Tag Archives: #ROW80

#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?

#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!

#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/09/11

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WRITING:

Over at SavvyAuthors I’m in the midst of Revision Hell. Workshop name aside, I’m actually having fun reading my Spec Fic Thriller Imprint again after all this time. So far, I’ve done surface edits for 95 pages. That means, I’ve fixed typos and minor structural issues.

Per the RH rules, there is a difference between edits and revisions. Revisions are more detailed, such as rewriting entire passages, writing POV shifts, that sort of thing. I revised seven pages.

They also have a thing called BICHOK which means But in Chair, Hands on Keyboard. I did three hours in the morning and three and a half hours at night.

We’re in teams so all these numbers are totalled up and we compete to see who can get through RH with the most points. It’s a fun way to keep accountable and motivate other writers. Everything I’m learning in these classes is works wonders for my other projects, including my YA Fantasy Aaralyn’s Song.

READING:

I’m beta reading, critiquing, and reviewing this month. Those take priority over my personal TBR list. But it’s all good stuff. I’ve paused Daniel Tammet’s Born on a Blue Day but will get back to it as soon as I’ve done the reading that has a deadline.

NETWORKING:

I’m a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. What I like about this group is that it’s a community of writers that write about a woman’s emotional journey regardless of genre, so it’s not confined to romance. I’ve nothing against romance. In fact, I’m trying to write stories with romantic elements, but I appreciate how the group’s definition of Women’s Fiction has expanded to accommodate other writing styles.

On Monday, the WFWA launched its shiny new website and we’re hoping to have a great line-up of workshops. I’m a forum moderator for the Aspiring Author, Debut Author, Craft, Marketing, and Business of Writing boards. Lots of activity since we launched. So much fun.

LEARNING:

Duolingo!! I’m on Level 9 in Spanish and Level 5 in French. The higher the level the more lessons there are. I was hoping to crack Level 10 by this update, but I’ll get there soon. 🙂

And my beloved Bilbo has returned safe and strung. While dealing with my allergy shot regimen and how it’s messing with my vision, I can close my eyes and jam. Which is what I did with the Sisterhood over the weekend. I like to squeeze in at least twenty minutes a day and it helps me unwind from everything else.

Hope everyone’s in a creative buzz (despite how hot the weather’s been lately. At least in these parts!) and enjoy the rest of the week!