Goals by month…

So today is the first ROW80 check-in and I realised I never even posted my goal list… oops.

See the day after I signed up for the new round I was chatting with my BWB and the subject of Donna’s Dreams House came up.

Me: “You remember Write Hope? Think we could do it again?”
BWB: “Sure.”

One week later and Nozomi is back!

You want to click it. You know you do ^_-

With that in mind my ROW80 goals are month specific…
January is for Write Dreams, moving & completing my new outline for Hell. From February the goals will be in regards to editing my Nanowrimo draft and starting on Hell.

For all of you good luck and enjoy your ROW80!

apologies

I’m very sorry my fellow crusaders, ROW80 and all those lovely followers of my blog. I was (maybe foolishly) convinced I could separate external factors enough to carry on with crusading and writing.

I can’t.

I don’t want to disappear completely but I will have to withdraw from ROW80 and Rach’s Crusade. Intermittently I’ll be around, will continue to try and read/comment on other blogs and post the odd thing…

I have no timetable for these plans as the last few months have taught me that more often then not I can’t keep them.

Let’s try that again, shall we?

I really enjoyed ROW80 but I lost my way sometime after the halfway point.

For the last 3 weeks, I have eaten, breathed and slept everything Write Hope and this will probably continue for a while longer* BUT I miss writing (even though I heart hermititus). ROW80 was a nice way to keep track of things, so I want to do it again. This time I’m reshaping my targets so that when things go wrong I won’t need to beat myself up about it.

I’m making these targets with the knowledge that depending on what happens at the beginning of April I might have to withdraw – I’m hoping it won’t come to that.

ROW80 targets:

• write something twice a week (minimal)
• do some character profiles, general outlining, etc for the untitled WIP
• carry on reading, but maybe not quite so fanatically
• read and comment on 5-10 blogs a week
• don’t stop thinking and plotting in your head (but start making notes!)

AND allow yourself a free-pass when needed.

 

Both DWTS12 and SYTYCD UK kicked off last week so I’m happy

 

*especially if the thing I’m working on right now takes off.

Beware of cheese…

it’s not a an empty warning. Last Thursday night (after I’d gone to bed) I was visited by my newest MC. Her name is Bree and she is driving me to nuts. She will not be appeased, will not remain quiet and will not let me rest.*

My current actual WIP has not touched all week and I’ve got 5000 plus words with no outline and very little idea of what is supposed to be happening and still I can not stop and leave Bree on the shelf. Given the amount of planning, outlining and storyboarding I did preparing what should be my WIP it’s rather irritating.

I admit it, I do not like Bree very much. I find her annoying, sarcastic and yes I named her after cheese:

“Get me the brie Anna.” shrank to “Brie, Anna” and soon I was pretty much answering to just Brie. By the time I’d been at the house for nearly a year the entire family, including all the other kids called me Brie.

I have a feeling she will not be leaving me alone for the foreseeable future.

 

P.S.
Thank you for all the lovely comments in regards to the crusader challenge
P.P.S.
For a chance to win a copy of Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers click here

*I finished the first 2 chapters @ 1am that night.

Phoenix (take2) & competition

On Friday I worked out that I’ve bought 32 books this month… O_O
As of tomorrow it’ll be 33.

I buy books, show tickets pretty much most things in even numbers, there are a few exceptions. Such as 13*, 21, 33 and basically anything ending in a 5. I will round 5 up to 6 though – go figure. It’s a somewhat annoying and expensive habit of mine.

Writing-wise I’ve reached an interesting time…

I haven’t written as much and I’m behind on my ROW80 targets (truth be told they’ve sort of gone out the window) yet while the quantity of words is lower, the actual quality is better then ever before so I won’t beat myself up about it.

I plan on writing another chapter today and putting the other pieces in the right before order. My main target for ROW80 was to finish the first draft of part one. I think I’m still on track for that.

I’ve told you my annoying habit (I think my shyness with strangers annoys my family more) so it’s time to confess the rest.

• one secret: Twirling in rainbows on a cold dark stage. Which was being let into a theatre and trying on the costumes, exploring backstage and dancing on the actual stage in costume.
• one interesting quirk: I really truly have no rhythm. I can see it. If I watch people dance/clap I can tell you if they are wrong but when it comes to doing it myself I can’t. Marieke is the perfect witness to this, we’ve seen a few** shows and I have to copy her in order to clap to the beat. If I don’t copy I go wrong.
• one of your best character traits: I am a very loyal friend and will do pretty much anything in the world for the people I love.
• one of your favourite things in the whole world: This one was hard, I included loads in the poem. That I live by the sea, the whole ghost and moving wall paragraph is one of the trips I took with Marieke. (One of our friends was playing a ghost in the musical Secret Garden and he had to move the scenery as part of the role – we might have teased him a bit ) Journey to Atlantis is a ride in Sea World, or it was went I went for my 21st birthday and having the entire cast of Dancing with the Stars wonder into the hotel bar in Philadelphia is another…

The lie?

I’ll get to that in a moment, going back to my habit and the slightly obscene number of books purchases (work bonuses are dangerous). I have been reading like crazy to keep up (14 1/2 for this month) and two of my favourite reads were: Cracked Up To Be & Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers.

So I’m going to give away Some Girls Are because I think it’s just that tiny little bit better then Cracked Up To Be.

To enter leave me a comment and you get extra entries for following me on Twitter, subscribing and if you guessed the lie you get another 2.

I lied when I said I’d been trapped behind iron bars. I’ve had plenty of chances with all the historical places I’ve visited. I’ve managed to avoid it so far. Not so lucky with ghosts though…

The competition closes on the 12 March 2011 and they winners will be announced on the 14 March 2011. It’s internal providing the Book Depository delivers to your country, you can check their list here.

Good luck!

 

*lucky in our family
** ok, LOADS

3s

So the last couple of weeks haven’t been that great writing wise but this weekend I got on top of it.

I finally found a solution to a plot hole that’s been bugging me and came up with a really good idea for the progression of the story*. While my initial ROW80 targets aren’t quite working out I’m carrying on with a few amendments.

I’ve also been reading like crazy, come back on Sunday because I plan to share the book ♥

Ages ago** I promised a little teaser so below is a small scene from my current WIP.

“What is your true name?”
Thomas was looking at me from the makeshift bed I’d set up in the living room. After over a week upstairs he was going mad and driving me to distraction, so I finally relented. Even with the bandages on his face he didn’t stop pestering me with questions. Many of which I didn’t have any answer for.
“Sapphire will do.” I said and returned to the notebook I was practising letters in.
“That can’t be your name.”
I counted to ten and put the pen down before turning back. Part of me was regretting having brought him here. He didn’t belong to the Institute, he was from outside and that was terrifying and exciting at the same time.
“You ask a lot of things.”
He started to pull a face but winced. Checking the bandages he said:
“I work in media, of course I do.”
“Is that why you’re here?”
He studied me. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, for the first time in years I was self-conscious about my appearance. The colourless of me. It didn’t matter how bright my clothes were, the only colour I had was my eyes. Sapphire blue eyes.
“Yes.” he answered.

P.S.
Crusade challenge answers will be revealed Sunday, thanks for all the comments.

*proceeded to freak my BWB out in the process, you can see why here
**apologies for delay

I want to be a Phoenix… (ROW80)

So last week I was so happy with all the work I’d done and then a few days ago I realised I’d lost it… and I can’t get it back.

I tried* but it’s gone, so instead of seven complete chapters I now have two and bits of things.

I’m trying not to think about it too much because I get really annoyed with myself. (Beware of the copy/paste action I tell you!) I’m going to put this down as an important lesson and rise out of the ashes to rebuild.

Have you ever lost your work?

*oh believe me I have

all Tangled up…

On Monday one of my colleagues decided to make her cold a communal experience. Now I don’t know about you but I’m not creative when I’m sick, I’m not very nice to know then either. So once I got back from work I spent Monday & Tuesday night curled up on the sofa with books from my trash-pile* and tissues for my very red nose. Rudolph look out you have competition.

Wednesday, feeling much better, my friend and I went to see Tangled (2D, I don’t get the need for 3D – doesn’t add much in my opinion, apart from to the pricetag) which is wonderful! Go see it! It’s Disney at it’s best, you know the Disney you loved growing up that went missing these last few years.

I didn’t start writing again until yesterday** and by the end of 3 chapters I was worn out. Sometimes I worry about being cruel to my characters, then I think about my writing-buddy and realise it’s not so unusual.

I’m going to spent the rest of today tidying what I wrote up, before finding something very happy to fill my evening with so I can recover. Feel free to share any recommendations on TV shows, films or books that would do the job.

I’m also joining Rach Write’s Crusade, which I missed first time round. I’m hoping it’ll help me keep on top of my other goal this year. Read and comment on more blogs, something I’m still not that great at. If you’re interested please pop by, she’s lovely I tell you.

 

*I should find a better name really, they are the reads where you don’t have to get to involved, get a happy end and enjoy the ride.
**I got carried away with trash-pile books, I’ve read like one per night.

Dance: the cure to writers block?

I began this week with 9000 words, I deleted 5000, wrote another 3000 and deleted about 2000 of those. Yet I’m not disappointed. I decided that in order to get into the story I needed the beginning to be right* and the best way to do it was to tear it up and try and piece it back together. Only most of the pieces didn’t fit to I had to write new ones

It’s coming together, I plan to finish a big chunk of it today – that way next week I can finally dive into the good stuff. I’ve had some really good ideas this last week and they came from hoping around my lounge to various songs.

I want to say it was dancing but I don’t think other people would agree. No idea why this was so helpful but everytime I got stuck I found a song, turned the volume up and proceeded to go mad. By the end of it I’d found the answer.

I had Friday off, which was just as well as I spent the last 2 days criting my friends manuscript. It’s 50,000 words and I didn’t plan on doing it that quickly but got caught up in the story – I still managed to do my writing so it’s all good.

Have you got something that helps you when you’re stuck?

 

*not perfect, that’s a long way of…

Susuwatari (ROW80 update)

Firstly thank you very much to everyone who commented last week. I really appreciated it.

So week 3 already… well I’m still not quite back on target but I’m a lot more happy about it this time round.

While the quantity of words is less, the quality has improved. My first chapter is back with a lot of positive feedback and suggestions for improvement. One thing that I’ve tried to implement is “show not tell”, something which I struggle with. My bestest writing buddy gave me a crash course and it’s going ok – I did write a whole scene which while cute is pointless to the story but it’s learning so still valuable.*

Work has been very tiring this week and being stuck in front of a spreadsheet for over 9hrs one day did not help my headaches** but I still wrote that night and I’m proud of that.

Yesterday I designated cleaning day, this sounds awful but I haven’t cleaned since October – because I wasn’t here. I moved back with family to help look after someone, was on holiday or away for Christmas. So while my home wasn’t dirty the susuwatari (aka dust bunnies) were starting their own community. Instead of just cleaning I went all out, the on-your-knees-scrubbing-the-oven kind of cleaning, it’s spotless now and I’m not falling over half-unpacked bags so I think think of it as improving my writing environment.

This week I plan to get back on my writing target and I’m still trying to read and comment more on blogs, that part has so far not gone as well as I like but it’s never to late to try.

 

*any advise on making “show not tell” easier would be a great help.
** fortunately migraines are staying away but it’s still distracting