Author Topic: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017  (Read 39735 times)

Orvell

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #100 on: February 16, 2017, 07:20:48 PM »
I got my first rejection letter for a short story!
It's begunnnn. 8D

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #101 on: February 16, 2017, 07:28:46 PM »
Orvell, YOU WIN!!!!!!!!!!!! Awesome going, and congrats :))

Izybat: Yeah, boom!

Mariposa

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #102 on: February 16, 2017, 09:21:18 PM »
Ug. I'm dropping in motivation, guys.
I need to continue to plug away on the Hard Long Story that is officially out of the glorious and worry-free first 10K words and into the 'oh god what am I doing' zone.
...
How do you guys motivate yourself when things slip into the 'less fun' part of the cycle? And yes, I know that you have to put in the time, that all first drafts suck, and that what is on the page never matches what is in your head.
I'm more looking for actionable suggestions-- do you have a routine that works for you? A reward for yourself for effort put in?-- rather than the usual "just do it" advice. :)

Break it down until the parts of the problem are approachable. Over the years, I've discovered these things work for me:

1. When I don't know what goes next, I do a lot of off-the-page writing, usually by hand. I try to psychoanalyze the characters and their motivations and what isn't working on the page right now. I write about characters' relationships to one another, how they feel, little descriptions and reflections. I might write mini scenes, which may or may not make it into the book. Sometimes I write about my own feelings toward the process, what I find frustrating and what I may be afraid to write and why. The act of writing helps me keep focus on the world of the novel, and it's all low-stakes off-the-page stuff, so I don't have to sweat it.

2. Try to bounce characters off of one another; create tension and conflict. The hardest part of fiction for me is to come up with the right dramatic actions that reveal what's going on. Riffing and descriptions are relatively easy. The series of dramatic actions over all the chapters is the narrative arc; there may be several arcs for a big complicated novel.

3. That said, I must allow my characters a degree of freedom; they're not just pool balls I can bounce off of one another in a deterministic fashion. I'm very bad at pool. Characters must be allowed to be as surprising and contradictory as the people I know, or else they're not very interesting.

4. If a word, a sustained metaphor, character, scene, chapter, or storyline isn't carrying its weight, I will get rid of it. Sometimes it's painful, and I have to put the work away for a long time to see what isn't working. Pruning is part of the work of writing. As is revising. Sometimes I have to re-write a section a few times to get the storyline right before going on.

5. I've stopped using punctuation; sentences are fluid to me, and I like to be free to move parts of them around. I rely on line breaks and my ear to sort things out. After I'm completely done with, say, a 20 page story, it takes me about an hour to put in all the punctuation because I can hear in my head how the sentences should go. Right now, my novel is hundreds of pages with very little punctuation, but it's manageable.

6. If I can't think of the right word or phrase, I will write a string of words or phrases approximating what I'm trying to find, and this process sometimes leads me to the right words. Sometimes I never find the right words.

7. I use Freedom to turn off the internet. In the past, I've also unplugged the modem.

8. I'm a homebody writer. I like to pace back and forth, take books off my shelves and read a few pages, and say certain lines aloud. I find music and other people talking distracting. My day job gives me more than enough interaction with others. During a period I wasn't working, I took my laptop to the public library to write for a while each day: human faces, but in a quiet environment.

9. Try to improve my understanding of the medium. I'm constantly looking up words, even words I know, to further understand their shades. I also read in my genre and have a sense of the big books that come out every year: it's incredibly stimulating to see what other people can do, and reading is the only way to develop a sense of how narrative works.

10. I rarely get stuck anymore, but I sometimes do get thoroughly sick of working on a particular section. Sometimes I have to say good enough for now and move on to another section of the book.

Mariposa

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #103 on: February 16, 2017, 09:37:13 PM »
It's great to meet everyone here: three cheers for all the progress made!

I've been writing for a long time but have also taken several years' breaks to attend to other parts of my life. I'm trying to make more space in my life for the writing right now. My goal is to write for at least one hour four days a week. I hope to finish my book (started a long long time ago) in 2 years. I write fiction.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #104 on: February 16, 2017, 09:43:00 PM »
Welcome, dca :)     What a wonderful opening post, too!

Poundwise

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #105 on: February 17, 2017, 10:15:33 AM »
Thank you so much for the writing tips, dca! They will be so useful to me because I have gotten stuck again.

And Orvell,  I'm sorry that you got the rejection, but you are still amazing to have gotten to the point where you're at!!

Nick_Miller

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #106 on: February 17, 2017, 10:43:07 AM »
Only because I cannot do this in my "real life," I am tempted to do a little bragging on myself...it's hard when you are proud of yourself, but 1) most writers you know sell virtually nothing so you feel like you can't share news of your success with them, 2) most of your friends and family haven't read your book, so although they might be proud of you, they really don't care that much.

The news: My novel has sold over 25,000 copies now, and it looks to have a long tail. Sales for Sept - Jan were super consistent. The publisher has told me they will give me a higher royalty rate for the sequel (about half finished). I get SO frustrated because I wish I had more time to devote to it. I'm not the type who can work for a half hour during lunch. I get nothing done that way. I need windows of at least 2 hours to even marginally effective.


joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #107 on: February 17, 2017, 03:16:53 PM »
That is truly wonderful, of course, Nick_Miller!!

Yes, it is important to have a place to share our successes :)

Great job!!

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #108 on: February 17, 2017, 03:35:13 PM »
The news: My novel has sold over 25,000 copies now, and it looks to have a long tail.

Congrats! That's awesome.

Orvell

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #109 on: February 17, 2017, 04:27:49 PM »
Nick, that's baller! Congrats. 8D

Today: I wrote a few words today--noodling an idea for a short story involving universal translation devices that are rejected by a certain percentage of the population-- edited an old flash fiction piece, and sent that one off into the submission hole too.
\o/
Slow and steady.

boy_bye

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #110 on: February 17, 2017, 04:36:47 PM »
I am in love with everyone on this thread. Is that weird? So be it :)

I self-published a very short book (~15,000) a few years ago and it got a decent response -- not enough to retire on, no, but several thousand folks who have read and resonated with my work which feels kind of amazing. Even now, four years later, I get the odd email from someone who's read it and found it helpful and funny and inspiring and it always makes my day.

I've been working on the follow-up off and on almost ever since and I'm sooooo close to having the first draft done, I can smell but not yet taste it. I've got about 50,000 words, I'm aiming for between 60,000 and 70,000. And I'm super excited about this book! The idea hasn't let me alone for the last four years and I'm grateful that I'm in a space now where I'm physically and mentally healthy enough to work on it.

One practice I have engaged in that is super helpful to me is working with a writing coach. A few times a year, he runs a bootcamp in which you are expected to send him 1,000 words a day or ... well, I'm not sure what happens if you don't, because I always do, even through work travel and stomach bugs and simultaneous work travel + stomach bugs.

So apparently the thing that gets me to write is having someone else who cares if I write. I will post my progress here, okay? And follow along with all your brave and intrepid progress, too.

Today I met with my coach about what I produced in bootcamp at the beginning of February. I also did some rejiggering of my book map/outline based on his feedback. He is always encouraging me to be messier, at least in my first draft, because he says that the first draft is for the writer to get to the place where they feel like they got it all out. Then in the editing process we start thinking more and more about the reader's experience.

I tend to be a very tidy writer -- like, I go over the same chapter a million times until I'm happy with it before moving on to the next one -- but I like his advice. It's helping me shake things up and in the process I've found myself going down a few unexpected roads and I like it.

Onward!

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #111 on: February 17, 2017, 06:58:43 PM »
madgeylou is here! My feet starting kicking with joy!!! ha! :))

boy_bye

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #112 on: February 17, 2017, 07:47:09 PM »
madgeylou is here! My feet starting kicking with joy!!! ha! :))

Mine too!! I need to look for fun new threads more often! Mwah!

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #113 on: February 22, 2017, 05:41:12 PM »
I just hit 35,000. I'm loving all the progress!

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #114 on: February 25, 2017, 12:12:15 PM »
I can't help update on marketing my book. Amazon officially started shipping on the 16th.

Yes, I'm showing off. I expect all of you to too. As much as I like sharing my success so far, I'm also writing what would have motivated me when I was in the thick of writing. I like writing, but people recognizing what you put into your work and getting out of it what I wanted to give them is tremendously satisfying. I don't believe anyone doesn't want recognition for their work.

I should also mention that I've worked more diligently and longer hours over the last two months in marketing the book than in the six months I took writing it. Note marketing is two-directional communication, not just promotion. I'm learning a lot more from my readers than I did without marketing. I wish I had done more listening a long time ago but I was too afraid that I'd look like I was just promoting. But you have to share what you're doing for people to respond back.

Since then, 41 5-star reviews and 1 4-star, averaging to an official 5.0 stars. Here is a link to Amazon's page to read more and here is a screen shot:



I can't tell you the feeling of the public responding so positively. For example:

As a former non-commissioned officer with the US Marines in Iraq, I have read a lot of books on leadership to enhance my own abilities. This is by far the best book I have read on the topic.

and

This is a very beautiful book. The author has drawn from a wide variety of fields and is able to distil a great deal of wisdom and knowledge into simple and powerful exercises.

and

I was actually moved by Joshua Spodek’s book.

among many others.

The biggest positive feeling came from seeing my book on the shelves at the Union Square (Manhattan) Barnes and Noble, a global flagship store, then to use the techniques in the book to lead the staff to put the book on the display table, including some on the main floor.





Besides the joy in sharing and, I hope, not looking too much like showing off, I hope this helps motivate others to realize their dreams in writing.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #115 on: February 25, 2017, 12:34:26 PM »
JoshuaSpodek, you should absolutely feel safe here sharing your success, yes! I can hear the celebration and sharing (versus showing off) in your voice :)

Congrats, again, on succeeding in completing your writing, putting your work out there, staying committed through the marketing piece, and on the commercial success! It must feel truly amazing to have your book displayed in amongst other well-known ones, and in such a major shop to boot.

I've had wonderful success too, but will provide the caveat that this has been with some projects and not others. Thus, I'm not entirely comfortable perpetuating an idea of "formula applied = commercial recognition." Some amazing books see this; some amazing books well marketed do not.

I encourage all of us to go ahead and feel all the feels in relation to our work—whether that be success in terms of income, success in terms of recognition, success in terms of achieving one's goal of so many words, success in terms of a sense of satisfying completion, success in terms of helping one person experience joy, connection, healing, thrill, or life change...as well as discouragement, frustration, humiliation, shame, embarrassment, disappointment, etc. It's all fair, all valid, all normal, all healthy. Good stuff.

Writing and putting our truest stuff out there is big soul work, it changes us. Even without the shiny stats for any one given project, there is so much goodness in completing our work (for our own souls) and offering it out (in case it gifts additional souls).

Every day I am so grateful for countless people who write—commercial accolades or no commercial accolades—because so much has helped me in profound ways.

Mariposa

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #116 on: February 25, 2017, 07:14:27 PM »
JoshuaSpodek, you should absolutely feel safe here sharing your success, yes! I can hear the celebration and sharing (versus showing off) in your voice :)

Congrats, again, on succeeding in completing your writing, putting your work out there, staying committed through the marketing piece, and on the commercial success! It must feel truly amazing to have your book displayed in amongst other well-known ones, and in such a major shop to boot.

I've had wonderful success too, but will provide the caveat that this has been with some projects and not others. Thus, I'm not entirely comfortable perpetuating an idea of "formula applied = commercial recognition." Some amazing books see this; some amazing books well marketed do not.

I encourage all of us to go ahead and feel all the feels in relation to our work—whether that be success in terms of income, success in terms of recognition, success in terms of achieving one's goal of so many words, success in terms of a sense of satisfying completion, success in terms of helping one person experience joy, connection, healing, thrill, or life change...as well as discouragement, frustration, humiliation, shame, embarrassment, disappointment, etc. It's all fair, all valid, all normal, all healthy. Good stuff.

Writing and putting our truest stuff out there is big soul work, it changes us. Even without the shiny stats for any one given project, there is so much goodness in completing our work (for our own souls) and offering it out (in case it gifts additional souls).

Every day I am so grateful for countless people who write—commercial accolades or no commercial accolades—because so much has helped me in profound ways.

+1. Couldn't agree more. Thanks for this.

Poundwise

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #117 on: March 01, 2017, 02:44:12 PM »
So-so, SeaKayEl. Only wrote 12 days in February. I have the usual excuses-- went on vacation, husband was sick, etc. but I think that the pieces will fall into place now that I have "no more starting things" and "no Internet after 9pm" planned for Lent.  As long as I get up before 6am I can find the time to write.

Great going, Joshua!  Keep the reports of success coming... it is inspiring to everyone to see that publication can happen to even unto a lowly MMM member!
 

Mariposa

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #118 on: March 01, 2017, 08:52:48 PM »
Congrats, Joshua!

And way to go, SeaKayEl, on your progress.

I've been trying to make room in my life once again for the writing, which took about a year and a half hiatus when I became a new mother. One challenge is that some of my best writing hours used to be at night; I get tired in the evenings but get a burst of energy right around 10:30pm. I would then sometimes read and write until 2-3am if I didn't have to get up for work the next day. Now, with a crazy toddler at home, we never get to sleep in past 6:30 or 7:30am. I don't function well on 3-4 hours of sleep, so I've been trying to go to bed earlier and become more of a morning writer. It's hard because this goes against my natural rhythms.

What about you guys, are there times in the day that work better for your writing?

Mariposa

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #119 on: March 01, 2017, 08:56:38 PM »
... Only wrote 12 days in February. ...

12 days is good! My goal is 4 days a week, or about 16 days a month. I just know I'm not going to write during the long stressful work days + commute + wrestling a toddler at home. On the weekends, my husband's been taking the babe out for a walk in the mornings and then napping with him after lunch so that I can have some writing time.

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #120 on: March 04, 2017, 06:52:04 PM »
I just hit 40,000 words. I'm starting to get those niggling voices that tell me that I should have done more of X, or that Y is really not developing enough. I'm trying very had to tamp down on them so that I can just keep writing. Once the first draft is done, the rest can be fixed in editing, right?

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #121 on: March 04, 2017, 08:02:56 PM »
Once the first draft is done, the rest can be fixed in editing, right?

Yep! Dozens and dozens and dozens of rounds/opportunities remain :)       Keep plunking those words down for now!

Orvell

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #122 on: March 04, 2017, 08:04:23 PM »
Nice job, Izybat!
I wrote 800 words tonight. Calling it a win. :) One chunk at a time...

boy_bye

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #123 on: March 05, 2017, 04:39:40 PM »
Great job, Orvell and Izybat!

Yesterday I went to a meetup here in Boulder where about 20 writers get together at 9 am and everyone takes a minute to lay out their goals for the morning. Then we all write until 11:30 when we circle back up to talk about what we got done. It was fantastico! I wrote almost 3,000 words.

I also booked myself a vacation to Mexico -- a week in Frida Kahlo's neighborhood in Mexico City and a week in San Miguel de Allende where I went last May and looooooved. Last year I had to work while I was in Mexico and still got a lot of writing done. This year I'm using vacation time so I won't have to work, and am hoping to get even more writing done. My first draft should be done long before then, so I will probably be editing and rewriting by that time. Exciting!

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #124 on: March 05, 2017, 05:41:25 PM »
The Boulder event, in Vancouver (as perhaps elsewhere) it was called Just Write, and listed on Meetup. There were so many each week! Happy for you, madgeylou, to have had such a great go at yours :)

I remember you reporting on your SMdA last year. You were SO HAPPY. It was one very rare trips I've ever heard of on the forum that I thought I might like to take one day!

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #125 on: March 12, 2017, 04:52:46 PM »
I'm currently reading and listening to old Shetland folk tales and calling it research. The dialect is incredible. Listen to this tale about a sea monster (starting at 1:50): https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLD0EB1C1D5350B738&v=3v-Mg2dyLbY

boy_bye

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #126 on: March 12, 2017, 06:26:50 PM »
The Boulder event, in Vancouver (as perhaps elsewhere) it was called Just Write, and listed on Meetup. There were so many each week! Happy for you, madgeylou, to have had such a great go at yours :)

Yes! That's the one! I'm on the waitlist for next week but I might just show up and hope for the best :D

I remember you reporting on your SMdA last year. You were SO HAPPY. It was one very rare trips I've ever heard of on the forum that I thought I might like to take one day!

Yes, it's sooooo nice there. I'm excited to be there and not have to work! I'm also excited to see a bit of Mexico City, especially Frida Kahlo's house. Gosh I love her!

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #127 on: March 14, 2017, 05:35:17 PM »
Well, I just crossed the 45,000 mark for my current book. I realized on Saturday that my writing was starting to feel a bit stale, so I bought three books last weekend and plan to read them for inspiration. I've been reading a lot of non-fiction books lately, and I think I just need to get a bit of a reminder about other books in my chosen genre.

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #128 on: March 15, 2017, 06:51:48 PM »
For some reason I'm struggling this week when I've been doing so well all year so far. I'm not sure if it's a lack of motivation, a "saggy middle" or some combination of the blizzard and being annoyed at my job that's making it trickier to get in the words that I've been hitting to date. Must keep pushing. If I stop for any length of time, that's my downfall. That's when it becomes easier to not go back. Gotta keep going.

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #129 on: March 15, 2017, 11:41:52 PM »
For some reason I'm struggling this week when I've been doing so well all year so far.

Would some different styles help re-energize your flow? e.g., Poetry, song, random dialogue, writing exercises, etc? Or tapping into another aspect of your being entirely, via dance, playing (vs listening to) instrumental music, conversation or mime with strangers, theatre games?

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #130 on: March 16, 2017, 06:02:04 PM »
Thanks all, for your encouragement. Tonight felt much better and easier than the last few nights. Knocked out 1000 words in half an hour. That's what I'm talking about.

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #131 on: March 17, 2017, 06:58:34 PM »
Annoying setback today. I opened my book and started to write, and my computer crashed (this happens like once a month). Unfortunately, I had Scrivener open, and was typing. My system rebooted and lost the whole scene I was working on. 3,000 words, gone. Apparently it hadn't backed up in a while either, so I can't seem to recover them. Sigh. That sets me back like a week at least.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #132 on: March 18, 2017, 03:05:54 AM »
Oh, shit, Izybat!!! Ack!! I know well how much that SUCKS. There's the time and energy put in, but moreso (to me anyway) the wording, the flow, the phrasings. Feels like those cannot be captured again, yes? Dammit. So sorry :(

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #133 on: March 18, 2017, 08:21:36 AM »
Oh nooooo Izybat! I hope you are able to walk it back in there easily since you wrote it once already.

I'm off to another Just Write meetup this morning, wish me luck!

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #134 on: March 21, 2017, 12:57:25 PM »
Well, after much work (and a horrible cold keeping me permanently exhausted), I have once again  reached 45,000 words. This time, I have attempted to guarantee that my work is not only saved, but backed up. No need to go through that again.

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #135 on: March 29, 2017, 05:32:28 PM »
I just crossed a major milestone. I hit 50,000 words on my current book! I'm super stoked, because most of my previous books were about 50k total, and this one isn't even close to being done yet. That means that I might actually be on track for hitting my 100k goal for this book.  Now to make sure I back it up...

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #136 on: March 29, 2017, 10:42:27 PM »
Way to go, Izybat!

I think backing work up is at least 92% of a writer's real work ;)

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #137 on: March 31, 2017, 06:37:42 PM »
I'm also trying to modify my writing schedule to see if I can get more done quicker. I've been writing 30 minutes a day, 6 times a week since January, which is awesome. However, I've decided I want to see if I can up the ante. Recently, everyone I ate lunch with at work moved on to other jobs, so I suddenly find myself with no one to eat with. The last two days, I've brought my laptop to work and wrote on my lunch hour, with the intention of also writing at night to double my writing time. Well, it hasn't worked out exactly as intended. I did write at lunch, but then didn't do it when I got home. Oh well, I'll keep working on it.

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #138 on: April 04, 2017, 05:58:28 PM »
I just hit 55,000 words, which I'm excited about. Plus, yesterday I finally managed my new goal of writing twice a day (on my lunch hour and at night). Hopefully I can keep it up, it sort of depends on the availability of food to take to work from home so I can eat lunch without going out.

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #139 on: April 09, 2017, 12:33:58 PM »
Yes! Thanks for the bump! Glad to hear you are making some progress, SeaKayEl. And hoping Izybat and everyone else is making progress, too. Let's hear all about it!

I have a couple more chapters to write, then my first draft is done. I'm at 62,000 words and counting, thinking I might end up at 70K when it's all said and done. I sent the mess of a first draft to a couple of friends, not so much to get feedback on what's there, but to solicit their ideas for what's missing, because I'm positive I'm missing a ton of important stuff.

My goal is to have the first draft done by April 20, then my writing coach is going to read it and meet with me the day before I head off to Mexico and have my extravaganza of writing / walking / eating tacos.


Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #140 on: April 09, 2017, 06:06:02 PM »
I think I have a good 12 pages of narration that I like (until the next drafts, LOL).

I have also done some quick sketches using the squared off 8 X 8 paper and they look better in my opinion.  Less open space and / or space I feel like I have to fill.

Izybat, have you hit 60k yet?
How's everyone else doing?
@SeaKayEl  Not quite. I'm getting there. I should hit 60k in the next few days. I did go to my writers group on Saturday, so that was fun. I always learn something interesting, and it's nice to be around people that are actually getting published. It makes me feel that I can get there too some day.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #141 on: April 09, 2017, 07:35:59 PM »
I'm shredding several feet (!) of drafts and proofs from previous projects. I feel like this is still part and parcel of "writing" :)     I do think it will be energizing too.

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #142 on: April 11, 2017, 05:23:57 PM »
I'm having another minor slump in motivation. I'm writing a scene that I'm going to need to do research for and just dragging my feet about actually doing the research. (It's a scene where the main character gets a self-defense lesson.) If I don't do the research, it's going to come off really dumb sounding ("She hit stuff.") But since I'm not feeling motivated to actually do the googling I need to do, I have been putting off writing for yesterday and today. Must regain momentum.

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #143 on: April 15, 2017, 05:14:24 PM »
Well, it took longer than anticipated due to a writing slump in the middle of the week, but I've passed 60k! 61,169 and counting.

@SeaKayEl. Thanks for the YouTube advice. I looked up some videos that allowed me to get past my block that I was having.

Nick_Miller

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #144 on: April 17, 2017, 10:10:36 AM »
Had a thought this weekend. All the post/blogs/etc talking about "what you running to?" as opposed to just "running from work." I'm definitely running towards spending more of my workweek writing. I enjoy it more than anything I've ever done. It's already been a 3-year-process and I think it will be another 3-5 years more, bare minimum.

First, I'd want a stache of $300K (hopefully accomplished within 3-5 years) I would want to be able to leave this alone to grow until age 62
I'd also want to be debt free other than our mortgage (car will be paid off in 1.5 years, student loans should be paid off within 3 years)
And I'd want to be earning at least $15K-$20K yearly through my writing

So if  I woke up in 3-5 years, and had $300K in investments, no debts other than mortgage, and was already earning $15K-$20K yearly with my writing, I would consider talking with my wife about taking the plunge and perhaps taking a part-time job that would allow me to write more. However, if my sequel bombs (I don't think it will), then this is all VOID.

Anyone else dreaming/thinking of a possible transition into writing over a long period of time?

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #145 on: April 17, 2017, 10:19:23 AM »
Hey, I have your dream life, Nick_Miller!! That helped me feel really good during a tough transition :)

Nick_Miller

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #146 on: April 17, 2017, 10:54:11 AM »
jooniflorisploo, is your story about transitioning posted anywhere on the forums?

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #147 on: April 17, 2017, 11:03:53 AM »
I have a thread on it, but the short version is: I am moving from a place I love, with people and a landscape and climate I adore, in favour of my closest friendship, support for my child, respite for me, and new opportunities for me. Only twice before I have left a place/situation while I still loved it with all my heart! Those are hard for me.

Pooperman

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #148 on: April 17, 2017, 11:34:45 AM »
Thought I'd jump into this. My writing group (Myself, MonkeyJenga, SisterX, and Meowkins) are cleaning up our second romance novel before releasing it to the world. 57k words in length, so somewhat short, but I think it's turned out pretty well!

Personally, I'm working on my second choose your own erotica that I hope to have finished in the next month or two.

Izybat

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Re: Finish (or start) Writing Your Book 2017
« Reply #149 on: April 17, 2017, 06:22:32 PM »
Anyone else dreaming/thinking of a possible transition into writing over a long period of time?

*THIS*

This is actually my goal/dream.One of the main reasons I want to be financially independent is to be able to do whatever I want with my time, including making money by writing. I have a lot of fun things I like to do, writing being the main one, and I feel like I can't devote the time I want to it while I'm working full time. I would love to be a full-time novelist, but I have a ways to go to get there.

Like you, I would need to be out of debt (except the house), and we're getting very close there. Likely 12-18 months and we'll be debt free. But I would also have to have a lot more savings than I currently have. I also want to make sure that it's possible for me to make money doing this, so I wouldn't give up my (very lucrative) day job unless I had a few published novels under my belt that I knew were selling.