Tag Archives: Writers’ Huddle

#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/08/21

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WRITING:

My WIP, Aaralyn’s Song, is a YA Fantasy. Some themes are of the darker variety, but this successful POV experiment has brought out edgier sides to my characters. I’d say AugNoWriMo is going superbly. 🙂

READING:

I’m swamped but getting through my reading:  K.M. Weiland‘s forthcoming Structuring Your Novel and the WIP excerpts from fellow SCBWI critique group members.

NETWORKING:

Accountability continues with #wipmadness check-ins on Candilynn Fite’s blog and #ROW80 check-ins, along with updates at Ali Luke’s Writers’ Huddle. Still, I should be held more accountable for my lag in reading. 😦

LEARNING:

SavvyAuthors‘ 2013 Summer Symposium started today. As if I wasn’t overwhelmed–in a good way–with my current workshops. The next five days are full of ace material to learn from.

My buddy Bilbo Watson is under the weather. I ran some errands yesterday only to come home to find one of his strings popped. Turns out the string wasn’t long enough and the knot unravelled. I made some phone calls and here are my options:

1) Take him back to the store where they’ll restring him for free (labor is free but I’m not sure about the string. Mind you, it didn’t break, it’s just short so the same thing might happen again). Pro: FREE Con: It’s an hour commute.

2) Take him to a music shop nearby (15mins away). Pro: much closer Con: They only sell packs of strings not individual, so that’s around $10 plus another $10 for labor.

Ugh. It’s been 36 hours since I last played. I’ll go grab my sister’s guitar but it won’t be the same. Do I opt for convenience at a higher price or go the cheaper route that makes for a more tiring day? I have some mulling over to do.

Other than that, things are going swell. Swelling, too. Like my arm from where I got my allergy shot yesterday. Oh, the summer drama continues! ;p

Week in Review – 2013/08/12 – 2013/08/18

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WRITING:

The POV experiment continues with Aaralyn’s Song, so far. AugNoWriMo is more than half over but the progress continues.

READING:

This week I’m continuing K.M. Weiland‘s forthcoming Structuring Your Novel and the WIP excerpts from fellow SCBWI critique group members. I fell behind on the reading but will try and get some of it done today and by midweek. Grrr.

NETWORKING:

Despite the Grrrs, #wipmadness check-ins on Candilynn Fite’s blog and #ROW80 check-ins, along with updates at Ali Luke’s Writers’ Huddle are keeping surprisingly sane and accountable.

LEARNING:

I have a couple of SavvyAuthors classes that shall help in characterization and subplots. While I continue to dig through my already purchased courses, there’s something to be said about real-time feedback. Huzzah.

Later in the Week Savvy is hosting its 2013 Summer Symposium and I’m super excited about that. So much info and it’s free to members! At $30 for non-members (the annual dues, by the by) there’s no excuse for you not to join this fantabulous group of writers and other lovelies in the industry.

As my calluses further develop, I had a lovely day out with the Sisterhood yesterday. Good company, good food and took home my new friend. His name is Bilbo Watson. I’ll give you three guesses as to how I came up with that name.

Once I’m all spiffy on the Uke, I plan on expanding my strumming horizons to the mandolin, lute, and eventually the cello. YUP. Incidentally, I got to play around with a U-Bass. That is SOOOOO cool. I love doing creative things when I’m not writing. Keeps the noggin’ full of ideas. 🙂

Play/Write on!

FRIDAY FORAGE – 2013/08/16

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WEEK EIGHT: WRITE YOUR NOVEL THIS SUMMER

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Aaralyn’s Song is transforming–and in a good way. The POV shift chapters are developing nicely, marinating, as it were. While I haven’t read things over yet, the experiment has been fun, so far.

Our writing challenge this week on Ali Luke‘s Writers’ Huddle involved a ten-minute writing session. I usually do free writing in short spurts. For this challenge I decided to take a scene and switch it to a different POV character just to see how the scene would unfold through their eyes. It’s a fun experiment and think I’ll give it a whirl on a regular basis. Even if I don’t use the words in my WIP, it sheds new light on my cast of characters. Good stuff.

This weekend, it’s  a day downtown with The Sisterhood for music, pedis, and a Japanese dinner. Awesometastic.

I’ve noticed that when I take a relaxing weekend to unwind, the following week yields creative output.

Here’s to a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious sort of weekend. 🙂

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

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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.

#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/08/07

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WRITING:

AugNoWriMo is going well and I’m in the midst of some interesting POV experimentation for my WIP. This week, I’ve combed through various articles about the pros and cons of Multiple POVs. Some even mix up present and past tense, while others switch up from 1st person to 3rd. One thing that is a common theme with this methodology is you should do what’s right for the story. If it works, it works. There aren’t any ironclad rules on writing, as we all know. Part of the fun on this writing journey is when we get the chance to play with words.

READING:

I’ve read two out of the four contest pieces for the 21st Annual Heart of the West Writers Contest sponsored by the Utah Chapter of Romance Writers of America. It’s interesting to see techniques I’ve learned via workshops as well as those that require more refinement. I’m hoping to finish the rest in the next couple of days.

Next up on the reading list, my continuation of K.M. Weiland‘s forthcoming Structuring Your Novel. I also have WIP excerpts to go through from my SCBWI critique group.

NETWORKING:

Had our first check-in for #wipmadness on Candilynn Fite’s blog. It’s nice to know everyone’s in agreement that we need to honor our minds and bodies while on our writing journey.

The #ROW80 check-ins twice a week, along with other writing communities such as Ali Luke‘s Writers’ Huddle, and SavvyAuthors, are going well, too. I had a chance to pop in on Holly Lisle‘s Forums, as well. All good stuff happening in the writing community.

LEARNING:

Tonette, meet Udemy. Udemy, meet Tonette. You’ve circled each other for too long. Now, it’s time to boogie.

And boogie, I have. Well, not really. I’m not taking dance classes through the website, but I’m sure there’s a course out there. This week I dove in the following courses (from the many free and paid sitting in my account):

Young Adult Novel Writing Workshop

I resisted temptation and did exactly as promised by looking at what I’ve had all along before registering for new workshops. Interesting sessions, so far.

Pain Free at Work

This was a perfect course to get because of the long hours sitting at a computer. I recommend this for anyone who sits for extended periods of time throughout the day. Your body will thank you.

Learn Guitar in 21 Days

That last one is more of a self-imposed accelerated course. Since I only have access to my sister’s guitar on the weekends, I did the first week’s worth of classes over the holiday weekend. My calluses are developing nicely. 🙂 The first few lessons are a refresher from my basic level guitar playing days many moons ago. Still, it’s nice to do something creative outside of writing to keep things interesting.

I have a bunch of recorded webinars and ebooks I bought at the Writer’s Digest Shop. They’re next on my ‘To Sort and Review’ list. Not to mention all the great content in the magazine subscription.

We’re a week into the month of August. How goes it for you?