For a lot of us, November was a month of crazies simply for one reason: NaNoWriMo. I am still recovering from channeling all that creativity (and insanity).
But when it comes to writing, there is only one thing we can truly embrace, no matter what stage of the process we're in: onward. Perhaps we need to first take a breath, as I did yesterday with the Vancouver NaNo community's TGIO lunch, but when it comes down to it we must keep moving.
So, how was your month last month? How are you progressing with your goals? And what are your plans this month?
Given the season, I've got a very special gift to one lucky participant every week in December. That is, if you or someone you know has a sweet tooth...
Fire away, Wipsters!
Edited to add: Oh, right, I suppose I should add my goals to the mix. For me, I need to let the NaNo sit for some time. And I'm splitting my time on a couple of separate projects, including last year's NaNo which I really *did* need a break from but which I feel ready to get to work on. This is my only non-YA piece, an urban fantasy, and a project that is near and dear to my heart for many reasons. I've got another YA I'm starting work on, and some serious beta-reading planned.
And the best news? This week I get to feature not one but *three* authors with new and upcoming releases, so stay tuned!
Sadly NaNoWriMo was a flop for me. I spent the last week sick and the the middle two weeks overwhelmed with students.
ReplyDeleteI'm still straddling 3 projects—the new one, which needs some rethinking, and 2 completed projects that need a little polish before submission.
I really want to get an old manuscript back out the door then focus on the new WIP. Some changes in plot and chapter order may be afoot.
For now, I'll just pray for a little extra inspiration.
Party on, Wipsters!
Every little bit counts, Mary Ann! Hope you're feeling better now. Good luck with all of your projects!
DeleteWith Christmas on the horizon it's going to be a full month for everyone, so thanks for hosting us this month, Laura.
ReplyDeleteMy NaNoWriMo goal was less ambitious than most, wanting just 10,000 new words to rewrite the ending of a previously completed ms. I made it, plus a few hundred more, but still haven't completely finished the story. I have two submissions on hold until I do, so it's definitely 'onward' for me this week. I need two more chapters, so am hoping to complete at least one of them this week while not consuming too many Christmas goodies!
You're welcome, Carol. :) Glad to hear you hit your goal. Best of luck with your submissions.
DeleteAs for the goodies ... yeah, I can't offer any strategies for that except that it helps when I make tiger butter on a full stomach.
Happy December, everyone!
ReplyDeleteNovember was zany. I 'won' NaNo. However, I believe we're all winners when we write, regardless of word count. :) My story isn't over, so I'm finishing that up now.
Writing Goals: For December, and until further notice, I've promised myself that I won't start new projects without polishing and shopping around the stories I wrote this past year. Sure it's great I participated in practically all the WriMo's. That's a bunch of stories now in different stages of revision. In the 'onward' portion of this writing journey, I need to get those stories out there unless this record skips repeatedly on the 1st draft track. Rinse and repeat is fine but I should dry my hair first, right? (Whoa... too early in the week for a metaphorical overload!)
It's so tempting to start something shiny and new. Believe me, I came up with at least six new story ideas last month, but I need to be strong!
Reading Goals: For every known (popular/talked about) book I read, I will read two books from indie authors. I'm already getting a head start (way early) for Marvelous Middle Grade May!
I have a bunch of other goals but I think these are good for the week and we'll see how it goes.
Thanks for having us, Laura!
Forward, Write!
Tonette
You're welcome, Tonette! High five on the NaNo win.
DeleteI'm not surprised to hear of all your new ideas. I honestly believe that all the creativity we work with that month lets down the barriers, so it can be a very fertile month. I also had a few brand new ideas. So did my husband, who wasn't even doing NaNo but who finally started writing in earnest again. Good on you for making a note on them but focusing on the stuff you have now.
Hooray for Nano success, LS! Every month I say I'm going to get back to my WIPs and every month it doesn't happen. So this month I'm going to set the goal of blogging once a week--something I've failed to do for the longest time. When did my life become so crazy and busy? Oh yeah, about a year ago. . .
ReplyDeleteCarry on my lovely Wipsters!
It never hurts to start small, Angelina! I know you can do it. Best of luck. :)
DeleteThanks for hosting, Laura, and congrats on Nano! I also finished Nano and am letting my project sit. In the meantime, I have another nonfiction project that I had to leave sitting half-done at the beginning of November. So I'm hoping to get to that this month.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Denise! Yes, I can definitely relate to letting the NaNo sit for awhile. As I told one of the members of my NaNo Other Eleven Months group last night, "I'm really enjoying working on stuff that *isn't* my NaNo!"
DeleteNaNo was a bust for me, but that's okay. I got a lot of editing done, so from a productivity standpoint it wasn't all a wash. Not quite as much fun as putting shiny new words on the page, but important nonetheless. Glad you made a lot of progress on your projects! :)
ReplyDeleteThans, Lara! I wouldn't call November a bust if you got some much-needed editing done. That sounds just fine. :)
DeleteHey! My first #WIPMadness. I loved what happened with writing and Nano this year and I want to keep it going. My goal is to write 20,000 words this month. As one of my favourite Star Trek captains say, "Engage!" And that's what I'm going to do.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Kim! And to quote another well-known Star Trek personality, "Oh myyy..." ;)
DeleteIt does embody one of the skills I like to think that NaNo teaches us. The ability to keep writing, to get that wordcount and first draft out there so that we can edit it. Best of luck with keeping it up, and holding onto that energy!
Congrats to all the NaNo'ers out there! I did my own tiny version, just dedicating time to my wip every day of November. I ended the month with 32k. I'm quite pleased and still putting in a few hours a day to finish. My goal is about 60k. I also completed November with over 30 PB ideas for the annual Picture Book Idea Month with Tara Lazar. Letting a few of those settle for a bit while I work on the YA wip.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting this month, Laura!
Write on, Wipsters. :D
That sounds like a lot of fun, Candilynn. And 32K is certainly productive! Congrats on that, and on all of the picture book ideas. May they all prove successful. :)
DeleteI finished my first draft for Nano! **Doing a little dance! But then I was burned out. Big time. Took a couple days off. Now going back to my other project to do some serious edits. My goal is to finish this revision so I can get it out there. I want to query again as I want an agent. Having a small press is good but I want more options and better opportunities.
ReplyDeleteSmart of you to take a break from things if you needed it, Kim. May your revisions go smoothly!
DeleteOnward...yes! That's a good word to embrace. :) I made progress on my revisions in November, but not as much as I would've liked. My goal is still to finish this round by the end of the year, so as we enter this traditionally BUSY month, I'll have to make excellent use of my writing time!
ReplyDeleteOoh, yes, definitely, Shari. Making use of the time we have is just as important as making time, period. Here's to finishing those edits before the clock strikes 2014! :)
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