’ll keep my words and wordcount intact (after all, I did write them!), but I’d start at the very beginning. I’ll do that for a few days. If things didn’t improve, I’d choose another novel and start that. It is still early in the month and I could probably get a good 15-20k in before the 30th.

So today I started it and…so far, it feels better. I feel like my character is acting and narrating in character (that was one problem) and I’ve changed her secret/problem a bit and I like it better now. I’ve also changed the way she and the male lead interact and again, much better.

Whether or not this is the answer to the problem I don’t know yet. But I have a long history of needing to restart stories. Fey Touched I started twice, and Grave Touched three times (not counting the rewrites! Counting them, probably five!). Sometimes you have to go where your heart goes, and I believe my muse was not quite on board. This is one case where brute force was the wrong thing to do.

Did I waste the first 11k? Hell no! I may reuse some of those scenes (with tweaks, of course!) and even if I didn’t, they started me on this path and needed to exist to bring me to this point. It’s all good.

Stats!

Words written: 12,871
Words remaining: 17,129
Word wars: 9
Word wars with myself: 2
Chapters written: 0
What’s happening: An uncomfortable conversation (again!)
What’s next: Brianna needs to make a decision
Feeling: Better!

Chocolate: Not a lot! I had a chocolate-covered caramel from the hubby, and I ate a WW Sundae with chocolate syrup, yum!I lost a pound and a half!

#ROW80 Check-in 11/8/15 – Nanoing

Yep, here we are again!

I am still working on Ever Touched for NanoWriMo, and I’m just shy of 10k now. It’s been a bit rough. I think time away from this particular world has diluted it in my head, and also the characters. It hasn’t been that long, but long enough for me to notice subtle things.

Usually until I hit 10k I am floundering (except with Fey Touched — that book was the exception to the rule) and since I’m pantsing it, doubly so. I have a general idea of what I’m heading for, but no details as to how, and I feel a bit panicky about it. I think it may be because it will be intended for publication, and it’s the third book in a series, and I’ve never written a third book in a series ever. So more often than not I have had to force myself to write, which isn’t as fun, but that’s my only option.

NanoWriMo for many years has been absolute magic for me. But for the first time, I’m feeling a bit strange. Like I’m not doing this right. It can’t be the 30k goal, because I’ve done that many times. I’m not sure if it’s just nerves, or working on this book in particular, but there it is. But I am sticking with it until the end, and I may feel differently later. Perhaps.

Stats:

Words written: 9,180
Words remaining: 20,820
Word wars: 6
Word wars with myself: 2
Chapters written: 1
What’s happening: An uncomfortable conversation
What’s next: Hell if I know
Feeling: Strange

I have also been rereading a book of mine I began waaaaaaay back in 2005 (!) that I want to submit to a publisher early next year. I’ve rewritten it 4 times already over the past 10 years (scary, huh?) and I set it aside in 2011 to write Fey Touched. (I was getting absolutely nowhere and was ready to hang it up completely when some writer friends suggested I do this). So I’ve been terrified to even look at it again. But it’s one of my best stories, with two of my favorite characters and one of the scariest villains I’ve ever written (or so I’ve been told) and I refuse to let it go. So I thought, I’m NOT rewriting it again, but a comprehensive revision would be okay. I still have the original notecards and betas’ notes, and maybe it would be a good thing to stretch myself a bit and see what I can do. There is a deadline involved, and even if by some chance I don’t make that deadline, I’m still working on it and not letting it sit longer. It’s on my priority list for revisions anyway, so why the heck not? So I started the reread last night and….it’s not as horrible as I thought it was. It has its moments and definite places that need fixing (particularly with the heroine and hero) but damn. It’s actually quite good. So, maybe there’s hope yet!

(Just a bit of trivia for you. I began this book, called Pirouette, on Nov 1st for Nano in 2005. I finished the first draft on December 27, 2006 — yes, I remember it! — and the draft came in at 399,915 words. (!!!!!!) The first draft was more of an exploratory draft and bears little resemblance to what it is now, but it laid the groundwork for what followed. Draft 2 is where I made some major changes, all to the good, and that one came in at 192k. And….so on. Now it’s down to 128k.)

Yeah, so a big project I wasn’t planning on taking on this soon but there’s an opportunity there I don’t want to miss.

So that’s what’s going on.

Oh, yeah, on physical activity, I’ve done 15 mins  twice this week.

Chocolate consumption: Not a lot. Been trying to stay within the confines of my diet. (And I can’t believe I am saying that!)

How are you doing?

#ROW80 Check-in 11/4/15

So we’re 4 days into Nanowrimo, and I’m doing okay, averaging 1,000 words a day which is my minimum. I haven’t done my words for today, but I imagine it’ll be around there. (I am wondering where to go next, even with my loose outline. Oops?)

So, here’s the rundown:

Physical activity: 3 times X 15 minutes
Covenant: 0 words, but simmering
Fireborn: 905 new words, broke 20k
Ever Touched: 3,000 words so far for Nano
Test roll: FINISHED. Just need to find the time to mix the chemicals and develop it! It felt good to be shooting b&w again

Chocolate consumption: Not too much, actually. Well within the limits of my diet. Kind of scary, but good for me.

Here’s a little snippet of Ever Touched. Background: Brianna is the MC, and she is at a Fey bar to gather intel. But she gets sidetracked by a drink and the dance floor…

A pounding began behind my eyelids. Lovely. With a whispered cheers, I took my first sip.
And nearly choked.
He wasn’t kidding when he said it was “very hot.” It felt as if a fire seared its way down my throat and spread through my body. It jacked me up in an odd kind of way. I wanted to dance, to move to the music, let the fire pulse inside me with the music…
I found myself headed toward the dance floor without any conscious thought of doing so. I dodged the mass of bodies writhing, gyrating, twisting, and turning until I found a reasonably empty spot.
And…started to move.
As the fire spread through me, I let the music take hold of me. I moved with it, and within it, spinning, forgetting everything — the episodes, my loneliness… I moved like an ethereal being between strobes, flitting across the floor like a wraith, spinning like a ballerina. I was everything; I was nothing in the pulse of the strobe lights.
And then it happened.
I was in that room again. A pinch of an injection. A face, blurry to my eyes, a mouth moving, forming words I couldn’t understand or hear. My spine bowed with the force of energy slamming into me, and I started to speak.
Words, disconnected sounds. Nothing made sense. I wasn’t dancing anymore. I was standing there, all alone, and trapped in the vision-thing and —
“Brianna?”

Annnd that’s it for now! How are you doing?

Stay tuned.

#ROW80 Final Check-in 9/23/15

Here we are at the end of Round 3. I think I did pretty well, considering that I had some things get a bit wonky toward the end. I had to shift and re-prioritize stuff and as such, not everything got done, but most did. 🙂

Here is the final rundown:

~3 freelance jobs completed

Writing Goals

~Finish Fireborn – Eh…not exactly. I had to trash about 5k and restart that section, so it’s technically not done. I’m probably within 5-10k of being done, though. I also edited the first half while on vacation, and outlined it for revision.
~Continue Survivor Sundays/5k in rewritten draft DONE for about a month, then abandoned once things got crazy. I did a very comprehensive re-outline, though. My grand plan, barring more craziness, is to make Survivor my NanoWriMo project for 30k (I can’t do 50k anymore due to bad wrists). That would give me a really nice start.
~10k on Covenant DONE – 11k currently
~Participate in Camp Nano (Fireborn/Covenant) DONE – made my goal of 10k combined
~Write and edit Changeling part 3 for submission (due 9/1) DONE!

Non-writing

~Get 35mm automatic camera fixed NOT DONE, because it wasn’t possible. The gentleman at the shop searched high and low for that part or a camera with that part, but no dice. 😦 I ended up buying a very cheap camera body to replace the messed up one, and it’s in even better condition. Win.
~Shoot test roll and develop NOT DONE. It’s on my list of things to finish before the end of the year.
~Do something with darkroom, big or small NOT DONE. Too busy to dig in and spend any time in there. 😦
~Set up Etsy shop DONE. It has a name. Now I need to add the bracelets. That will be tough b/c some of them are still in my sister’s shop, and I don’t want to duplicate anything. I will need a good long stretch of time to do this.

So that is it!

Chocolate consumption report: I have no final numbers on this, but you guys know me. 😉 I…ate a lot. I don’t think that’s ever going to change.;)

#ROW80 Check-in 9/16/15

I’m still here, and I’ve been copyediting. I finished freelance project #2 on Monday and turned it in and have started back up on Burning Bright, KD Sarge’s awesome fantasy novel.

I did write about 600 words on Covenant recently.

And that is really it. I’ve been thinking about future projects, and I’m considering starting Survivor for NanoWriMo (unless I have an editing job or two, then it’s a no) because while I’ve done enough prep work and thinking, I realize that I’ll need to just jump in and do it. I haven’t really had an opportunity on a Sunday lately. But a solid 30k would be fantastic (I can no longer do 50k due to my wrists, but 30k is doable).

Rewrites are a bit tricky for me and my muse. We’re afraid to screw it up, so the beginning feels momentous. With an older project, Pirouette, which I rewrote a total of 4 times, each rewrite had accumulated more weight — this one was going to be The One. No, this one. Or this one. I can’t screw this up… I remember the fourth time  — I wasn’t even ready yet, but it was weighing on me so one day I wrote 200 words. And then I felt a bit better, because I’d started the damn thing. And then I added a few hundred more. The more I wrote, the better I felt. I still feel #4 is my strongest yet. I am planning another rewrite, but I wonder if maybe all it needs is an intense revision. It’s been 5 years since I set it aside. I was too close to it and I was losing the love. I’m considering making it a 2016 project, depending on how Survivor goes.

Sooooo this beginning to Survivor is huge, but I have to remember: sometimes it’s not the words, because they can be changed, but the physical act of beginning again that counts. We shall see.

Annd that’s really about it for me.

Chocolate consumption: Not as much as I’d like! I just had a WW sundae so that helps. 🙂

This blog is not dead.

:waves to everyone:

Hi. I thought I’d do an update, as it’s been a loooooonnnng time since I last posted.

What have I been up to? Well, I finished the second draft of Grave Touched, took a day off, and started the revision. I’m 158 pages (of 251) in.

The second half is a bit of a mess because I kept losing track of my characters. I’ve got two groups, one in one location and one in another. I kept finding the wrong characters in the wrong places! I also forgot a few so they seemed to just disappear. Not good. Bad, bad writer. No cookie.

This is really the first time I’ve dealt with such a large cast. I will get it right, I swear!

So it’s looking like I’m on track to make my Jan. 1st deadline. However, I had one person beta it within a week (yes, I’m that crazy!) and her feedback is helping me with all of my lovely typos and confusing spots. I have another one coming in two weeks, which should help, too. Both of these people are awesome for helping me out and wading through what is essentially a first draft (and I have never had anyone beta a first draft, so it’s been kind of scary).

As for future stuffs…first, I’ll be taking a break after I turn in Grave Touched. In June, it will have been THREE YEARS since I started Grave Touched. I feel like I need to move on, desperately. I have taken a few breaks here and there (and three months because of my eye in 2013) but for the most part, I’ve only worked on Grave Touched.

Per my Year of No Fear Manifesto, I’m supposed to be working on revisions. So that’s most likely what I’ll end up doing. I also have a few new ideas for novels (or novellas), one of which is making a series in the Reaper Girl universe. I currently have *counts them* 2 new ideas for new novels that are really gnawing on me so…I don’t know. I may try that whole write-two-things thing for the first time in forever.

I also have Fey Touched book 3 looming. It’s called Ever Touched and I’ve made some changes to it. My new protagonist is Brianna, and her love interest is [redacted]. I’ll give you a hint. They both have big secrets that they’d do anything to keep hidden. Fun times.

This month is NaNoWriMo, and I couldn’t really participate. I miss it tremendously. While I can’t write 50k in a month anymore, I still like to participate with a lower goal (usually 30k). The energy and excitement helps me stay focused and producing. I’ve promised myself that I will do NaNoWriMo next year, come hell or high water!

On the Turtleduck Press front, we have a new novel releasing December 1st called Even the Score. It’s KD Sarge’s latest, set in her amazing Dream verse. I copyedited the book so of course I got to read it and it is AMAZING.

As for my health, I’m doing much better. My back is almost 100% now thanks to physical therapy. My eye continues to be painful. I’ve been trying to chase down an answer, and nothing so far has panned out. I think it’s time for that second opinion.

The holidays are upon us! Looking forward to it. I started my Christmas shopping early this year so I’d be more prepared and it’ll give me more time in case I need it for Grave Touched. I’ve always loved holidays mostly for the family element. I love my family and love spending time with them. Love giving and receiving gifts. But most of all, I’m glad we’re all together. That’s what makes the holidays so magical.

So, no, this blog isn’t dead. I’ve been working nonstop on Grave Touched. I wanted to join in ROW80 Round 4, but I figured between the copyediting and finishing Grave Touched, I wouldn’t have a lot of free time. I’ll definitely join next year Round 1.

If I don’t make it back here before the holidays, have a great, beautiful, perfect, fun, special, and loving holiday season.