Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 1. 67,909 words and 28 chapters (NOBODY’S GODDESS 2)–first draft sent to beta
2. (New WIP) 3287 words and 1 1/2 chapters
Current report WC + CC/ SC: 1. 69,577 words and 28 chapters (NOBODY’S GODDESS 2)–after making some changes due to beta editing, but I’m still working on one more read-through
2. (NEW WIP) 3287 words and 1 1/2 chapters (New WIP)–no progress made, but I’m maybe 40% into the outline
WIP Issues This Month: I didn’t feel like the month was a failure, but you can see I didn’t make a lot of progress. But I did a lot of editing–both for my friend and for myself. I guess I got a little stuck on the outline for my new WIP, but I just didn’t devote enough time to it this month.
Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. Shiny new ideas have an annoying habit of demanding to be written right away and then… Heading back to the bottom of your to-do list.
2. New perspectives can help you notice problems in your book.
3. Editing book 2 in a series can help you tweak book 1 even more.
4. It’s hard to choose which projects to prioritize!
What distracted me this month while writing: I’m not sure. I felt busy every day, but I didn’t do much to write home about. It was my 9th anniversary with my boyfriend this month, and that was a fun night off! 🙂 I also spent a day at the local Renaissance Faire, which is about the only summer fair I care about.
I’ve just about finished querying FALL FAR FROM THE TREE as I’ve met my minimum querying goals; I’m still waiting on a number of responses, but this might not be the project with which or the year I get a second agent. I don’t plan to give up on the manuscript finding some place to call home, though.
Goal for next month: My first task is actually for before the month ends–NOBODY’S GODDESS 2 is due August 1st, so I just need to finish this read-through and send it off. My next task is to finish the outline for the new WIP; I’d really like to have one in place before I dive back into writing it, and it’d be nice if I got a few thousand words done for that one in August. I still might start NOBODY’S GODDESS 3 (outline already completed) instead, but I might save it for NaNoWriMo (even though I burnt out on that last year!).
Amy McNulty 
I’m resisting a shiny new idea at the moment, and I know what you mean about them insisting on taking priority! 😛 Best of luck next month! 🙂
Shiny new ideas trick me into thinking they’ll be easy to write and they rarely are. 😉 Thanks!
Editing months always feel productive to me. Overall, I only cut about 400 total words from my story, but I know it was SO much more than that in total!
It is SO hard to choose between projects! I picked an idea out of a cup once, and I still haven’t worked on it. Because you’re right, sometimes they’re #1 and then suddenly fall down into no-man’s wait-land again. I wish I could have querying goals, but it’s always a blind hope for the best. I hope you hear good things back.
I love Renaissance Faires. ^_^
And happy 9th anniversary!
Yeah, I agree–looking at the word count, it doesn’t look like I did much, but I know I was scrapping sections, writing new scenes, tweaking sentences…
My shiny new ideas always want to be written RIGHT NOW at first and then they don’t care so much after a chapter or two, lol. Only once did I go on an insane writing binge and write a draft in just over a week!
Thank you. 🙂 Renn Faires are fun!
Darn those Shiny New Ideas! Still sounds like you made progress with edits and a new WIP! That’s great!
Good luck with the new outline and I hope you hear good news from the query trenches soon!
Yup! I love them, but they can be frustrating. ^^ Thank you! 🙂
Congrats on your anniversary! Wow!
If all fails, know your word count for July was better than mine! But progress is progress, no matter how small.
I hope querying still comes with pleasant surprises for you! And that next month is more productive writing-wise!
Thanks! 🙂 There have been months when I accomplished more and felt worse about it. But I guess since I did so much editing this month, it didn’t feel like a failure. Thank you!
Happy Anniversary!!
Some progress is always better than no progress, and like you said, it wasn’t like you haven’t been working and editing. And I so agree. Hard to prioritize when so many ideas/projects are staring you in the face.
My fingers are crossed for your queries!
Thank you! 🙂 Yup… It’s weird how I can go months without drafting, but I’m always at least thinking about writing. Thank you!