Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Novel Support Group 4/19

This is topic Novel Support Group 4/19 - 4/25 in forum Hatrack Groups at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Meredith (Member # 8368) on :

quote:
Welcome to this week's Novel Support Group. Anyone can join. If you're new, tell us a bit about who you are and what project you are working on. Feel free to update the NSG Work in Progress thread with your current projects. Although we can report on any number of things, here is a list of suggestions (suggestions welcomed).

What were your goals last week and did you accomplish them?
Describe what you worked on.
Set goals for next week.
Did you learn something during this week?

Here is a list of things that you can do each week as we work on our novels (suggestions welcomed).

Writing on a novel
Characterization
World Building
Relevant research

=-=-=-=-=

As for me:

DUAL MAGICS SERIES: As time permits, go through the x-ray listings for the Dual Magics boxed set and THE BARD'S GIFT. This is here to remind me that eventually I need to get back to this.
[Razz]

BECOME: TO CATCH THE LIGHTNING/BECOME: TO RIDE THE STORM: Promote through social media. I now have two books on social media marketing. So . . . I need to schedule some time to read them.
Nope. [Frown]

MAGE STORM: On hold.
Easy one. [Smile]

DAUGHTER OF THE REBEL MAGE (working title): Keep writing.
Nope. [Frown]

OTHER:
Update my blog twice a week.
Nope. [Frown]

Writer's block is the pits. [Frown]

Next Week's Goals:

DUAL MAGICS SERIES:
As time permits, go through the x-ray listings for the Dual Magics boxed set and THE BARD'S GIFT. This is here to remind me that eventually I need to get back to this.

BECOME: TO CATCH THE LIGHTNING/BECOME: TO RIDE THE STORM:
Promote through social media. I now have two books on social media marketing. So . . . I need to schedule some time to read them.

MAGE STORM:
On hold.

DAUGHTER OF THE REBEL MAGE (working title):
Keep writing.

OTHER:
Update my blog twice a week.

Posted by Princesisto (Member # 11113) on :

You looked so lonely there, conducting soliloquies with no one listening . . . so I'm willing to be lonely with you. Tell me if it's on or not.

To answer the questions you asked above:

What were your goals last week and did you accomplish them?

To progress:

(1) the novel manuscript roughly at one Chapter per day. Accomplished.

(2) submitting "Princessstories", using the characters in the novel, for publication, both to build up a portfolio of publications that will ease acceptance of the novel when finished and to build up some market demand for the novel. Accomplished.

Describe what you worked on.

Novel: I completed Chapters 18-24, taking the Princess from her "child labour" on videos and two new EP "Christmas Packages" in October 2025-December 2025, while she gets more and more drawn into raising funds for the resistance to the military junta in her adopted home of Guatemala.

Story/Novellette: Mozart's Ghost, which was put up here for a while, submitted to 4 zines.

Set goals for next week.

Novel: Chapters 25 - 31 starting the year 2026.

Stories: Submit Mozart's Ghost to 5 more publications

Did you learn something during this week?

Wow!

Must think . . .

I learned that even a "finished" story can be improved by seeing it again and editing for submission guidelines. Every time I submitted Mozart's Ghost I improved it significantly.

I think I learned that the novel manuscript has some of my best crafty writing ever and that writing a novel is exponentially easier than writing a short story or novellette.

If you ever want me to review anything from your novel, send it along to itsjack2017@yandex.com and if you want me to send anything just ask.

I have got some great Beta readers on this site and you are one of the sane ones here.

Posted by WarrenB (Member # 10927) on :

It's repetitious and boring (saying the same things I said last time), but perhaps posting here will help get me moving again...

Efforts at reconnecting and getting back to work on my (alleged) 'WIP' have been very limited... Attempting to market current book on social media and Amazon = significant learning curve + massive sinkhole for energy with little apparent result. Now, after a few weeks of plugging away whenever I could, I think I'm ready to refocus. Should have something more concrete to report in a week or so. I'm moving social media onto basic maintenance mode: a post a day on some platforms; a post a week on others; and no obsessive checking outside of scheduled hours! (Well, I'll try...)

A chapter a day, Princesisto... How?! And if there are substances involved, please let me know what they are! Most impressive.

Also, I hope you're right about the novel form being easier than shorter forms... That would be a pleasant surprise. I haven't discovered whether or not this is true for me yet; considerable fear of failure (and a bunch of other things, including the pesky business of earning a living) has kept me in the outlining/dreaming stage much longer than intended.

Posted by Princesisto (Member # 11113) on :

No, Warren, no "substances": never!

Of course, if a Chapter needs research, that can throw the timetable off, which is not a problem.

Also, having seen my writing style, maybe you can imagine that the Chapters, like the sentences, are short and clear, not literary or complex. I always try to cut them at a natural break and not stick 6 months of the Princess' life into one Chapter.

But the secret to keeping at anything is loving to do it: no catnip can replace that!

P