• 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

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Last Week's Goals

Again, I am making good progress with my outline. Next week is my mini "writer's retreat" where I hope to sit down and write some of this book. I'm looking forward to that.

The brainstorm sessions have been good and just this morning I came up with a feature of the society that will help solve a problem I had with a scene I developed. Although this feature will solve one problem I had it adds some tension I did not have before between a couple characters, which is great.

I have one more critique I need to do that I was hoping to have already done so I really hope to get that done and returned tonight.

My goals for next week:

• Brainstorm sessions for outline
• Work on Project: Life outline
• Critiquing

This week I intend to increase the detail of the specific scenes I want to write over my five day weekend next week. My goal is to get enough scenes fully detailed so that all I have to do is sit and write as many scenes as I can get through. This is the first time I've put so much detail in an outline so we'll see how that goes. Currently the outline is at 7,300 words, 4,000 of which details the first 25% of the book. I still have some work to detail some of the scenes in that first 25%. It would be so nice if I could actually get that first section done over the next weekend. If I can detail it enough perhaps that is a possibility.

What did I learn this week?

Not much in this section this week but next week I will test this outline as I finally start writing scenes. I'm hoping that I will get the detail I need in this outline so I can just sit and have fun writing. We'll see.

DREAMER'S ROSE: Continue working on the new starting point and then work on revisions.
Yes.

THE SHAMAN'S CURSE: Continue to let this one rest a bit.
Gotta love those easy goals.

THE IGNORED PROPHECY: Make revisions as the chapter critiques come back.
I'm a couple of chapters behind because I'm trying to decide if I want to delete some scenes. Don't want the middle to be too slow and bloated.

BLOOD WILL TELL: Work on the query and synopsis some more.
No.

SEVEN STARS: Keep on writing.
No. I've finally decided that something's wrong with this one. I'm going to let it rest so I can figure out what.

OTHER: Update my new blog and try to keep it updated at least once a week.
Yes.

MISC. Try again to install the router so I won't have that kind of computer problem ever again.
For some reason, I keep "forgetting" to do this.

Next Week's Goals:

DREAMER'S ROSE:
Finish up the new section at the beginning and start work on the revisions. The good new is that, compared to SEVEN STARS, this is going really well.

THE SHAMAN'S CURSE:
Continue to let this one rest a bit.

THE IGNORED PROPHECY:
I've got a chapter exchange going on this one. Decide what I want to cut so I can make the revisions from the critiques I already have. Think about how I want to change the beginning.

BLOOD WILL TELL:
Work on the query and synopsis some more. I got a good critique on the synopsis back last night. Hopefully, that will motivate me to get back to work on this.

SEVEN STARS:
Let it rest. Hopefully, with a little distance, I'll be able to see what's wrong and fix it.

OTHER:
Update my new blog and try to keep it updated at least once a week.
Make revisions to "The First Flame", my entry from the February trigger challeng. I think I see where this one needs to go.

MISC.
Try again to install the router so I won't have that kind of computer problem ever again.

It feels a bit like sculpting. First I put in the structure and slap the plaster on, then go back and refine and polish.

So far two characters have disappeared, being merged into others.

This week, my goal is to finish the "September" section and also complete "October."

WIP

The Tribe of the Elephant Shaman (Short Story)
- I wrote a few hundred words and reworked some of the details. I feel I now have better direction, but now I'm concerned about the rewrite. We will see.

The Celebrity Farmer (Short Story - possibly WOTF entry)
- I wrote a few hundred words and changed the beginning a bit. I didn't like where I was. The story was depressing me so I stepped away for a few days.

Ding Dong, We're Dead (YA Novel)
Haven't worked on this week. Didn't really have a goal for it.

Bordertown (Fantasy novel)
Haven't worked on this week.

The novel is coming along. I'm meeting all my goals. Just started on Draft 3, which moves some characters around, ages one, de-ages another and makes changes the motivations for two. I polished the first 5 chapters and sent them off to a couple of readers, so we'll see.

Next week: Finish 3rd draft changes to next 5 chapters.

quote:

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I think I'm going to have to make one of my goals to spend more time on Hatrack! I looked a realized I had not posted here in weeks. Yikes. I feel like a bad slacker person.

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Bad Leslie. 8)