This is an attempt to allow you to embarrass yourself into writing. The idea is that you will realize that by the beginning of the week, there will be another of these notes asking if you played around or worked, and you will open up something and get started just so you can say you did something
In my case, I can say yes. I did write.
My writing partner mentioned going to the flea market. We came up with the idea that my regular character, Waxy Dragon, should go to a flea market, We discussed whether she should be buying fleas, or going to a market where the booths are small "flea sized" and decided it should be a market that caters to fleas. We then thought of a flea circus. We finalized that Waxy would end up in a world where she is the same size as a flea and goes to the market and then to the circus, having fun with her flea friends. Each of these stories have sort of a setup, to show what period of her life it is happening. Early in her life, she is sneaking into the house to use the portal that takes her to other worlds. Later, she is staying inside, hiding, then she is out in the open, not hiding but staying. and then later in her life she is getting toys, she has a crib to sleep in because she is afraid of her bed monster, and finally she is playing with animated teddy bears. I wrote the opening of the story and got to where she is about to head through the portal and that amounts to two pages. I generally write from beginning to end as it comes out of the keyboard, then go back and do "repairs" and editing. This method works for me because I have a scene or situation I want to develop. Final world building comes when I do the final edit to the entire series.
I am still doing my story ideas. I thought I was going to run into trouble and have to write my story ideas in the morning at work because I signed up for classes, but the class was cancelled so I am back on my normal evening writing schedule.
Had a woodworking weekend this weekend, and nothing really went right, but I had so much fun I did not care. My mom had gone on vacation and we put up all our equipment in case of a storm. We have only taken out the absolute key pieces of equipment, for me anyway, and the work area is wide open. It is nice. I can actually work UNDER the awning with my lathe, rather than out in the sun, not that it is any cooler. The metal awning transmits the heat wonderfully. I tried a tool I worked with a mentor on, and learned I won't use it for anything important. I can get the right kind of cut one out of five tries, I destroy the wood one out of five times, and the other three are somewhere in between. I could look at this lack of skill and use it for things like a character learning to repair micro electronics, or eye surgery, or throwing a knife. If it takes skill with a specialized tool, especially where the feel has to be developed, my problems with that tool can be applied to a story. Again, all I need is a story where I can use it....
So the question is, DID YOU WRITE? I did!!
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Yes, I did write. I wrote a draft of one of my stories and got it critted --thanks hatrackers! And I started some outlining for the second draft of my magnum opus. I'm still frustrated at how slow and difficult the whole process is. Nevertheless, I'm chipping away at it.
Posted by The G-Bus Man (Member # 6019) on :
Haven't written a lot in the past week (unless you count editing of my work and others as "writing") because I have to do this really fun, joyous activity called "looking for a job" :P
Posted by Marzo (Member # 5495) on :
I wrote a fair bit of planning things, but as far as actual draft copy goes...only 185 words this morning
But, I'm back from town, and hoping to improve on that! *cracks knuckles*
Posted by Howjos (Member # 2441) on :
yes I started a new story and have had some productive feedback on the first 13.
Posted by debhoag (Member # 5493) on :
yes, i wrote. finished and sent out Alchemy: the Chemist's story to Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Alchemy: the Dancers Story to Paradox. And did about 5,000 words on Alchemy: the Monk's story. Many thanks to all the friends that keep me going: Mark, Pat, Rick, Kayti, Debbie KW, Bill and this week especially, Oliverhouse! It's all youse guyses fault!
Posted by Umi-chan (Member # 5881) on :
I went through and edited and reworked what I have of my James and Katrina story today so I could give it to a friend to read. This week is going to be nuts, I'm moving and leaving for a national band contest, but I'm going to commit to writing the next chapter of that story.
Posted by KayTi (Member # 5137) on :
Yes! I'm doing it all longhand, so I have no productivity measure. But yes, I've written a travelogue our whole vacation, I'm on day 4. I'm happy - it's better than nothing, and there are at LEAST 6 sentences in the 3 or 4 longhand pages I've written that are good.
Posted by darklight (Member # 5213) on :
I did write!
Since Sunday, I've written 16,300 words on my post-apocolyptic tale, The World, Like a Ball of Wool. Yay, I'm enjoying it! Been a couple of months since I wrote anything other than editing other stories, this is a nice change.
Posted by TaleSpinner (Member # 5638) on :
Thanks to Hatrack crits and a flash of inspiration from who knows where I wrote a whole load of backstory for a series of short stories. It includes summaries of research on some science and current affairs relevant to the future world I'm writing about. I did it because I realized from the crits that my futuristic science needs to be credible to an SF audience that's aware of current scientific thinking, and my characters need to have authentic arguments about, for example gun control (a theme in the story), and not just parrot my own opinions (which as a result of the research I've changed a little, to my surprise).
It's not writing per se, but I can't write until I have all this straight in my mind so for me it counts as part of the writing process. By next week I should have some progress on one or more of the stories themselves.
Cheers, Pat
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I worked on a short story up to Thursday, usually in thousand-word bursts...then I got really sick on Thursday and my output dwindled down to a couple of hundred...then I was too sick to do anything and I didn't take it up again until Monday when I felt a little better (but not actually good). I'll probably finish the story later today and move on to something else.
Posted by Marzo (Member # 5495) on :
I got that hundred-odd up to around 800 or so last night.
Now that I've shamed myself again (the best motivation), it's back to writing. I think I'm gonna need some coffee...
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
I just wanted to share with you all that I'm totally in the zone, writing wise.
As a tradeoff, I've forgotten to wear my glasses twice in the last week and yesterday I thought I left my lunch in the car and when I got out to the car I couldn't find it and realized it was in my purse after all. But my prose is clickin'.
Posted by HuntGod (Member # 2259) on :
Yes I actually wrote...
Discovering that an old friend and former employee had his first novel coming out was a strong motivator.
I slogged out around 10 pages before stopping and going back to script out the additional chapters.
Oddly I'm finding that scribbling in a notebook with pen and paper is working better for me than my computer and Word. Though when I go to retype or consolidate my scribbles it is hard to squelch my inner editor.
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
Want to write instead of work... AAAAAHHHHHggg!
Posted by I am destiny on :
I got my line edit back from my editor. Aplied the edits. rewrote ch 15 and 27 and tweaked 26 and 28 to fit in new ch 27. Did the spell and grammar edits and put it away..... sigh.
Now to write a new story that is brewing and edit a ms for a contest. So yes I did write, and my 106,00 word MS is much closer to my end of year goal of submitting.
~Destiny
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
Oh, yeah. Just yesterday, I just got a bounce on my novella from Asimov's. More and more, I think of it as "their loss." From July 14th to August 23rd---their turnover time was much better than last time...
Posted by Sparrol (Member # 5734) on :
The past week I have finished off a chapter of ~8900 words, roughly 10 pages in Verdana pt. 9.
Posted by debhoag (Member # 5493) on :
Kayti, you have all my sympathy. I would hold someone hostage at gunpoint and FORCE them to write for me before I would write stuff out longhand. UGH! I will pray daily for your safe return to civilization.
Seriously, though, when I'm using remote computers and can't store my stuff on them, I write it as emails and then send it to myself. That way it's stored in the ether, which is kind of a weird concept, but it's really handy sometimes.
[This message has been edited by debhoag (edited August 25, 2007).]
Posted by KayTi (Member # 5137) on :
Deb you're funny - I actually use longhand sometimes on purpose. It slows me down (big time) and makes me think more about word choice. I'm less the secretary to whatever crazy stuff my brain has worked out, and more the "writer" who is actually thinking about what she writes. I think it saves me about 1/2 a draft worth when I write longhand, because between the slower writing and the later transcribing on the computer, I edit a bit each time (not a lot, my internal editor isn't invited to the party until later, but I clean up clunky phrases and choose words that convey my meaning better, that sort of thing.)
And now I am back at my usual spot, with my pages upon pages of longhand ... and I need to write so I have something to say to this thread next week!
