#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/08/14

Posted on 2013/08/14 by Tonette dela Luna

WRITING:

AugNoWriMo is chugging along with my Multiple POV approach. I’m discovering things about my characters I hadn’t originally considered and it’s exciting to include these character layers in the WIP.

READING:

The Mothership’s birthday and Tots extra hyperactivity kept me busy the last few days so I’ll be diving into my reading tonight and for the rest of the week: more of K.M. Weiland‘s forthcoming Structuring Your Novel and the WIP excerpts from my SCBWI critique group.

NETWORKING:

I’m enjoying the check-in posts for #wipmadness on Candilynn Fite’s blog. Maybe she should come up with a series called ‘Yoga for Writers.’ I’ve never quite tried yoga but I think my back will thank me if I did.

LEARNING:

I’m digging the Udemy courses, so far:

Young Adult Novel Writing Workshop

Pain Free at Work

Learn Guitar in 21 Days

Next up, more digging with the recorded webinars and ebooks I bought at the Writer’s Digest Shop.

August is already halfway done. Before I know it, I’m going to start hearing Christmas carols everywhere.

Week in Review – 2013/08/05 – 2013/08/11

Posted on 2013/08/11 by Tonette dela Luna

WRITING:

I’m digging the POV shift experiment for Aaralyn’s Song, so far. It’s added new depth and helped me view certain scenes differently. It’s also allowed me to get to discover new facets to my characters. Spiffy progress there. That’s good news for AugNoWriMo and for my WIP, as a whole. I hadn’t planned on working on my WIP this weekend, as part of my recharging mode. However, I’m revved up to write because of these new angles to tackle. Love it.

READING:

I read some interesting entries for the 21st Annual Heart of the West Writers Contest sponsored by the Utah Chapter of Romance Writers of America.

This week I’m continuing K.M. Weiland‘s forthcoming Structuring Your Novel. I have WIP excerpts from fellow SCBWI critique group members to work through as well. I like the discovery of other forthcoming awesomeness to this great industry.

NETWORKING:

Tomorrow, #wipmadness check-ins continue on Candilynn Fite’s blog. More #ROW80 check-ins, updates at Ali Luke’s Writers’ Huddle, and SavvyAuthors. Lots of accountability.

I’ve enjoyed blog hopping and visiting various writing sites for my WIP’s research. I’m quickly building a great line up for my FRIDAY FORAGE series.

LEARNING:

One of my favorite writing places, SavvyAuthors, is undergoing some renovations with their new site. As such, I wasn’t able to register for two classes that began this past Monday. While I was intrigued by the subject matter, I think it was a blessing in disguise because it forced me to go to the resources I already have–as I should have done before finding myself intrigued by these new ones!–and I’ve found gold. Better yet, I’m saving money. It’s become a habit to check for new classes and workshops every week.

New Memo to Self: Stop it! Stop. It. Pretty please, stop it!

Repeat Memo to Self: USE RESOURCES YOU ALREADY HAVE!

The good news: Some courses had new classes that posted once a week. Now with some fully available or at least a few months in, I have the option of marathoning lessons or going to the topics pertinent to my WIP. Awesometastic.

I also have some calluses that need tending to. Guitar lessons this afternoon. Sweet.

Ain’t it great that I’m learning my lesson by learning my lessons? 😉

Bring it on, August! I’m ready for ya.

FRIDAY FORAGE – 2013/07/26

Posted on 2013/07/26 by Tonette dela Luna

WEEK FIVE: WRITE YOUR NOVEL THIS SUMMER

I’m thrilled at the breakthrough in my outline revision. Took some MAJOR brainstorming but I’ve breathed new life into my Fractured Tales Series. It’s a departure from my original concept, but that’s all part of the process and I’m stoked! I played around with half a dozen scenarios and put new twists to a story that already had twists built in. Fun times.

Hopping around the interwebs, I’m happy for fellow writers who’ve completed their drafts, revisions, and even got book deals. There’s a buzz of excitement in the writing community and it fuels every writing session I have.

Yesterday, I registered for Candace Havens’ The Book in a Month Club workshop that includes a Fast Draft process where I dismiss my internal editor and churn out twenty pages or 5,000 words a day. Hopefully, I can use the weekend to my advantage. I’ll use this method not only for my current WIP but for potential anthology submissions. Smaller word counts mean an even speedier way to a completed draft. I will need to outline, of course, to ensure I have the proper foundation before I let loose.

Now that I’ve got my compass sorted out with this WIP, I can’t wait to immerse myself in some major writing sessions. Tomorrow, I’ll be writing in the waiting room at the dentist’s office. Anywhere and everywhere, the words are gonna fly.

It’s interesting how much can happen in a fortnight to change the direction of a project, as well as my renewed energy to tackle this head on. No one said it would be easy, but highs and lows, the ride’s been fun because I learn new things everyday about the craft of writing, my WIP, and myself as a writer.

I’m in the Pit no longer.

Things are definitely looking up.

#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/07/24

Posted on 2013/07/24 by Tonette dela Luna

WRITING:

Camp NaNoWriMo and JulNoWriMo. Tweeting updates with @JulNoWriMo and #CampNaNoWriMo. Every Friday until September 21st, I’ll be writing update posts for WRITE YOUR NOVEL THIS SUMMER.

Fractured Tales Series Word Running Total for July: 60,170 words

Totals from April, June, and July: 224,029 words

Headway on the outline revision and HOPEFULLY steering this ship in the right direction. Believe it or not, it’s okay to be excited and terrified at the same time. I am and I’m okay with that. 🙂

This next bit goes in my unofficial Edification Category, but it falls under the WRITING umbrella:

1) I’ve taken part in Savvy Authors Summer Hike hosted by the wonderful Cathy Yardley and it’s another great way to have ongoing support and accountability as I achieve my writing goals. Since I surpassed the 50K word count goal awhile ago, I decided to spend the rest of the month revising my outline. It’s going to be like playing Jenga or Tetris with words. [SIDEBAR: I looked up the proper links to associate with the games and found this. Amusing, considering my previous sentence. I had no idea it existed.]

August, rather than WriMo myself into a black hole of Writer’s Burnout, I’ll give myself a little extra time to make sure my outline is solid. It’s something I’ve never quite done in previous WriMos. I shall not pants my plots anymore. Not even Bermuda shorts. I need to be rigid to ensure a smoother writing experience. My goal is to write and polish the first fifty pages of the novel by September 1st. That’s 12,500 and far less pressure on myself than I’ve been dousing since the start of the year.

2) I went back to that scary wildebeast of an assignment. There’s still a ways to go yet but I’m making progress in the outline’s refinement. Progress is always a good thing.

There are other activities and challenges that I’ve taken up and I’ll post updates in the next couple of posts. Good things ahead because it’s all things writerly.

READING:

Currently reading:

Next up:

(Although, I have read a few pages of each to get a taste of what’s to come.)

Total books read since June 23rd:

Fiction: 9

Non-Fiction: 3

Not freaking out that I haven’t finished a book yet this week. I have my own to work on. I’ll be a Beta Reader for fellow writers’ manuscripts and I think that’s an interesting endeavor. I’ve done it in the past and it helped me appreciate the skills I’ve learned and honed, as well as appreciating a story as a reader. I say this counts as as part of my reading challenge. I’ll be pulling double duty because there will be edits and critiques involved. Reminds me of a teacher who asked me if I wanted to be an editor. I certainly wouldn’t mind. These tasks, reading and editing, they’re just a couple of ways for me to improve my own writing.

SOCIAL MEDIA-ING (formerly known as BLOGGING):

Check-ins on Angelina C. Hansen’s blog for #wipmadness continue every Monday In July. I’m a newbie compared to how long my fellow WIPsters have been at the grind. This week we celebrate book deals, query submissions, and just getting the words on the page. We should all be proud of our efforts. Three Sunday #ROW80 check-ins and four Mid-Week Check-Ins, so far.

I’ve been on the lookout for insightful articles and websites for my FRIDAY FORAGE series. I’m not sure if I’ll post them during my summer writing challenge but it couldn’t hurt. The interwebs are a cornucopia of knowledge. I’m enjoying the scavenger hunt, so far.

OTHERS:

Duolingo is something I’m going to take a peek at on the weekends.

Speaking of… staycations. Weekend getaways either geographically or just in your own backyard. I highly recommend them. Get this, after the zany non-stop action with The Keysmashing Tots, you’ll never guess… I. Had. Fun.

Unbelievable, I know. But fun was to be had, rest was taken, my eyes, my back, my carpal issues. Come Monday (technically. Sunday night when I got back to the tykes), I had renewed energy and out of the gate, the words flowed with more ease than in the last fortnight. As part of my writing goals for the summer, I decided that, come August, I’ll take the weekends off, or at the very least, keep Saturdays as a catch-up buffer day, but Sunday is a writing-free day.

Did I mention how highly I recommend this?

How’s your July 24th?

Week in Review – 2013/07/15 – 2013/07/21

Posted on 2013/07/21 by Tonette dela Luna

WRITING:

Camp NaNoWriMo and JulNoWriMo. Tweeting updates with @JulNoWriMo and #CampNaNoWriMo. Every Friday until September 21st, I’ll be writing update posts for WRITE YOUR NOVEL THIS SUMMER.

Fractured Tales Series Word Running Total for July (as of yesterday): 52,984 words

Totals from April, June, and July (as of yesterday): 216,843 words

I aim to tackle that writing assignment again in the workshop that helped me see the error of my ways. I also have more specific goals to outline as it pertains to another writing group’s summer session. When those are up and running, I’ll post them here.

At the very least, my goals for two out of three writing challenges have already been met as I’ve exceeded the 50K word count I set for myself this month. I’m going to spend the rest of the month restructuring my plot outline to make sure that the scenes I wrote fit organically and that my character and overall story GMC is ironed out. Next month, I’ll work on my revised plan. More preparation, less stress, I think that’s a better combination for what my schedule is looking to be for the next few months.

READING:

Here’s what I read this week:

Currently reading and on deck:

Total books read since June 23rd:

Fiction: 9

Non-Fiction: 3

The numbers aren’t bad considering I’m unofficially taking part in the 30 Books in 90 Days. So far, I’m ahead of schedule in that regard. The good thing, too, is that all the reading has helped with my plotting issues in my current WIP. The reading continues.

SOCIAL MEDIA-ING (formerly known as BLOGGING):

Check-ins on Angelina C. Hansen’s blog for #wipmadness continue every Monday In July. Three Sunday #ROW80 check-ins and three Mid-Week Check-Ins, so far.

My FRIDAY FORAGE was–to me, at least–shining, shimmering, and splendid. The week began on a low point and ended much better for me. With everything happening with my writing and home life, it’s good to remind myself that it’s okay for goals to change, to make certain adjustments here and there as life throws those ever-loving curveballs at us. The end goal remains the same, it’s just the method of getting there that changes.

OTHERS:

Duolingo is going to have to wait awhile longer while I fix my WIP glitches.

On the upside, this weekend involved a cleansing staycation at a hotel and I was treated to a much needed massage. It’s nice to have getaways with the Mothership and Sisterhood. Two days now without diapers and the children’s voices and scampering about were of those I didn’t know. It’s like I’m in a different country but the brain is recharging and the excitement to write is returning. Tomorrow–or rather, tonight–is already the start to another intense week, but I think I’m better prepared for it this time.

Tonight, the weekend ends with the Sisterhood and I taking part in a feast of fowl, a banquet of birds. Seriously. According to the blurb from the restaurant, we’ll be dining on 8 birds served 13 different ways.

Is the eighth bird chicken? They didn’t even show the eighth bird, why?! Please be chicken. Egads. I think the only chicken at this dining experience will be me. Here’s to new experiences, right?