November Goals
I might have been on haitus from blogging, but I’ve been very busy writing. Part of my problem with blogging right now is that I’m writing things for my pen name, which is so completely different than anything I’ve written here. I wonder now what I should blog about, or even if I should keep blogging because I don’t feel comfortable talking about that stuff here. It’s weird and kinda stinks. Still, I’m going to figure it out. So, let’s talk November and goals.
November Goals!
- Write 65,000 words
- Get my novella to submission ready
- Figure out what to do about blogging
Last year I wrote over 200,000 during NaNoWriMo. That was an accomplishment, but not a good one. Yes, I wrote some great stuff, but it was kind of all over the place. This year I want to slow it down and really enjoy NaNo. I want to go have fun and not feel guilty if I don’t write between 7,000 and 10,000 words a day. If I only write the minimum, that’s okay!
The novella is almost at submission ready quality, so that’s not a huge goal, but I don’t want to lose sight of that goal.
Like I said above, figuring out what to blog about and where to go from here needs to be decided. I used to blog in detail about my projects but I don’t want to do that anymore. I’ll need to figure out another focal point. I think I’ve learned a lot while I’ve been away from blogging, and I could very well blog about that. However, I don’t think I’ll be blogging every day again. That takes something out of a girl.
So that’s me for the month of November.
How about you?
Hello NaNoWriMo!
So today is November 1st, which means my blog is out of hiatus and NaNoWriMo has begun. I’m nervous about both. For one, things are hectic as I get ready to move this weekend, and my project is something I’m writing for my pen name. So how do I talk about it without talking about it? I don’t know!
Sunday we had our regional kick off party at a great little used book store. There was a huge turn out and we had a lot of fun touching on all the major points of NaNo.
Unlike last year, I’m not trying to rack up a huge wordcount. I’m going for fun and easy this year. Yes, I’ll more than likely write more than 50K, but I’m okay with that. The point is that I’m not stressing myself to churn out more words than is smart.
And that’s me right now.
Are you doing NaNoWriMo? How prepared are you?
Hiatus until NaNoWriMo
I should have posted this last week when I decided to forgive muself from blogging, but I’ve been packing and editing and watching documentaries. Since I’m currently on a writing break and not doing a whole lot worth blogging about, I’m going on a mini hiatus until NaNoWriMo starts. During this time I’ll be packing and reading and plotting and generally going crazy because I’m not writing. For me it’s harder to not write than it is to write. Yeah, go figure that one out. Anyways, keep writing!
Books I bought this week…
I’m going to try to not buy so many books in the near future since I’m moving, but some days you can’t help yourself!
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Inferno’s Kiss by Monica Burns
The laws of desire…Dante Condellaire, heir apparent to the Sicari Lords, knows that being a true leader means sacrifice. For Dante it was relinquishing all erotic pleasures. But he never expected his willpower to be tested so fiercely by Cleopatra Vorenus, expert assassin of the Order, and daughter of the man he is positioned to succeed.
The rules of battle…
Cleo prefers working alone–until she meets Dante who shares her goal: to destroy a Praetorian stronghold where Sicari women are imprisoned for devious purposes. Bringing the mission off without a hitch pumps up more than their resolve. It sets off a sexual spark too combustible to ignore.
Are all made to be broken.
As their attraction flares like an inferno, the stakes are raised. So are the risks. Before the mission is over, Dante and Cleo will be plunged into a dangerous conspiracy where a traitor threatens the very foundation of the Order, as well as the fiery bond between Dante and Cleo–warriors and lovers now torn between duty and desire.
- book
Not So Wordless Wednesday: My shoe collection.
So I’m culling my closet, and here are my shoes, all 63 pairs of them. I only kept 38 pairs of shoes. Aren’t you proud of me?
Critiques?
I’ve been actively working on some other projects that I haven’t – and won’t blog about. However, I’m still looking at polishing these projects. I have a wonderful, amazing and talented group of critique partners, but we’re all busy writing and doing other real life things. I’ve been thinking that I need more critique partners, but the question is: How do you find them? How did you find yours?
During my first NaNoWriMo I lucked out and hooked up with some amazing women who write better than I do. We’ve stuck together and shared a lot of our joys and frustrations of writing, but like I said, I can’t burden them all the time. So it stands to wonder, should I fish in the NaNo pool to try to find more crit partners? How do you evaluate someone to know if they’re good or not for your project?
On a whim last week I joined two online critique sites. Both operate under a critique and be critiqued method where you gain credits or points from each critique you do, which can be spent to put your own critique up for consideration. I was obsessively checking them both to begin with, and then I got busy. I’m working up the nerve to go through the critiques and work out some things and do the next chapter, if these look worthwhile.
I’m not sold on the idea of the online, whoever wants to critique it can, style. There’s a certain bond you develop with someone who sees a project all the way through to the end and reads a whole piece. They can offer feedback on a whole manuscript, and not just that chapter. Maybe I can find people on the sites who want to go to a direct one-on-one approach, but how do you broach that subject? Is it considered rude to bypass the website?
So that’s where I’m at this week. I’m not really focusing on revisions or writing or critiques since I’ve been so ‘on’ over the last few months. This week is more of a recharge week. Lots of cleaning and reading and doing Book Addicts stuff. Next week I really want to be cracking on the revisions, so critique partners are going to be on my mind a lot.
Do you have critique partners? Where did you meet them?
Weekly Check-In
I kind of failed this week. For the first half I was suffering from the post-con-haze, and then I discovered this game on Google+ called Zombie Lane, and the rest of my week was pretty much shot. Blogs didn’t get done. Writing suffered. Nothing has mattered except killing zombies and improving my defenses. So, all in all, not a lot to talk about this week.
Revising.
I’m trying out a few online critique sites to see how they work and if I get feedback that’s helpful. It’s nerve wracking to think that people I don’t know are reading something that still needs some polish, but it’s me growing and stuff and whatever.
Writing.
I finished a novella I haven’t mentioned I was writing. I’m pleased with it, and it’s on the back burner for now.
What I read.
- Inferno’s Kiss by Monica Burns
So yeah, not a lot done. I’m going to be focusing on reading this week, so I might skip the weekly check in.
October Goals
This has been a random month. Writing the end to Decoy was both exciting, and like pulling teeth. I’ve been kind of bouncing around, not really steady, so in a large part this month has been frustrating. I wanted to get more done than I did, but I did what I set out to do. I knew heading into September that I needed a breather. I needed to focus on fewer projects and get other, non-writing things taken care of, like finding a new place to live! And work!
Overall, September was a great month that went by far too quickly. I’ve been looking forward to it for a while because of FenCon, and it didn’t disappoint in being an eventful month!
September Goals!
- FenCon critiques. There are 18 of them to do. Very time consuming.
- Finish the additions to Decoy and set aside for at least a week.
What I did…
- FenCon critiques – all of them.
- Decoy’s ending is done, but now I want to write a new beginning!
- Finished writing a novella I haven’t mentioned.
Yes, I randomly wrote a new novella/short novel! The workshop was an interesting experience. It was good, but I think I need to focus my feedback on my audience instead of settling for feedback, period.
Okay, October! October is an unfortunate month. It’s right before NaNo, which is always a drain, so I like to take October easy, at least as far as writing goes. I hope to get revisions on at least one project done and loads of reading. I’ve seriously been slacking on my Book Addicts duties and I need to step it up.
I don’t quite know what I want to write for NaNoWriMo, but I hope to get the project ironed out over the next month so I can work on it during November.
October Goals!
- Write new beginning for Decoy.
- Revise on Decoy.
- Plan for NaNoWriMo.
- Read. Lots.
