Well, I didn't quite make it to 40k which was my goal for the weekend, thanks mainly to a fit of the tireds yesterday and a fit of the generally uninspireds today. But I did still manage 7 pages today so that's not a complete write-off. If I do six tomorrow I'll hit the 40k mark.
The words are still coming but still not entirely sure how this book is going to hang together. There are a few different goals being pursued which are pulling people in completely different directions and I still haven't had the flash of inspiration as to how it all fits. Hopefully that will still arrive, otherwise there will be much revision whining to be had.
Otherwise the weekend has contained crit meetings and dinners out and wrestling with recalcitrant fridges and recalcitrant phones. I can claim (I think) victory over the fridge but we're waiting on the repairman to check out the phone line. Luckily whatever is affected the voice calls doesn't seem to be bothering my ADSL so I still have internet. So as long as Melbourne doesn't have any more completely crazy weather (which luckily my little house survived unscathed) which makes using a mobile phone ill advised, I'll just have to rely on the cell for awhile.
This week I have a couple of presentations to do at the day job, including one Friday morning which means my day off will be shortened so all will be busy busy but I'd still like to get another forty or so pages written. At times like this, when you're not sure what's going on with the story, being a pantser means just keeping on putting one damn word down after another and trusting that the girls know something you don't.
I also need to get a bit more focused back on the food and exercise. There have been many celebratory dinners and lunches and I think the indulgence is one reason I'm feeling tired. Plus I didn't get my last run for the week in yesterday or today so have to make sure that happens tomorrow to try and pep myself up again. And cut off the cravings for cake and chocolate and champagne which are rearing their little heads a bit too much after being allowed out too often! I've still been pretty good but pretty good can slide to not so good and then before you know it to really not good if you let it. I feel better when I'm eating healthy most of the time and doing my exercise so it's back to the routines this week.
And now, I think I'll go watch Big Bang and get an early night because the first of those presentations is tomorrow!
Showing posts with label type type type. Show all posts
Showing posts with label type type type. Show all posts
March 08, 2010
November 06, 2009
Almost there
Good writing day today. 23 pages in about two hours of writing (aka four half hour Write or Die sprints). I only have some sketchy bits about aftermath and then the final scene (which I've kind of had in my head all along) to write. So this baby might be done with tomorrow barring life intervening or that final scene turning out to be way longer than I think it is.
Fingers crossed!
Progress - Lily
New pages - Twenty three
Intriguing things - Final confrontations going a whole 'nother way.
Annoyances - Can't really type more today.
Linear/non-linear - Linear
Music - Soundtrack
Location - Write or Die and Think.
Taking care of Mel - Walk. Stretching after this.
Muse food - Nap. Burn Notice.
Fingers crossed!
Progress - Lily
New pages - Twenty three
Intriguing things - Final confrontations going a whole 'nother way.
Annoyances - Can't really type more today.
Linear/non-linear - Linear
Music - Soundtrack
Location - Write or Die and Think.
Taking care of Mel - Walk. Stretching after this.
Muse food - Nap. Burn Notice.
November 04, 2009
The light at the end of the tunnel might not be a train after all
To misquote Josh Lyman horribly "I think we've got the big mo, baby".
Passed the three hundred mark tonight. And I basically know what happens for the rest of the book. About four big scenes and some mopping up. So if I do the big push over the weekend, I might just be able to finish it (fingers crossed, knock wood, throw salt etc etc etc). It will need a lot of work in the revision but hallelujah, it looks like I might just finish a book this year after all. Given it's been a long hard winter of discontent writing wise for much of this year, all I can say is WOOT and all praise to the great god Letitsuk!!!! (and again cross fingers, knock wood, turn widdershins three times etc etc etc so as not to jinx oneself.)
Progress - Lily
New pages - Thirteen
Intriguing things - Angry sex
Annoyances - Minimal
Linear/non-linear - Non
Music - Kings of Leon
Location - Write or Die and Think.
Taking care of Mel - Chiro. And soon blissful back stretches
Muse food - Not much so far. Need some TV or a good book
Passed the three hundred mark tonight. And I basically know what happens for the rest of the book. About four big scenes and some mopping up. So if I do the big push over the weekend, I might just be able to finish it (fingers crossed, knock wood, throw salt etc etc etc). It will need a lot of work in the revision but hallelujah, it looks like I might just finish a book this year after all. Given it's been a long hard winter of discontent writing wise for much of this year, all I can say is WOOT and all praise to the great god Letitsuk!!!! (and again cross fingers, knock wood, turn widdershins three times etc etc etc so as not to jinx oneself.)
Progress - Lily
New pages - Thirteen
Intriguing things - Angry sex
Annoyances - Minimal
Linear/non-linear - Non
Music - Kings of Leon
Location - Write or Die and Think.
Taking care of Mel - Chiro. And soon blissful back stretches
Muse food - Not much so far. Need some TV or a good book
November 03, 2009
Closing in
La book is approaching the three hundred page mark. Traditionally this is about the point where things pick up speed and I get to the end fairly quickly. I'd like to be done by the middle of the month, so fingers crossed.
But for tonight, I'm done and given it's back to the day job tomorrow after a lovely five day weekend it's off to bed before I lose all willpower and give in and watch Private Practice instead of recording it.
Progress - Lily
New pages - Eleven
Intriguing things - Villain attacks
Annoyances - Minimal
Linear/non-linear - Linear
Music - Soundtrack
Location - Write or Die and Think.
Taking care of Mel - Physio.
Muse food - Lazy lunching, lazing around in general apart from writing pages
But for tonight, I'm done and given it's back to the day job tomorrow after a lovely five day weekend it's off to bed before I lose all willpower and give in and watch Private Practice instead of recording it.
Progress - Lily
New pages - Eleven
Intriguing things - Villain attacks
Annoyances - Minimal
Linear/non-linear - Linear
Music - Soundtrack
Location - Write or Die and Think.
Taking care of Mel - Physio.
Muse food - Lazy lunching, lazing around in general apart from writing pages
October 16, 2009
Happiness is a good writing day
This morning I woke up thinking "you know, if I could do 14 pages today, then I'd hit 200". Tomorrow and Sunday are going to be busy so I also knew that it's doubtful I'll get much writing done either day. As an added bonus, as I was lying there, still half asleep, the muse coughed up a few scene snippets. Bits of dialogue, an idea how to twist a relationship and a few pieces slipping into place.
So Friday was officially declared the day of the big writing push. I figured I could do fourteen pages in three hour or so sessions. But given things have been slow and sloggy writing-wise most of this year, I wasn't entirely sure that I'd hit fourteen pages at all. Luckily though, everything behaved itself and the words decided to come. And keep coming. I usually don't have days where I go much over 12 pages until the last 80 or so pages of the book but today proved an exception.
Happy writer, if somewhat tired. Now just have to work out how to keep the words coming.
Progress - Lily
New pages - Twenty one
Intriguing things - Mean Fae, bitchy heroine, and finally a kiss!
Annoyances - Very drafty but at this point I could care less
Linear/non-linear - Linear
Music - Soundtrack. Though one repeated song at a time.
Location - Word and Think at desk after work.
Taking care of Mel - Chiro. Nap. Nice bolognese on the stove for dinner.
Muse food - Well last night it was burn notice and glee and gabaldon and look where that got me. Tonight, who knows, though I'm definitely having a celebratory drink and maybe stare at that hero pic some more.
So Friday was officially declared the day of the big writing push. I figured I could do fourteen pages in three hour or so sessions. But given things have been slow and sloggy writing-wise most of this year, I wasn't entirely sure that I'd hit fourteen pages at all. Luckily though, everything behaved itself and the words decided to come. And keep coming. I usually don't have days where I go much over 12 pages until the last 80 or so pages of the book but today proved an exception.
Happy writer, if somewhat tired. Now just have to work out how to keep the words coming.
Progress - Lily
New pages - Twenty one
Intriguing things - Mean Fae, bitchy heroine, and finally a kiss!
Annoyances - Very drafty but at this point I could care less
Linear/non-linear - Linear
Music - Soundtrack. Though one repeated song at a time.
Location - Word and Think at desk after work.
Taking care of Mel - Chiro. Nap. Nice bolognese on the stove for dinner.
Muse food - Well last night it was burn notice and glee and gabaldon and look where that got me. Tonight, who knows, though I'm definitely having a celebratory drink and maybe stare at that hero pic some more.
November 27, 2008
Success
Yay! Managed over ten pages, thanks to the magic of chocolate. Now I deserve a rest. Though really, I should do some exercise.
Progress - Wolf 2 revision
New/Revised pages - Revised 17 or so.
Intriguing things - I do like this bit even though it's all horrid and sad.
Annoyances - Too tired to push through to the end, I'll do a better job tomorrow with eight hours sleep under the belt.
Music - Final act soundtrack
Linear/Non-linear - Linear.
Location - The desk. Word and think.
Taking care of Mel - Shopping? I think I will try for some exercise. Even ten minutes on the elliptical would be good.
Muse food - Some House after the exercise.
Progress - Wolf 2 revision
New/Revised pages - Revised 17 or so.
Intriguing things - I do like this bit even though it's all horrid and sad.
Annoyances - Too tired to push through to the end, I'll do a better job tomorrow with eight hours sleep under the belt.
Music - Final act soundtrack
Linear/Non-linear - Linear.
Location - The desk. Word and think.
Taking care of Mel - Shopping? I think I will try for some exercise. Even ten minutes on the elliptical would be good.
Muse food - Some House after the exercise.
April 13, 2008
Retrospective
This meme seems to be going around today (see here, here and here) so I thought I've give it a go...a potted history of Mel's writing career aka the stuff I can remember writing enough of to qualify as a book or intended to be a book rather than a short story. The year is the year I finished the first draft (or started the book if it's unfinished) and everything that's been submitted has probably had at least three drafts...so hopefully I've more than clocked up that million words figure people bandy about.
1981. (I think...Grade Three anyway) My first books. I wrote a series of three or so stories about a family of unicorns with a friend. Taught me the perils of collaboration and secret babies.
1984. Rlent's Journey Very bad derivative fantasy which owed a lot to Anne McCaffrey. Wrote some chapters on and off and then at some point realised that it was derivative. Interesting concept though...
1989. The Fantasy Book (still no real title). I wrote the first four or five chapters of this in my last year of high school and my friends loved it. Cough-teen years later I'm still trying to write the darn thing. Romantic fantasy with slight leanings towards epicness. I love this book and will get it right one day.
1989. My First Romance (no idea if it had a title). Wrote this as a 3k story for an English assignment. A reunion romance between a actress/director who'd had an affair in college when he was a visiting professor. Have at various times played with it since then but not sure I'll ever do anything with it.
2001. The Bride's Bargain. Category romance. Wrote the first three chapters in a burst around 1995 then it sat when work/study took over for a few years, tried again in 1996 and ditto. Sometime in 2001 I realised if I ever wanted to be a writer, I'd better finish a book and finished it. The full got a very form rejection from Silhouette but the bug had bitten. Another reunion romance. Has potential but I'm kind of scared to look at it now lol.
2002. Convincing Callie. Category romance. My first 'gift' book. The hero was a minor character who kept wanting to take over in TBB so I decided to give him a book. Which he then ran with and it just flew out. Won a few competitions but has been rejected by all three offices of HM&B in various guises which is a pity because I love the hero. Got me my first 'please send us something else' rejection from Desire. Ditto from ModX a few years later after revising.
2002. Take A Chance On Me. Category Romance. The book I wrote to submit to Desire as my something else. Another reunion. Got a very encouraging rejection from the editor who wanted to work with me on the next one.
2002. Be My Downfall. Category Romance. Nanowrimo book. The h/h are secondary characters from TAC so it won't get properly revised/submitted unless I ever sell TAC.
2003. Don't Stand So Close To Me. Bombshell/Action Romance. Wrote the partial and sent it off then wrote a few more chapters but didn't want to write the rest unless I got a request (at this point I knew I could write fast when I needed to). It got rejected. Yet to be finished but could be a fun single title. My first experiment with first person. 2003 was also the year of revising many things for submission or comps. I lost both my grandparents that year and the writing was hard.
2004. Getting Wise. Category Romance. The book I was writing for the Desire editor. Who then left the company which threw me for a loop and GW turned into the book from hell, possibly cos it was angsty and I was grieving. I've rewritten it a few times but it eludes me for now. Never submitted. I probably also revised CC and TAC in 04 for comps and to submit elsewhere. I think TAC was my first GH entry that went nowhere.
2004. Be My Downfall. Romance. Nano book. I thought it was category but it's kind of bigger and more complicated than that. To be revised/written properly someday.
2005. Can't Stand The Heat. Category Romance. I'd had the idea of this sometime in 2004. Wrote it very fast in 2005 after an online editor pitch, did okay in comps. I really like this book. Another GH entry that got better scores but didn't do anything. Got me another 'please send more' rejection from ModX and a revised version of the partial is currently at Blaze after pitching it at last year's National.
2005. Me and Mr Jones. Romance. Possibly category but not sure the idea would work for them. Unfinished. Needs re-thinking.
2005. Steamy Weather. Single Title Romance. Another gift book that was flying out until I stupidly took it to critting too early and got stalled at just over 100 pages. I will finish it one day when I figure out how to get the girls to stop sulking and get back into the groove of it. Up until then I'd never had a problem having first drafts critted before the book was finished. Now I rarely show anyone any part of the first draft until it's done, particularly if it's flowing well. So it's the book that changed my process.
2005. The Deadly Pool. Romantic Fantasy set in kind of an alternate England/Scotland/France with a tech level about equivalent to the Regency period and similar society with magic. Not finished and shelved until I have time to do it but I like it.
2006. The Ex-Factor. Category romance. Reunion romance (yes, I like reunion stories). Finalled in the Golden Heart but had already had a revision request by the time it finalled. Revised partial in London.
2006. The Wolf Within. Urban Fantasy. I think I wrote the first bit of this late in 2005 then another forty pages maybe early 2006 when I probably got the rejection on CSTH and wrote TEF. Put it into a 'cold read' session at the RWOz 06 conference with Miriam and she requested the partial. Turned into a gift book when I sat down to finish it and wrote the rest in about six weeks. Finalled in the 07 GH and won/finalled several other comps. Got me my agent and is currently out there doing the rounds.
2007. The Dark Side (sequel to TWW). Urban Fantasy. About to start revising.
2007. Wolf 3. Urban Fantasy. One chapter written but on hold till I revise Wolf 2 for a few things so I can get the ongoing threads right.
2007. For One Night Only. Category romance. Not finished as I started writing it when I hit my tooth pulling/I have too many wips going on/day job project from hell/nothing is flowing period late last year. One to come back to.
2008. Witch 1. Urban Fantasy. First draft done and will be revised after I revise Wolf 2.
2008. Planned - revise Wolf 2, do something romance-y, revise Witch 1, then it's a toss up between Witch 2 or my other urban fantasy idea. All in the lap of the gods and what happens with what I've got out on submission.
And now I know what I've been doing with the last few years of my life...typing. By my count that's ten books (not counting the unicorns!) with at least a complete first draft (and I'd say all but one of those has had 2-3 drafts) and another five or six in various stages of completion. Not too shabby for just under seven years of serious writing. I think I need a lie down : )
1981. (I think...Grade Three anyway) My first books. I wrote a series of three or so stories about a family of unicorns with a friend. Taught me the perils of collaboration and secret babies.
1984. Rlent's Journey Very bad derivative fantasy which owed a lot to Anne McCaffrey. Wrote some chapters on and off and then at some point realised that it was derivative. Interesting concept though...
1989. The Fantasy Book (still no real title). I wrote the first four or five chapters of this in my last year of high school and my friends loved it. Cough-teen years later I'm still trying to write the darn thing. Romantic fantasy with slight leanings towards epicness. I love this book and will get it right one day.
1989. My First Romance (no idea if it had a title). Wrote this as a 3k story for an English assignment. A reunion romance between a actress/director who'd had an affair in college when he was a visiting professor. Have at various times played with it since then but not sure I'll ever do anything with it.
2001. The Bride's Bargain. Category romance. Wrote the first three chapters in a burst around 1995 then it sat when work/study took over for a few years, tried again in 1996 and ditto. Sometime in 2001 I realised if I ever wanted to be a writer, I'd better finish a book and finished it. The full got a very form rejection from Silhouette but the bug had bitten. Another reunion romance. Has potential but I'm kind of scared to look at it now lol.
2002. Convincing Callie. Category romance. My first 'gift' book. The hero was a minor character who kept wanting to take over in TBB so I decided to give him a book. Which he then ran with and it just flew out. Won a few competitions but has been rejected by all three offices of HM&B in various guises which is a pity because I love the hero. Got me my first 'please send us something else' rejection from Desire. Ditto from ModX a few years later after revising.
2002. Take A Chance On Me. Category Romance. The book I wrote to submit to Desire as my something else. Another reunion. Got a very encouraging rejection from the editor who wanted to work with me on the next one.
2002. Be My Downfall. Category Romance. Nanowrimo book. The h/h are secondary characters from TAC so it won't get properly revised/submitted unless I ever sell TAC.
2003. Don't Stand So Close To Me. Bombshell/Action Romance. Wrote the partial and sent it off then wrote a few more chapters but didn't want to write the rest unless I got a request (at this point I knew I could write fast when I needed to). It got rejected. Yet to be finished but could be a fun single title. My first experiment with first person. 2003 was also the year of revising many things for submission or comps. I lost both my grandparents that year and the writing was hard.
2004. Getting Wise. Category Romance. The book I was writing for the Desire editor. Who then left the company which threw me for a loop and GW turned into the book from hell, possibly cos it was angsty and I was grieving. I've rewritten it a few times but it eludes me for now. Never submitted. I probably also revised CC and TAC in 04 for comps and to submit elsewhere. I think TAC was my first GH entry that went nowhere.
2004. Be My Downfall. Romance. Nano book. I thought it was category but it's kind of bigger and more complicated than that. To be revised/written properly someday.
2005. Can't Stand The Heat. Category Romance. I'd had the idea of this sometime in 2004. Wrote it very fast in 2005 after an online editor pitch, did okay in comps. I really like this book. Another GH entry that got better scores but didn't do anything. Got me another 'please send more' rejection from ModX and a revised version of the partial is currently at Blaze after pitching it at last year's National.
2005. Me and Mr Jones. Romance. Possibly category but not sure the idea would work for them. Unfinished. Needs re-thinking.
2005. Steamy Weather. Single Title Romance. Another gift book that was flying out until I stupidly took it to critting too early and got stalled at just over 100 pages. I will finish it one day when I figure out how to get the girls to stop sulking and get back into the groove of it. Up until then I'd never had a problem having first drafts critted before the book was finished. Now I rarely show anyone any part of the first draft until it's done, particularly if it's flowing well. So it's the book that changed my process.
2005. The Deadly Pool. Romantic Fantasy set in kind of an alternate England/Scotland/France with a tech level about equivalent to the Regency period and similar society with magic. Not finished and shelved until I have time to do it but I like it.
2006. The Ex-Factor. Category romance. Reunion romance (yes, I like reunion stories). Finalled in the Golden Heart but had already had a revision request by the time it finalled. Revised partial in London.
2006. The Wolf Within. Urban Fantasy. I think I wrote the first bit of this late in 2005 then another forty pages maybe early 2006 when I probably got the rejection on CSTH and wrote TEF. Put it into a 'cold read' session at the RWOz 06 conference with Miriam and she requested the partial. Turned into a gift book when I sat down to finish it and wrote the rest in about six weeks. Finalled in the 07 GH and won/finalled several other comps. Got me my agent and is currently out there doing the rounds.
2007. The Dark Side (sequel to TWW). Urban Fantasy. About to start revising.
2007. Wolf 3. Urban Fantasy. One chapter written but on hold till I revise Wolf 2 for a few things so I can get the ongoing threads right.
2007. For One Night Only. Category romance. Not finished as I started writing it when I hit my tooth pulling/I have too many wips going on/day job project from hell/nothing is flowing period late last year. One to come back to.
2008. Witch 1. Urban Fantasy. First draft done and will be revised after I revise Wolf 2.
2008. Planned - revise Wolf 2, do something romance-y, revise Witch 1, then it's a toss up between Witch 2 or my other urban fantasy idea. All in the lap of the gods and what happens with what I've got out on submission.
And now I know what I've been doing with the last few years of my life...typing. By my count that's ten books (not counting the unicorns!) with at least a complete first draft (and I'd say all but one of those has had 2-3 drafts) and another five or six in various stages of completion. Not too shabby for just under seven years of serious writing. I think I need a lie down : )
April 08, 2008
Get your motors running
Well it's not exactly an inspired charge to the end but it's heading in the right direction. Not bad for a work day. I even alphied on the train. Writing on the train is a sure sign I'm either right into a book or just want it to be done : )
Progress - Witch 1
New pages - Twelve
Intriguing things - They put it all together
Annoyances - heroes being mercantile
Music - Whole soundtrack on the iPod and The Killers - Mr Brightside on the headphones at the desk
Linear/Non-linear - Linear.
Location - Alphie on the train. Scrivener at the desk with think and full screen
Taking care of Mel - Evil herbal potions. Very very boring food. Meditation. Walkies
Muse food - La Nora. The girls want La Nora.
Progress - Witch 1
New pages - Twelve
Intriguing things - They put it all together
Annoyances - heroes being mercantile
Music - Whole soundtrack on the iPod and The Killers - Mr Brightside on the headphones at the desk
Linear/Non-linear - Linear.
Location - Alphie on the train. Scrivener at the desk with think and full screen
Taking care of Mel - Evil herbal potions. Very very boring food. Meditation. Walkies
Muse food - La Nora. The girls want La Nora.
March 30, 2008
Blitz me
I woke up with the slightly nutty idea that if I write 18 pages today I'll be at 60k. I don't know why, maybe it's because that's the length my short contemps are, but 60k feels much closer to done than being in the fifties.
I'm going to try doing some alphie blitzes, I always write faster on the alphie, and see how I go....hopefully the fact that I stayed up until after 1am watching North and South thanks to Keri lending me the DVDs will not come back to haunt me.
Lunch break update. Eight pages down....ten more seems do-able. Though it would be easier with diet coke and chocolate : ) Instead I shall have vegie soup and herbal tea. Doesn't quite have the same ring to it!
The final tally. I could maybe do a few more but I don't think my hands will thank me for it tomorrow. Damn, does this mean I have to do some housework after all?
Progress - Witch 1
New pages - Nineteen
Intriguing things - Lurve
Annoyances - Nothing major
Music - Moby. Chris Isaak - Wicked Games. Scissor Sisters. iPod.
Linear/Non-linear - Linear.
Location - Alphie in bed
Taking care of Mel - Meditation.
Muse food - North and South last night and McDreamy tonight (yay)!
I'm going to try doing some alphie blitzes, I always write faster on the alphie, and see how I go....hopefully the fact that I stayed up until after 1am watching North and South thanks to Keri lending me the DVDs will not come back to haunt me.
Lunch break update. Eight pages down....ten more seems do-able. Though it would be easier with diet coke and chocolate : ) Instead I shall have vegie soup and herbal tea. Doesn't quite have the same ring to it!
The final tally. I could maybe do a few more but I don't think my hands will thank me for it tomorrow. Damn, does this mean I have to do some housework after all?
Progress - Witch 1
New pages - Nineteen
Intriguing things - Lurve
Annoyances - Nothing major
Music - Moby. Chris Isaak - Wicked Games. Scissor Sisters. iPod.
Linear/Non-linear - Linear.
Location - Alphie in bed
Taking care of Mel - Meditation.
Muse food - North and South last night and McDreamy tonight (yay)!
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