Category Archives: Writing/Reading Challenges

#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/10/09

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WRITING:

I have not one but three possible ideas for Entangled Smackdown over at SavvyAuthors. Going the novella route, one option is to write five to seven 10K novellas covering a day over the course of a week. I just need to keep in mind that each novella needs to be engaging and self-contained. To do this, I have story ideas that seemed disparate at first but now have the potential to link up in an overall story arc.

EDIT: Thought of a different idea while responding to comments. Perhaps I can tell the same story over the course of twenty-four hours (or a reasonable duration for a novella) but each novella is told from a different POVs. So excited. 🙂

READING:

As part of my Coursera class Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World, I have a boatload to read. Here’s an author list so you get an idea: Grimm, Carroll, Stoker, Shelley, Hawthorne, Poe, Wells, Burroughs, Gilman, Bradbury, LeGuin, and Doctorow.

If you know them just by their last names, you know it’s epic. A feast for the eyeballs, to be sure. That there is plenty of Fantasy and Science Fiction to fill my cranium for the next little while.

Dare I dream that one day you will know the name dela Luna, as well? 🙂

NETWORKING:

I like the forums within the workshops as it lends to peer-teaching and interaction which is pretty neat. I enjoy the discourse and healthy debate over plenty of subjects. That is, of course, when the forums cooperate.

LEARNING:

Three languages. One me. Duolingo offers a lot for a free app. Gotta love free good stuff.

Udemy is offering classes on learning how to learn. It might sound kooky but I’m finding it enlightening. We’re taught what to learn in school but not how to learn it. These classes help you approach new topics and pretty much takes the formation of new thoughts and ideas from a completely new and fresh perspective.

Yeah, I’m a nerd, but learning just got more fun. Bonus? No exam pressure. That was probably the worst thing about my tenure in the educational realm.

Tomorrow, I’m going on a sisterly excursion to Toronto. Haven’t been back in almost twenty years. Seeing places of old that become new again has given me an idea for my next FRIDAY FORAGE post. Stay tuned.

Week in Review – 2013/09/30 – 2013/10/06

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WRITING:

I’m storming the brain for possible contingency plans for Entangled Smackdown over at SavvyAuthors. Meanwhile I’ve come up with new ideas–too many–and have even distracted myself with some fangirl ideas. I came up with a fanfic story for a 13th Doctor, a girl!

Downside, I haven’t narrowed down my plethora of ideas. Upside, I have a plethora of ideas. haha

READING:

Finished a beta read and have to sink my teeth into book reviews and critiques. And also the many workshops I’m taking now and from before. Ugh. Any word on that speed reading course yet, people?

NETWORKING:

There’s a new check-in for #wipmadness and #ROW80 this week. Maybe I can tap other creative minds on upcoming project idea whittling.

LEARNING:

Thankfully, an area that is never lacking is my edification. Along with Spanish and French, I’ve now taken up German on Duolingo. Good thing, too, my sister’s joined up and is taking French and German, as well.

Udemy has taught me in the ways of time management, writing, and new ways of thinking. I love soaking in all the innovation.

At Savvy Authors I’m taking Character Development with Mary McCall and Putting the Suspense in Romantic Suspense with Dee Lloyd. They run through to the end of the month and I hope they’ll help sort out my current Entangled entanglement.

I have a class starting on Coursera tomorrow. It’s called Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World. How awesome is it that universities all over the map offer free and intriguing courses? Score one for perpetual learning!

Busy week ahead including a little romp back east. It’s going to be weird returning to places I haven’t seen in half my life. Seriously.

Excited for the zaniness ahead. How goes it for you?

Week in Review – 2013/09/23 – 2013/09/29

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WRITING:

Last Week in Review for September and I’m already thinking about November writing challenges. More info on Entangled Smackdown over at SavvyAuthors. Turns out if I’m signed up for that I can’t do the SavvyAuthors NaNo Bootcamp because that’s on a different forum. I suppose I can live with that. haha Less crazy for this crazy gal. My desired suspense imprint isn’t among those participating. The only one that would fit my potential story is their Flirt Imprint. Since the challenge is to write 50K in November and this imprint is for novellas of 10K-15K words in length, maybe I can write a series or episodes? More pondering in the next six weeks.

 

READING:

Aside from the classes, beta reads, critiques, and my WIPs, I’ll be reading craft books in preparation for November. This is a serious one. Woot.

 

 

NETWORKING:

I’m super embarrassed that I missed the chat last Wednesday. Not that this is a defence, but it was my birthday and the familiar wanted to cheer me up because of my fracture. It’s weird because I’m always an hour early to those things and that day, I completely spaced for the first time. Huh. I’ll get on the ball for the next one. Also looking forward to the teams for Entangled Smackdown. Should be fun.

 

LEARNING:

I’m on Level 10 in Spanish and Level 7 in French on Duolingo. I’m considering starting a third language next month–or rather, in two days. Portuguese, German, or Italian? I’d flip a coin if I had one with three sides.

Jamming with Bilbo aside, I can’t stop thinking about my WIP to be for November. I suppose that’s a good thing, right? Soooo excited!

#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/09/18

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WRITING:

Doc says the thumb shouldn’t bother me–in about six months! Grr. Could’ve been worse. Healed fracture is better than a broken digit. Silver lining?

That said, my writing has suffered since my last report. I’ve been doing more reading (of my writing) and minor edits than full-on revisions and that makes me sad.

I know it’s a temporary setback. I’d just rather it be over already.

Despite the physical issues, I edited my novella and am at a better stage of revisions than I was a month ago. My current WIP has stalled slightly due to life’s continuous snafus, but I shall chug ahead. Even though the path of the WIP and trajectory of it’s completion has changed, I think these changes are for the betterment of the story and for myself as a growing writer.

On deck: More revisions for my Spec Fic Thriller Imprint and more work on my YA Fantasy Aaralyn’s Song.

READING:

Lots of reading in lieu of writing. Critiques, beta reads, and reviews… oh my. Whatever problems are in my way, I’m still getting some work done, but seriously. Ugh much?

So much to read and I haven’t taken that speed reading course yet! I need to reassess my work-life balance. (See ‘On deck’ below.)

On deck: read through lessons for various workshops. One, oddly enough, is about balancing the chaos and overwhelming nature of multitasking.

NETWORKING:

Speaking of, I need to get cracking on my FRIDAY FORAGE blog post research. I’d hoped to have a few advanced posts tucked away but life had other plans. No worries. It’ll get done.

These check-ins have been super helpful so I can keep track of my ups and downs. Despite the endless list of tasks on my to-do list, my TBR list, and everything else, I think adding more responsibility to my plate, including modding for the WFWA Forums and SavvyAuthors, is forcing me into focus. That’s a good thing.

On deck: I have a chat to moderate tonight over at Savvy Authors. It’s called The Two Strings Technique: Adding Contrast and Interest to Our Writing and will be conducted by L. Jagi Lamplighter. Should be fun. Wednesday nights have become a staple of good fun.

LEARNING:

I’m on Level 9 in Spanish and Level 6 in French on Duolingo. Keeping busy rather than moping about fractured thumbs and whatnot.

I’m supposed to increase mobility and will look into physio. Maybe I should just play more ukelele. 🙂

Languages abound. I plan on adding another language to my learning repertoire in October. More on that soon.

On deck: lingo and lyrics, conjugations and chords. Fun times.

 

How’s your September treating you?

Week in Review – 2013/09/09 – 2013/09/14

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WRITING:

So, I’ve had this pain in my left thumb for about six weeks now. Probably should have gotten it checked out sooner than I did (almost a month after the first day of pain). Got the results of the x-rays a couple days ago and it turns out that I fractured my thumb. Better yet, by the looks of the x-rays, it is a healed fracture. They don’t know when the fracture first occurred, so I’m not sure that the day I woke up to the pain was the day it fractured or if it was already on the road to recovery.

Six weeks later, the pain is still as annoying as it was on probably Day Five. That’s not good, but since it’s already ‘healed’, there’s little else the docs can do but tell me to keep moving it. It’s slow going but it’s hard to function. My left hand is probably 30% functional.

Not fun.

That said, I managed to edit 132 pages for Revision Hell. Those were easy to accomplish because it was mostly reading and minor typing. I haven’t been able to get far in terms of revisions, though. Extensive typing burns me out even though I’m not really using my thumb. It’s like someone’s poking hot needles into my joints.

Wish I could say dictation software helps. It’s fine for drafting, but when I need to take chunks of existing words, reorder, restructure, and rephrase them, it just turns into a hot mess.

Fingers crossed for my thumb, I hope to get back to full speed soon.

READING:

When it rains–you get really wet. Nice to have everything happen at the same time. Fractured thumb, compromised vision from allergy issues. I suppose I really like to put the challenge in ‘Writing/Reading Challenge’. The work I have to beta read, critique, and review this month is slow going but is getting done.

NETWORKING:

A flurry of activity on the WFWA Forums. Good stuff there. It’s nice to be a member of such a nurturing community.

Speaking of, this coming Wednesday I’ll be co-modding an author chat over at SavvyAuthors. My other home away from home.

I find that getting more active within these communities has helped me. It’s good practice for future networking opportunities. Oddly enough, as chaotic as schedules are and the number of posts to deal with, it keeps me sane because I know the countless of writers out there who feel the same way I do on any given day. Writers unite!

LEARNING:

I’m still on Level 9 in Spanish and Level 5 in French on Duolingo. I am making progress though. I try and do at least two lessons each per day. It’s nice to take a break from other writerly duties and activate different parts of my brain.

I haven’t jammed for the last few days because my thumb’s being extra finicky–and that was before I got the results back from the doc. I’ll take it easy and work my thumb on the Uke because it’s just too painful to maneuver through chords on the guitar. Soon, though.

Dare I jinx it and say the weather is finally at a climate I can enjoy?

Have a great writing week, everyone!