August 2015 Motivational Thread

[RedMage]

It's not for nothing that August is known as the dog days of summer in the United States* **. The days are long, the air shimmers with the heat and eggs can be cooked on any sunny bit of concrete. The human soul is smothered by the heat and the physical body takes on the appearance of a dog spread out in the shade, its tongue lolling out of its mouth.

This oppressive weather gives us writers the perfect excuse to stay indoors, scribbling away at our stories with personal fans spinning at maximum on our faces and our favorite cold drinks at hand.
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Welcome to the August 2015 Motivational Thread! Where will you take your writing in the next 31 days? This is the place to post your goals for the month of August. Need a kick in the pants? We can do that for you! Need to talk out a story problem? We can help with that, too.

So what will you accomplish this month while everyone you know is lying hot and languid in the heat?


*And maybe elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere as well?
**I know we have members from the Southern Hemisphere. It would be fun to see one of you write something like this and throw all of us Northerners off balance for a change!

 

[kmtolan]

Get Chapter's nine through twelve (final) of Siren's Song completed, God and Windows 10 upgrade willing (g).

Kerry

 

[VictorK]

Only real goal is to get in an anthology submission.

 

[Beth Wagner]

Editing the book is out of my hands as I wait to hear back from the editor with her revisions, so I'll say for this month I'd like to keep up with my daily blasts of fiction, to continue working on the one comic script (for my Grotto of Poppies series) and do some revisions to another comic script (The Isaac & Lee series)

 

[RedMage]

@Beth Wagner, just the titles of your comics sound interesting! What are they about?

 

[Edward M. Grant]

Finish Condemned and find an image for the cover. Work on Horror Movie, for which I already have a cover. Probably pick a third part-finished novel to work on when I'm stuck on that one.

 

[RedMage]

My goals for August are:

• Write a basic submission package for Halloween Book 1---query letter, short synopsis, full summary
• Write the first chapter of Jack Frost novel, see if it catches
• Write first scene of novella, see if it catches or if more planning is needed

 

[J.D. Carelli]

Computers upgraded to Windows 10. Besides killing the vpn for a couple of days, it was a smooth transition. Wait...what forum is this? Oh, right.

August Goals:

• Continue revising Ashwalker novel: I've never written something with so much suck and potential as this novel has. I'm going to feel bad when the time comes to send this out to readers and force them to wade through the garbage that is this book. OK, it's not that bad, but it's going to need work. All books need work, right?
• Write and submit short stories: I've been fortunate to get a couple of decent stories put together. With those, I'd like to keep putting them out there. In addition to that, I plan to get one or two new stories put together and start workshopping them. I'm confident I can get at least one pro sell this year, so I need to keep working toward that goal.

I may have other things to work on, but it depends on external factors...time, returned reviews, etc.

Good luck to everyone!

 

[Andrew LH]

Self-pubbing another ebook (should happen next week). Finish a short story. Work on a novella.

But what can you mean - August is only 17 days long...

 

[RedMage]

But what can you mean - August is only 17 days long...

Ahahahahaha!

I specifically checked the calendar. But I won't stop you if you want to do it in 17 days.

 

[Andrew LH]

Ahahahahaha!

I specifically checked the calendar. But I won't stop you if you want to do it in 17 days.

Well I checked too. It goes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 31. You're crazy.

 

[RedMage]

Hmm, I think one of us may have a defective calendar.

Or maybe there are some plans taking up all of our writing time between days 17 and 30?

 

[N. E. White]

Andrew just likes to make fun of us because we're not as smart as he is.

But I have a bigger stick - if you can't join 'em, beat 'em. (I'm joking, of course.)

Okay, this month, though I have even less time available to write, I am going to ignore that. Whether I set out a lot of goals or not, I'm writing very little, so I might as well go for the moon.

Listed in order of priority:

• Write/edit my submission for anthology (the idea in my head is soooo perfect, I wish I was a good enough writer to do it justice)
• Edit first episode of my ghost story series
• Draft second episode of my ghost story series
• Write/edit my submission for this month's flash fiction forum contest
• Continue first draft of my fantasy novel

I may be travelling a lot during the later part of August. If that is the case, I'm hoping all those hours on the plane will be fruitful. I just have to arrange things so that they are. Wish me luck!

 

[Lostcargo]

Good luck to everyone else, here's my "TO DO" list

• Finish vacation (5 days left)
• Working on editing second draft of fourth novel Sand Fall (50% complete)
• Polish back cover blurb (90% complete)[LINK]
• Coordinate getting sunburn, drinking beer, fishing and jumping off the dock.

Should have all of this accomplished by Friday next week. (Fingers crossed)

 

[Andrew LH]

Or maybe there are some plans taking up all of our writing time between days 17 and 30?

I'm back off to Blighty to catch up with friends and family, take a five day road trip to see some Scottish castles with the g/f, and celebrate (touch wood) my Grandad's 100th Birthday. Lots of driving, probably not so much writing...

 

[RedMage]

I'm back off to Blighty to catch up with friends and family, take a five day road trip to see some Scottish castles with the g/f, and celebrate (touch wood) my Grandad's 100th Birthday. Lots of driving, probably not so much writing...

I thought I had seen something about you having an upcoming vacation in the July thread. Or somewhere... Anyways, Scottish castles, friends, family and 100th birthdays all sound awesome!

So write hard before you go.

 

[RedMage]

I want to say welcome to our little group to both @Beth Wagner and @Lostcargo. It's great to have you both with us on this wild and crazy ride!

 

[Lostcargo]

@RedMage , Thanks great to be here! Its nice to be part of a similar minded community.

 

[J.D. Carelli]

Write/edit my submission for anthology (the idea in my head is soooo perfect, I wish I was a good enough writer to do it justice)

I don't have any ideas, perfect or otherwise, so I'm pulling for you.

 

[Facing]

Only real goal is to get in an anthology submission.

ditto