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Post by Siana Blackwood on May 21, 2017 3:30:55 GMT
Okay...
So I guess it's more or less obvious that like April, June should be 'if you're going to be writing anyway, sign up for Camp NaNo'. With that in mind, I'm thinking about having a sort of plan things/finish things challenge in June. So, a list of options like this:
1. Clear the decks: Finish, archive, pause or otherwise clear away any projects that might distract you from what you want to do in July.
2. Practice: Write a number of short/flash stories as a warm-up.
3. Make a plan: Whether you're starting a new project or continuing an existing one, spend June hammering out the details you'll need for July.
...or a combination of the three. If you have other ideas for challenges, post them here.
Oh, and also this:
How did you go with writing-related things in May? Are there things you feel like you did wrong, or could improve on? Are there things you're really happy with and would like to continue with in the coming month? Anything you need general help or advice with?
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Post by Dec on May 21, 2017 16:35:35 GMT
How did you go with writing-related things in May?
Okay. Better than okay, really -- wrote to my goal, came up with a shiny new project. It was great. Never really got around to the May Flowers thing, but maybe that's something I can do in the next few days.
Are there things you feel like you did wrong, or could improve on?
The process for Chimera needs to be completely retooled. Don't know how yet, but it needs to be changed. Expect long rants about it soon in the progress thread.
Are there things you're really happy with and would like to continue with in the coming month?
Remember Your Teeth is excellent. I really see it as the thing that I can break out with, and I can't wait.
Anything you need general help or advice with?
How merge memoir and fantasy? I feel like it shouldn't be as hard as it is, but god is Cimera killing me here.
Actually, the real question is, I think, do I lean towards my nonfiction style or my fiction style, which is just as hard to answer, but might mean I can edit it in later.I don't know, and that's the problem.
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Post by Siana Blackwood on May 22, 2017 6:18:07 GMT
How did you go with writing-related things in May?
Variable, I guess? Most of my writing this month has been for school and I haven't had much time for working on personal stuff. I'm also sort of blocked with my current WIP, because I ran into the usual problem of having trouble deciding exactly who the MC is. Sometimes I think I should throw the whole Necroverse mess in a drawer somewhere and never touch it again.
Actually, I've done that a few times and then gone straight back to it. So, probably not a viable strategy.
Are there things you feel like you did wrong, or could improve on?
I've lost my writing momentum, because I got a bit stuck and stopped completely rather than switching to planning. Also, the 15-20k mark seems to be about the limit of what I can write without feeling like I need to make a binding decision on exactly who the story is about. I don't know what to do about that.
Are there things you're really happy with and would like to continue with in the coming month?
I was really happy with my writing progress in April, and I'd like to get back to it. I did manage to write a couple of under 1k stories this month, though, and that's something I'd like to continue with.
Anything you need general help or advice with?
Consistency/accountability... and after all this time I still don't know how to set that kind of thing up. I'm wondering about the NaNoWriMo goal tracker, posting daily progress reports to Steve/blog/Twitter or finding a challenge on another site. Suggestions appreciated. I basically just want some kind of sense that people are going to see whether or not I'm making progress.
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Post by Dec on May 22, 2017 15:11:38 GMT
I'm kind of hooked on Habitica, so maybe that's coloring things for me, but it's definitely done loads for me in the consistency/accountability arena. It's set up to help you remember to do all your tasks, and to hurt your avatar if you forget your key, daily ones. I'm pretty sure I've written at least my daily minimum of 150 words every day since starting. There's also writing guilds, and writing challenges, and in parties there's also the incentive of "I have to do this, or I will hurt other people" to fall back on. You can also join up with other writers, and talk through your problems with them. It's excellent.
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Post by Siana Blackwood on May 23, 2017 14:02:51 GMT
I've thought about it, but it looks really complicated. How hard would it be to set up a NaNo-style daily word goal?
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Post by Dec on May 23, 2017 17:11:35 GMT
It would be pretty simple, I think. Beyond simple, actually -- you just need to make a To-Do in the Daily task list that says "write x amount of words". It would be very underwhelming. If you give me the rest of the day to figure it out, I can make a simple tutorial for making tasks with screenshots, but it would still be underwhelming to behold.
to be honest, I'd recommend doing more than just your writing there unless you either A)Have it as your day job, B) Break it all down into a lot of teeny-tiny tasks that you can tick of as soon as your MC breathes, or C) are a prolific planner that can set up more than "write x words a day" without driving yourself insane.
So... don't know if you want to commit to putting a summary of your entire life on Habitica, or at least what you want to do with it, but I at least think it's worth it. Got a lot done in the last two weeks.
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Post by Siana Blackwood on May 25, 2017 4:24:17 GMT
Yeah, just doing it for writing probably isn't worth it. The trouble is, the next step up is writing + study, and my weekly study task lists are already happily residing in a desktop wiki where I also organise all the course materials. Replicating that list somewhere else would just be keeping track of the same thing twice. I guess I probably don't need a goal tracker as such: just somewhere I have to reveal a yes/no answer to "Did you write today?" I'll probably try something like joining the monthly goal threads on NaNo or AW for now.
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Post by Siana Blackwood on May 28, 2017 12:34:45 GMT
Okay, so this is the current state of June planning:
1. I'm going to have a 'JuneNoWriMo' thread here on Steve, and also probably join in the June threads on the NaNo and AW forums.
2. I'm also going to try to get back to watching the Sanderson lectures and posting comments on them.
If anyone wants to join in with either of these, I'd love the company.
(I'm also going to send out a Steve email again in a day or so, so if there's anything you'd like to add to the June list now is the time.)
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