Tag: writing goals

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon #9

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count:  0 words (outline completed over two years ago, though)

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 23,897 words and 10 chapters in NEVER VEIL 3 (That “new WIP” I started over the summer is on hold for the foreseable future; I never could bring myself to finish the outline even.)

WIP Issues This Month: Not many!  This was the first month I’ve done well in quite a while. I totally planned for November to be this big writing push since I wanted to do NaNoWriMo, but I knew the 50,000 words I was aiming for in that month wouldn’t be a first draft for NEVER VEIL 3, and I was tired of waiting to start. I finally convinced myself to start and so far it’s gone pretty quickly! I haven’t had days where I’m just staring at the page. Some days I struggle to turn off distractions and devote a block of my time to writing, though.

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. You CAN get your writing mojo back, even after feeling like you never will.

2. Having a passion for your characters helps push you to write.

3. Going off-outline can lead to very interesting surprises.

4. Writing is fun! (I re-learned that.)

What distracted me this month while writing: Not too much. I had less client work, which isn’t a good thing for my pocketbook, even if it frees up more time for writing. I visited the David Bowie Is exhibit in Chicago mid-month, and that was fun. (See photos here.) Some GOOD things are happening “behind the scenes” this time as far as my books/writing/editing goes, but I can’t talk about them yet. Maybe by next check-in!

Goal for next month: Successfully complete NaNoWriMo! (But also, don’t feel bad if I can’t write that much. My friend pointed out at this rate, I probably will have written 50k in 30 days regardless, I just started earlier.) I hope that brings me to the end of a first draft for NEVER VEIL 3, but I can see it quite possibly not being enough words yet. (The conclusion is a long one!) Still, I’ll be a heck of a lot closer.

Many of you are already my buddies on NaNoWriMo (can’t wait to cheer you on if you’re participating this year!), but if you’re not, please add me! (Click the logo.)

Participant-2014-Web-Banner

Oh, also fellow WIPMarathoner Suzanne and I interviewed each other recently for the Month9Books blog! Keep an eye out for our announcement on Twitter whenever those interviews appear.

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon #8

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count:  3287 words and 1 1/2 chapters (New WIP)

Current report WC + CC/ SC:  3287 words and 1 1/2 chapters (New WIP)–no progress (I wrote like two paragraphs in the outline if that counts for something; ha, it was on the last marathon update day, too)

WIP Issues This Month: This is the second month in a row I haven’t worked on fiction writing seriously. So I really have no business making this update! I’ve been busy, but I’ve also been down in the dumps about writing due to some things going on behind the scenes. I can’t find the motivation to dive back in. I WILL by November, though, for NaNoWriMo. I hope earlier. I want to start NEVER VEIL 3 by then. (Putting the above new WIP on hold–although I did want to finish the outline for that at least. But the motivation isn’t there.)

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. Other authors struggle, too. (It was nice hearing from those who’ve “made it” at Fierce Reads, and how they still have doubts.)

2. Going too long without fiction writing is a bad idea.

3. Editing other people’s writing at least gives me a kind of satisfaction and helps motivate me a little.

4. There’s only so much that’s under my control as a writer, and that’s the writing, so I need to get back to that.

What distracted me this month while writing: I’ve been busy with work, but I also visited NYC for my 7th time with my boyfriend to visit his family! (And Melissa Giorgio, who coincidentally lives near them!) I did a writeup of the Fierce Reads event we attended here, and posted photos here. We did a lot of bookish and Japanese culture things because my favorite hobbies are anime, reading and comics. It was our first time visiting Strand Bookstore as well!

Goal for next month: Maybe finish the outline for the new WIP, although it’s not very important. (At this stage, I’ve given up having anything to show a potential agent for a year or more!) Possibly start NEVER VEIL 3. The outline is done. I should just dive in, a little bit at a time. Maybe it’ll help me work up to the insanity that is 50,000 words in November.

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon Report #7

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 1. 69,577 words and 28 chapters (NEVER VEIL 2)–working on post-beta edits

2. 3287 words and 1 1/2 chapters (New WIP)

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 1. 70,052 words and 28 chapters (NEVER VEIL 2)–first draft done and sent to publisher

2. 3287 words and 1 1/2 chapters (New WIP)–no progress made on this or even on the outline, *sigh*

WIP Issues This Month: I didn’t work on my WIPs at all on any day in August. (That last bit of editing on NEVER VEIL 2 was done in late July.) So my issues were… finding the time and motivation to do that. And I failed. Except I was busy with other things, too.

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. A month off from fiction writing hopefully doesn’t make me a failure as a writer.

2. Editing other writers’ works can help me step back from my own writing and get some perspective.

3. The longer I go without working on fiction writing, the harder it is to get back into the groove.

4. There is such a thing as too many story ideas.

What distracted me this month while writing: I spent a lot of time this month beta reading the last book in the Silver Moon Saga (it was over 110,000 words ^^), and it was bittersweet to say goodbye to the characters (until the next time I read it, which should be soon!) I’ve grown to love for years now. There were some periods in which I had more freelance work than others, and I did some editing for potential clients I’m excited (and nervous) about hopefully having a chance of working with. And… I got one of my dream freelancing opportunities! For at least the next month, if not longer, I’ll be a Daily Streaming Anime Reviewer for Anime News Network for three shows. My boyfriend and I also visited the Chicago Botanical Gardens for the first time earlier in the month, and it was a lot more fun than I even expected it to be.

Goal for next month: I did finish NEVER VEIL 2, but I didn’t get any work done on the outline for the new WIP. This month I already know I’ll be really busy for a week at least, so I don’t imagine I’ll get a lot of writing done. I still haven’t decided if I should dive into NEVER VEIL 3 yet or not–I’ve had enough of a break from the series to justify going back now–but I would like to finish the new WIP’s outline at minimum first. And if I start it beforehand, I’ll be breaking the NaNoWriMo rules if I work on it in November. Not that that’s important!

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon Report #6

Posted on by Amy McNulty

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!).

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon Report #5

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 1. 67,566 words and 28 chapters (NOBODY’S GODDESS 2)–first draft done

2. 53,861 words and chapters still not quite relevant because I hadn’t fixed it the random scene-jumping I did toward the end (NaNoWriMo project)

3. (New WIP) wasn’t even an idea yet

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 1. 67,909 words and 28 chapters (NOBODY’S GODDESS 2)–first edit completed (I didn’t make a lot of changes, obviously)

2. 59,463 words and 20 chapters (NaNoWriMo project)–first draft and first edit complete

3. 3287 words and 1 1/2 chapters (New WIP)–it wasn’t going to be my next project, but it was one of those “shiny new ideas when busy writing and editing other things” situations

WIP Issues This Month: I had a pretty good writing month! After I moaned last month, I all of a sudden had a burst of inspiration and got so much done! The biggest problem I noticed while editing was incorrect tenses. Since #1 above is in past tense and #2 and #3 are in present, and I was writing and editing all of them, I kept subconsciously writing in the wrong tenses.

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. Typos happen, and sometimes you don’t even notice them while editing. It’s okay… Hopefully we notice them eventually!

2. Switching between tenses is hard.

3. A month off between finishing a draft and starting the edit seems to work quite well. (I usually jump in like a day or two later.)

4. The journey to publication won’t ever be as smooth as you hope, but you’ve got to keep trying!

What distracted me this month while writing: I’ve been busy with work and I saw a lot of movies. Also, my boyfriend and I played WAY too much Mario Kart 8. It’s addicting… 0_O I’m still querying FALL FAR FROM THE TREE; I’d taken some time off from it (just busy with other things) but decided to focus on it again this past week.

Goal for next month: My first task is to beta read for a friend. Once that’s done, and she’s beta read for me, I’m going to do another NOBODY’S GODDESS 2 edit, and then I’ll turn it in at the end of the month because it’s due August 1st. I’d also like to write an outline for the new WIP and try to write some more of it. I don’t think I’ll jump right into NOBODY’S GODDESS 3 because it’s not due until next summer, but I’m thinking about it.

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon Report #4

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 1.51,128 words and 21 1/2 chapters (NOBODY’S GODDESS/THE NEVER VEIL 2)

2. 50,250 words and chapter count no longer relevant because I wrote in a crazy, skip-to-scenes-I-want-to-write-most way. (NaNoWriMo project–not touched since November!)

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 1. 67,566 words and 28 chapters (NOBODY’S GODDESS 2)–first draft done, yay!

2. 53,861 words and chapters still not quite relevant because I haven’t fixed it (NaNoWriMo project)

WIP Issues This Month: I started this month off with a bang–I was so productive and finished the NG2 draft by May 8th! That made me really happy and I was looking forward to tackling my next goal (after putting NG2 aside for a time to get some distance from it), finishing the NaNoWriMo project that had been on hiatus since November. I had to re-read it in its entirety before I could begin, really, because I’d been working on another world. I did that over about a week and a half and was able to make some edits as I went along. And it felt nice at first. I was starting to think, “Why did I burn out on this? It really isn’t that bad! In fact, it’s kind of good for being out of my comfort zone!” Then after re-reading what I had, I tackled trying to finish the draft and… totally hit a wall. ;-;

Meanwhile, at the same time, I got really busy with other things, and even thought I DO have time to write every day recently, I’m not making much progress at all, which depresses me. Every time I sit to write, it just isn’t flowing. So gone are my dreams of finishing the first draft of the NaNoWriMo by the end of May. (It SHOULD have been possible–I seriously didn’t need more than 5000-10,000 words to finish!) Now I’m wondering if I have to put that aside AGAIN to start NG2 edits, considering that’s due to the publisher August 1st and I need to give my betas time to read and then edit again after they read. *sigh* I’m not in a very confident author mood right now, but I’m making a little progress.

Four things I learned this month in writing:  1. I’ll always be going through good and bad writing phases. (So I hope I get out of this funk soon.)

2. It’s entirely possible to want to change some relatively small but still important things in book 1 of a series AFTER you already turned in the edits because of what came out while writing book 2. (Hope I get a chance to do so during the next round of edits!) Editing doesn’t end… 0_o

3. Beating myself up over not accomplishing as much as I’d like to is a bad idea (but I knew that and do it anyway).

4. My goals aren’t always realistic. Since I assume I’ll ALWAYS be able to write a decent amount each day when that’s clearly not the case.

What distracted me this month while writing: I’ve been trying to clean my ENTIRE house in the hopes of moving this year. (Don’t know when or where yet, just downsizing.) I’ve been tackling the big move clean up for seriously 10 years, but not every day like I have for the past week and a half. And there’s always more to be done, and I’ve been prepping myself to part with some things I didn’t originally want to get rid of, so there’s more cleaning to do. I’m also trying to ebay a lot of the stuff I’m parting with, and that’s a huge hassle, but my paying work has been light this month (which is both good and bad ;-;) so I have to do something to try to offset the decrease in income. Unfortunately, most auctions are almost too much of a pain to justify what little I earn off of something!

I’m still querying FALL FAR FROM THE TREE when I find the time (and I entered TheWVoice early on in the month but didn’t move on to the next round)–but between EVERYTHING ELSE, I’m not sending out as many queries as I’d like! So far, I’m pretty happy with the responses–I’m averaging a 12.3% request rate, which is more than NOBODY’S GODDESS got originally (and that one got me an agent!). 🙂 No offers, obviously. (I’d let you all know!)

Goal for next month: I need to do my first edits on NG2 and get it off to my beta(s). I really wanted to finish the first draft of my NaNoWriMo and get that off to my beta(s), too, but I can’t give them both at once! I’m having a hard time deciding which to do first because I’d hoped to have the NaNoWriMo draft done by now but that’s obviously not happening. *sigh* Maybe I need to go back to NG2, brain shift though it may be, to jumpstart my writing muse.

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon Report #3

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 47,969 words and 20 chapters

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 51,128 words and 21 1/2 chapters

WIP Issues This Month: This looks terrible, like I hardly did anything at all this month, right? (And last month I was beating myself up for making MORE progress.) But I’m actually in a good place, writing-wise. Aside from one unfortunate week I couldn’t manage to do any fiction work, I was REALLY busy with my first post-sale revisions for NOBODY’S GODDESS. I deleted and added a few thousand words to that manuscript, shifted things around and read the entire thing once and am working on reading it again and incorporating more changes. My deadline is April 30th and I’m well on track. So even though I didn’t get much work done on THE NEVER VEIL #2, I at least got past the 50,000 word milestone!

Four things I learned this month in writing:  1. You can never “forget” to write.

2. Editing never really ends. (Well, I hear it does when the book is in print, but you know…)

3. Fantasizing about fiction writing as a full-time job doesn’t help any, ha.

4. I can juggle many, many fiction projects at once.

What distracted me this month while writing: Being busy at work and life, as usual. It was my birthday, and that was fun. I went to C2E2 in Chicago yesterday! And on April 11th, I co-hosted a release party for THE SOUL HEALER, which was super fun. (I want to do one next year for mine!)

I haven’t had as much time to devote to it this month, but I’ve also been busy… querying for an agent. Since I’m planning to try to enter some Pitch Contests soon and it’s been a bit, I think I can say that publicly this time! (This was what was bumming me out last month.) I’ll miss my last agent and appreciate everything he did for me, but we had to part ways for reasons beyond my control.

Goal for next month: Since I’ll be passing the baton on NOBODY’S GODDESS edits to my editor, I can get back to focusing on trying to finish the first draft of THE NEVER VEIL #2! I hope I do! I mean, I haven’t gotten as many words done per month as I’d like, but I think I’m close. Then I plan to set it aside before I edit (because I think it’ll need a bit of work) and work on finishing the draft of my NaNoWriMo project I burnt out on. I’ve been feeling the need to go back and finish that.

Last 200 words: Can’t because it’s a sequel.

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon Report #2

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 40,127 words and 16 and a bit more chapters

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 47,969 words and 20 chapters

WIP Issues This Month: I won’t lie–my progress over the past four weeks has been abysmal. I mean, any bit of progress is better than nothing, right? But I ought to have been much further along than this. Especially considering I had one really, really good day and wrote like half of what I did the whole month on that day. I’m not stuck–I have an outline and I’m trying to just finish a draft without thinking about the little problems with the story starting to nag at me (too much)–but writing has been a struggle lately. On the plus side, I’ve reached the point in the synopsis I’d been most looking forward to write, so maybe that’ll spur me forward.

Four things I learned this month in writing:  1. Beating myself up over a small word count is counter-productive. (But I keep doing it anyway.)

2. I don’t always write first drafts quickly! (Well, I mean, I have some unfinished WIPs, but before this, the two manuscripts I’ve finished were drafted in under a couple of months.)

3. Years later (and with editors’ help) after drafting, I can still think of ways to improve my manuscripts. ^^

4. I have to keep going. I have to keep going….

What distracted me this month while writing: I got sick about halfway through the month–I was on antibiotics, but I was hardly so sick I wouldn’t be able write for days on end, but that’s what happened anyway. Blame it on my mood, I guess. I got some sad news on my writing-career front about the same time that I had to deal with and led to another task that took up a bit of my time this month, but I’m trying not to disclose too much.

Goal for next month: I actually have to put the WIP (Never Veil Series 2) aside! Well, I’ll keep working on it here and there as much as I can, but it’s second priority since I’m starting the first post-book-sale edits for Nobody’s Goddess (Never Veil Series 1, The Veiled Man’s Goddess’ new title) and they’re due at the end of the month. So my goal is to finish this round of edits and write more of the WIP, but I won’t be surprised if my word count hasn’t gone up much in a month’s time!

Last 200 words: Can’t because it’s a sequel.

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon Report #1

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 27,301 words and ten and a half chapters

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 40,127 words and 16 and a bit more chapters (ha, the last 2300 words were just last night, too, so… If I’d had more writing sessions like that one this month, I’d be further along!)

WIP Issues This Month: I never stalled entirely, but the scenes I’ve been working on this month have been less exciting to me than some of the stuff near the beginning or what’s to come. I’ve struggled to find both the time and the brain power to work. (When I’m too stressed or tired from work writing, it’s hard to get my brain into the fiction writing groove, even if I find the time!) I spent like a week on one scene writing 100 words at a time wondering what on earth was going on (characters were keeping secrets from my main character–and me!) until I finally cracked it.

Four things I learned this month in writing:  1. Even if it’s only small progress, progress is still progress. I may have wanted to get more words done this month, but somehow I at least managed to get this much done despite feeling overwhelmed.

2. Keep pushing through a scene and you’ll eventually crack it somehow.

3. Sometimes you have to write even if you don’t feel like you can because even 100 words a day is better than nothing. Even 100 words a week is better than nothing.

4. It’s not worth stressing myself out on days I can’t get many words done; it just makes me feel unaccomplished.

What distracted me this month while writing: Work, bitter cold temperatures (good for staying inside and writing a lot, though!), snow shoveling, reading, gaming, and everyday life. I’m also strangely into looking up True Detective theories.

Goal for next month: Keep going with this WIP! I want to finish as much more as possible. I need a first draft done within the next few months. I feel like I’m more than halfway there, though. Which potentially means there will be too few words this first draft, but we’ll see. I’m not worried about that yet–just getting through the plot.

Last 200 words: Can’t because it’s a sequel.

Posted in Writing

WIPMarathon Check-In #9 (5)

Posted on by Amy McNulty

I can’t believe it’s over already! (True, I only participated in half of it, but it still flew by!) I’ll be sure to check back in with the monthly updates.

Last Check-in Wordcount + ChapterCount (+ scene count if you’re revising): 22,821 words and eight and a half chapters

Current WC + CC (or SC): 27,301 words and ten and a half chapters

WIP Issues this week: Nothing too much, just finding the time to write, as usual. And I went back to switching tenses. I thought I was over that. I think my next ms will have to be in present again since I clearly want to write that way. (Watch me keep writing in past when I work on that one, though.)

What I learned this week in writing: I’m still “off synopsis,” but I’m getting closer to getting back on track. I also learned you can really miss writing for one character who hasn’t appeared in a while. (I want to get further into the story so that character can come back already!)

What distracted me this week while writing: Mostly work, but early in the week I actually had free time I could have used to write, but I had a bad head cold and couldn’t focus, d’oh. I’m better now, though.

Last 200 words: Can’t because it’s the sequel to my book releasing next year

Plans After WIPMarathon: I’m going to keep working on this sequel. I may not be finding as much time to write as I would like (and I only worked on ONE of my many goals at the start of the WIPMarathon this whole time! But it was the most important one), but even juggling all I juggled in January, I managed to get a significant chunk done. I’m surprised, actually. It felt like I had NO TIME to write, but that clearly wasn’t true. That gives me hope that even when I’m overwhelmed by the rest of my life, I will find a way to write, even if it’s not every day, and it’ll help keep me sane.