May 2015 Motivation Thread

[danielausema]

OK, just a few days left. Here's what I had:
May goals...

• Get the first episodes of Spire City season one off without a hitch (or at least, deal with any hitches that come up...)

Going well so far, as far as I'm aware... I have noticed some little things I overlooked in the file conversion for some of the episodes, not in the story itself but on the copyright page and title page, which I hadn't double-checked quite as closely. Doh.

• Finish the short story I'm working on at the moment

Done. That was a bear to get through, but it finally came together (and I haven't looked at it again since typing the last word...).

• Finish and polish up an earlier flash story I'd started a while back that I hope to submit (see the next bullet...)

Done.

• Submit a proposal for a chapbook of poems and flash pieces

Done.

• I have a couple short story ideas that are still in the bouncing-around-my-head phase. Not sure I'll get started on any of them, but at least devote some time to letting those ideas mature

Wrote one of them, finishing it two days ago. Also the Ecotone idea was another of these ideas, and I finally felt ready to start that yesterday. (I have an opening written, Andrew. Is that enough to take you up on your pre-submission critique offer? Can I? Can I? Can I? ) I also did some short story revisions for two earlier shorts. But I haven't submitted either yet.

• Write one poem

Two, actually, both of which ended up in the chapbook submission.

• Micro- and flash entries for this month's contests (assuming we have them this month...)

Micro done. I guess I was just too overwhelmed to do the flash... I made a couple of starts but didn't really feel either of them.

• And submissions of various short stories, poems, agent queries, etc., as they come up

Some subs out; no queries this month, though perhaps I should look into that in the few days of the month remaining. Now that the kids are out of school (as of this morning), it's more difficult to predict my schedule for the next little while...

 

[kennychaffin]

Good job Daniel! sounds like a good month!

 

[kmtolan]

Done

The best part, eh?

 

[hunt]

Awesome work, everyone. Keep it up!

 

[danielausema]

The best part, eh?

Indeed... At times, at least (and definitely with some of these goals...).

 

[CharlotteAshley]

Well, this was a good month for me in a lot of ways, but not all of them put writing first. The highlights of my month include not kicking my husband out of the house, visiting England, and finishing a story for submission!

I know the month isn't quite over yet, but I'm now starting to plan a new story, so I doubt I'll get any more actual work count in...

1) Don't drop the ball on the reviews.

Sort of dropped. >.> I did one column this month instead of two. Oops.

2) Finish current Clockwork Canada story and get it submitted.

Done, yay! The story is under "serious consideration", I'm told.

3) Revise February's novelette and maybe cut it back so it isn't a novelette anymore.

Um, no.

4) Write 5000 words of fiction.

6566, actually. BAM.

5) BONUS GOAL: Start outlining the next story.

Well, yes. Apparently I am doing this instead of revising the novelette.

 

[SteveW]

Sounds like a pretty good month Charlotte.

Not much more to report on my end. I am still plugging away on my skeleton draft, and I rewriting a short story on the side.

I am finding that the short story is a nice distraction. It seems to help to have multiple projects to flip back and forth to.

 

[RedMage]

The middle and end of my month gotten eaten up by the process of moving. However, now that I'm in my new place I should be able to return to writing and -- hopefully! -- I'll be able to accomplish some goals in June. But first, my May goals:

Continue waking up at 5AM to write for an hour before work.

Yeah, I totally didn't do this, not even once.

Return Pirate book to Jason/JD Carelli for his read-through.

Yep, that was done and things are continuing well.

Finish outline of Draft 6 changes for Halloween Book 1.

Do what now? Yeah, I totally didn't do this at all. However, I'm currently examining the book's opening and trying to improve it. I generally know how to change the book to make it better.

Nail down plot and storylines for Halloween Book 2.

I totally did this! I'm so excited about it, knowing the direction the story will take. There is still a lot of work to do, a lot of details to make decisions on before I'm ready to write the book, but I have more than broad strokes now!

Possibly, if time:

• Write 5,000 new words on Halloween Book 1.
  
• Prewrite chapters 2 and 3 for Jack Frost novel.

Nope, I didn't do these either. However, I have been working on both books, just in other ways than what I had aimed for. I'm looking forward to June though! It should be a great month!

Who's going to make the new thread?

 

[Edward M. Grant]

Dismal failure again, though at least I have an excuse this time; I spent a fair part of the month with stitches in my back and didn't feel much like writing. Hint for the future: if you ever have to go to the doctor, never say 'while I'm here, there's this weird mole on my back that's been growing for twenty years and it's starting to annoy me' .

I got stuck on Condemned, where I knew what the main character had to do, but couldn't convince him to do it. So I only managed about 3,000 words, and a revision pass through the whole first half. But I've figured out the problem and I'm rolling again... should be done by the end of June.

I did write my fairy tale story and submit it. Not heard anything.

 

[J.D. Carelli]

1. Start rereading pirate novel.

2. Write a short story

3. Revise/resubmit short stories

2 out of 3 ain't bad, eh?

A significant amount of revision has been done to the pirate novel, so with some luck it'll be ready for the workshop by the end of June.

I wrote that short story I had stuck in my brain, but not sure when I'll be able to get back to it. It's a little broken and needs some TLC.

I really, really want to be submitting, but I simply don't have the time to revisit my short stories. Hopeful sometime over the summer.

My Ashwalker novel is done (first draft), but it'll have to wait as well. That's actually a good thing, as it allows me to gain some objectivity, but it's mildly painful to have so many unfinished projects.

Lastly, there's another project I've been working on intermittently for a year that's finally going to move forward. It's very different than anything I've done before, but plays to some of my strengths. Not sure when that will happen exactly but sometime over the summer hopefully.

 

[J.D. Carelli]

Dismal failure again, though at least I have an excuse this time; I spent a fair part of the month with stitches in my back and didn't feel much like writing. Hint for the future: if you ever have to go to the doctor, never say 'while I'm here, there's this weird mole on my back that's been growing for twenty years and it's starting to annoy me' .

I hope you're feeling better.

 

[kennychaffin]

...

1 - Complete a new short story each week for a total of four. (I'm thinking of these as more traditional short stories not flash length so this will be a stretch. I may lean on completing some that are in progress but hopefully that will be offset by new drafts.

Yes and No. I did not complete any 'longer' stories but I did complete 15 Flash Fictions and 1 Flash NonFiction for a total of about 5K words

2 - Continue to push the marketing by sending stories out (4 in March, 6 in April) at least 6 in May

Nope. Sent out one or two new stories, continued to ship one around.

3 - Write stories for the Flash and Micro contests....possibly for the Short Story Contest.

Yes. Started on the sketch of an idea for the Short Story Contest.

Pulled out a couple of novel ideas and added a few words to one...

Spent much of my energy on re-evaluating my direction. Can't say that I reached any particular conclusion other than I'm still pretty convinced the short-form is where I need to stay.

Reviewed and created an ideas/first lines/titles list

.....Here's to June, bring 'er on!

 

[Facing]

Dismal failure again, though at least I have an excuse this time; I spent a fair part of the month with stitches in my back and didn't feel much like writing. Hint for the future: if you ever have to go to the doctor, never say 'while I'm here, there's this weird mole on my back that's been growing for twenty years and it's starting to annoy me' .

I hope you feel better soon.

I did write my fairy tale story and submit it. Not heard anything.

I haven't heard anything yet either.

Like John, I'm gong to try and build on last months success. I managed to write just over 15000 words last month so;

• 20 000 words
• draft of short story for letters from home contest
• add at least one short story to those that are currently being shopped

As John tries to write longer stories I'm going to try to purposely write shorter ones.

• NEW enter the flash contest

I'm two for two. I'm sitting at just under 15000 words and I haven't got a complete first draft of Gestational Sac for the short story contest yet. I did completed my fairytale (Talanae) and it's out there. I also entered the flash contest but the story was so squished to meet the word count limit that it didn't really work. Writing short is hard.

I'm not sure if I'll try again next month because, like J.D., I've got too many half finished projects. My ghost story has been cast aside in favour of a first contact short - The Puzzle Box - that began as a prologue for my Broken Spoke novel. Of Watches and Waistcoats is also staring at me demanding my attention. I don't want to ignore it for too long, and Duck, Duck Goose keeps poking its head out from under the pile.

 

[JonLaidlow]

So let's see how I did:

• Draft of new short story for forum competition on letters from home No no no
• submit a new Flash to the forum competition, whatever the topic Yes Yes yes - "Inundated"
• Bit more bloggery on the old Tristram Shandy thesis No no no
• Revisit my Casablancas fragment from the March flash competition No no no

It's not all doom and despair - thanks to @Facing and everybody else I've been using the word tracker spreadsheet and I can see that thanks to entries in my virtual sketchbook (where I take a random prompt and try to write at least 100 words of a story from it) , and the flash, I've written c.5000 words this month. Now it is true that these are not stories, largely fragments, even my flash, but I'll take it....

Next month - something for Letters from Home, something for Ecotones, another flash.

Or maybe just work out how to string a story together....

 

[Facing]

I'm just got back from a shopping trip in the city. I am now the happy owner of a wireless keyboard for my laptop which I'm hopeful will lead to less backache. I can finally use the keyboard drawer of my computer desk and type at the right height. I also managed to snag a $25 side loading legal file cabinet off of kijiji to hold all the crap the drawer used to contain.

I don't know if this will help next month's word count but it can't hurt.

 

[kennychaffin]

I'm just got back from a shopping trip in the city. I am now the happy owner of a wireless keyboard for my laptop which I'm hopeful will lead to less backache. I can finally use the keyboard drawer of my computer desk and type at the right height. I also managed to snag a $25 side loading legal file cabinet off of kijiji to hold all the crap the drawer used to contain.

I don't know if this will help next month's word count but it can't hurt.

Fill the cabinet....fill the cabinet....with words!

 

[N. E. White]

Who's going to make the new thread?

I'll do it.

I won't be around much (first week of June - starting tomorrow! - I'll be at a conference), but I can get it started.

What were my goals this month? I can't even remember and I'm too lazy to go dig back in this thread to find them.

I'm sure I did a little to reach my goals, but not enough. Next month, I will be happy if I can maintain the status quo.

 

[RedMage]

I'll do it.

I won't be around much (first week of June - starting tomorrow! - I'll be at a conference), but I can get it started.

What were my goals this month? I can't even remember and I'm too lazy to go dig back in this thread to find them.

I'm sure I did a little to reach my goals, but not enough. Next month, I will be happy if I can maintain the status quo.

Thank you for the new thread! And I'm sure you will do better than status quo!

 

[N. E. White]

And I'm sure you will do better than status quo!

I really will be happy with the status quo. Actually, it may be a challenge.

Anyway, here's the new thread.

 

[kennychaffin]

And anyway who IS this status quo person?