First Official Check-In! How are you all doing????? :-)

[jbknowles]

Hi everyone!

Today is our first official check-in. Line on up and let us all know how you're doing in the comments! Need some encouragement? Advice? A high-five? We're here for you!

xo

I want to hear from...

afraclose
Amy Fisher Quinn
amygreenfield
annemariepace
barbarabaker
blackeyedsue21
boreal_owl
briankell
chickwith_stick
cfaughnan
cynleitichsmith
dampscribbler
Elisabeth
goddess57
Heather Jessen
jbknowles
jeniwrites
jjhoutman
josiecv
katiemas
katywriter
kaz_mahoney
kimmiepoppins
Kip Wilson
Kristina
lisa_schroeder
lisaschulman
lizjonesbooks
marvelousmarv
Meaghan
MelanieACrowder
Menaha
Michelle Davison Kane

Comments

[wldhrsjen3]

Ooof. I have done very little new-word writing because our house addition/remodel project has gained momentum and I've spent every spare second painting, cleaning, moving stuff around, etc. But it's been just the opportunity I needed to mull some things over, and I've discovered solutions to several plot tangles and motivation questions that were driving me batty. So I have scribbled page after page of notes, and as soon as we hit a break in the housework I'll sit down at my computer and start translating my scribbles into real words. So... I'm making progress, even if it doesn't look like it.

[blackeyedsue21]

Yes. I find that not actively working on something can be the best way to see plot problems. Also this is when I most vividly picture actual scenes. Good luck with your house and your book, once you get back to it!

[josiecv]

It's unreal how much of a time-suck house projects can be. I'm glad you've been able to use the time to gain clarity!

[stephanieburgis]

Solving plot problems is HUGE! That definitely counts as progress. Good luck getting a chance to sit down at the computer soon!

[blackeyedsue21]

You guys! My plan was all set at the beginning of JoNo but I am so stuck! The plan was to revise a book I finished a couple of months ago that I had put away to stew. Then I started this new book and I am so excited about the concept, I'm just not sure I have the guns to pull it off yet. This book deserves mad skills, y'all.
I think my new book has much more of a chance at selling but I love my first book too. I don't know which book to work on so I haven't been working on either (other than in my head). I wish I could do both but I know I need to focus on one at a time. HELP!!

[lisa_schroeder]

My friend Laini Taylor would call that new idea the slutty new idea. :) The slutty idea likes to come around and throw itself at you when you have other work to do. It will seduce you if you let it!! :)

Here is what I would do. I would do the work on the revision as planned. And I would buy some notecards or a journal or whatever works for you as far as starting to plot out the new book and use that to put down your thoughts about the new book to help you feel like you are at least doing something with those thoughts in your head. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting some of the initial thoughts down to quiet those new voices in your head.

Wanting to get to the new book could be a huge motivator to finish the revisions on the other one, right? Use it to your advantage and use it as a reward. When you finish the revisions, then you can start in on the new book.

Good luck!

[josiecv]

Haha. The slutty new idea! I love that. It happens to me all the time. I agree with Lisa. Take some notes, but keep working on the revision if you can.

[blackeyedsue21]

I've always said that Laini Taylor is a genius.(Well, maybe not always but at least for the last few years.) I forgot to mention that I've already written 25k on the new book while I was giving myself a break from the 1st.
BUT I think that using the slutty new book as a motivation to revise the first book is a great idea. Fun way to look at it! Thanks!

[lisa_schroeder]

I finished the MG I wanted to finish, had a friend read it and give me notes, and now I'm revising. Hope to have it to my agent by the end of the week, if things go well.

One of my goals had been to revise a YA, but that book has been set aside for now. Kind of a sad story. Oh well. I think I'm going to start a new YA once the MG is done and see how far I can get by the end of November.

[blackeyedsue21]

Aw. Sorry to hear about your YA. Maybe there's hope for it yet. Either way, whatever you come up is sure to be brilliant! Good luck on you MG revision.:)

[josiecv]

Sad about the YA. But hopefully, it will free you up for new beginnings. Good luck with the revision. I hope your week is productive & that it will soon be in your agent's hands!

[stephanieburgis]

I'm so sorry to hear about the YA, but hooray for finishing the MG! And good luck with the new YA idea.

[jjhoutman]

Encouragement, please.
I'm not making the kind of progress I had hoped for on the new MG WIP. Family stuff, travel, and presentations have been part of the reason. I started out fine, but I feel like I'm bogged down in the ms. I had told myself to leave the research and details on the science/engineering/inventions for a later revision and just work on the emotional narrative -- getting from point a to point b -- but it doesn't seem like it's working.

[lisa_schroeder]

I recently wrote a MG that required quite a bit of research. I did a lot before I started and took notes, but I also did a lot as I wrote the book. The research part that brings the story to life may make the story more exciting for you, so you probably should try it as you go and see what happens.

Have you plotted out the book at all? I used to really get bogged down in the middle, but I now make myself map out what is going to happen somehow (usually a brief idea of what will happen in each chapter). It really, really helps.

This article about knowing what's going to happen and how your word count can really increase is fascinating:

http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-i-went-from-writing-2000-words-day.html

You can do it! Good luck!!

[jjhoutman]

That's an awesome article! It really appeals to my scientist persona. Thanks!

[cfaughnan]

You can do it!

Sometimes when I feel like I want to stop and research, I set a word count for each day. It can be small, but it helps keep the ms headed toward that point b. I make myself make the word count before I research.

Another thing I've done is pretend something is there. Sometimes I put a note in the ms (something like "cool research here") and then continue. Anything to trick myself into moving forward on that first draft!

Good luck!

[cfaughnan]

Wow! Lots of impressive check-ins today!

I've met my first goal of completing the revision of my mg by today. I'm making one more pass through the last chapter, but easily will get through that.

Now back to the first draft I'd like to get through by the end of jonowrimo!

[josiecv]

Woohoo!!!!!!!

[amygreenfield]

Such great progress. Congratulations on completing that revision, Cindy! And good luck with that first draft!

[barbarabaker]

You're just chugging along. That's great! Hope it continues to go well.