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Post by Siana Blackwood on Dec 11, 2017 11:45:43 GMT
This time of the year has arrived - again. It's time to talk plans and come up with goals for twenty-eighteen... Okay, so here we are at the end of 2017. It's time to start thinking about what we'd like to do with Steve in 2018. That means looking at individual plans and goals, Steve challenges, external challenges we'll probably all be doing (e.g. NaNoWriMo) and so forth. I guess I'll start with a few questions to get us all thinking: 1. What are your main writing-related goals for 2018? 2. Any non-writing goals you think would be beneficial to work towards on Steve? E.g. reading, exercise, arts/crafts etc. 3. Do you have any ideas for challenges/events for Steve in 2018? You can look back at 2017 and earlier challenges on Steve to get inspiration, suggest stuff from elsewhere on the web, and of course make up your own. 4. Any other ideas for things you'd like to see more of on Steve? 5. Other comments?
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Post by Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 on Dec 13, 2017 4:27:46 GMT
Hmmmmm.
1. Finish the Starfall trilogy. I'm being generous because I KNOW I will need a break in between. Also, I KNOW I'm going to get distracted with other WIPS or maybe shorts.
2. I think it might be useful to have a challenge for...something external. I'm not sure yet whether it should be limited to an activity like reading, or whether it should kind of be like a blanket challenge where we choose something, but check in anyway. I know with reading, I read regularly, but will not bother to check in, because I know it's something I'm going to do anyway. Perhaps there could be a reading thread for those who wanted it, but another thread for something creative? I know I'm working on other non-writing stuff (consistent exercise, drawing, etc.), but haven't mentioned it on my PPT. Perhaps a check-in thread?
3. - DPBs. I love them. I'll probably do them anyway even if no one else does.
- I think we should try doing more WriMos. Having a definitive check-in place might be good. Heck, if we decide to do it, I'll even create threads this month for the whole year so that they're there when we need them! (Because we're SO timely...) I would say maybe we should have just one thread for goals and check-in. Pretty informal. Doing them wouldn't be mandatory - my idea is that they would be there for people to help them complete whatever they need to work on - so non word-count goals would be good also.
Perhaps: January (JanNoWriMo, because that's defunct), FebNoWriMo, MarNoWriMo, AprNoWriMo (? or break?), NaMayWriMo, a June-July Wrimo...a JuMo?, AugNoWriMo (? or break?), September/October WriMo (Spectober? /shrug), NaNo (break), December (break).
4. Nope.
5. Nope.
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Post by tyess on Dec 15, 2017 4:56:43 GMT
Yeah. I'm sort of excited about challenges... I don't know why. So, thinking:
1. Err... I should probably know that. I'm still trying to choose between some ideas. I want to start writing in English, mostly translate some stories so I can annoy more people asking them to read them XD
2. Improve my English. I like to think that at this point I can at least comunicate ideas, but it would be nice to do it correctly and even... oh, damn, the word I'm looking for isn't "poetic", but I can't think of any other.
3. I've seen a few amazing ideas in wikiwrimo, but it seems that most are discontinued. I would love to join a challenge related with Visual novels or interactive stories, scripting, planning or (especially) editing. Planning and editing would come handy if related with NaNoWriMo months, righ? I've tried a challenge of 52 short stories in the year (each should be ready to publish, it includes editing and all) and that could match with a "create characters" challenge: 52 weeks - 52 characters - 52 stories. It could be a different prompt each week. Or, for those with patience and eager for a bigger challenge: write a single novel including one new character for each prompt (that could be a WriMo, right?)
4. Oh, well, is really soon for me to answer that. But it doesn't matter how much you (we?) discuss plots and characters and swap stories, it could be more. There is never to much of that.
5. No, I guess that's all.
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Corvid
Dalek
Worldbuilding: that great time-gobbler
Posts: 161
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Post by Corvid on Dec 24, 2017 3:10:04 GMT
1. Make words. Even bad words. Don't get caught up in worldbuilding -- just make words for now. I want a whole novel, and I want a whole cohesive novel, ASAP. Two novels would be even better! Also... find beta readers and/or workshop circle. (All my contacts are poets.) And, speaking of... send some new poetry to journals.
2. My reading list! It's one thing to make a list, (though it's a great start,) and another to read more books. Part of the problem: I need a new library card, and I can't get that settled yet for Legit Reasons, but once it is... no excuses. I live walking distance from the library.
3. Looking fwd to more WriMos. I can see Feb and/or April and/or Jun working for me?
4. All good for now!
5. None, thanks.
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Post by Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 on Dec 26, 2017 23:33:51 GMT
Okay.
JanNoWriMo.
If I make one, who would be interested in joining in?
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Corvid
Dalek
Worldbuilding: that great time-gobbler
Posts: 161
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Post by Corvid on Dec 27, 2017 1:19:40 GMT
I have a lot of work on my plate, and so I'm tempted to say I can't until February... And yet... This year slips away from me and I need accountability to make more words happen. So I think I would.
Also -- what's a DPB?
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Post by Siana Blackwood on Dec 27, 2017 3:45:00 GMT
1. What are your main writing-related goals for 2018?I have vague ideas about finishing and submitting things, but mainly just sticking to a motto of 'always be writing'. 2. Any non-writing goals you think would be beneficial to work towards on Steve? E.g. reading, exercise, arts/crafts etc.Definitely my reading list. I want to figure out how to track my academic reading, though - that's mostly chapters or articles rather than whole books. Maybe separate goals for books and for shorter things? Also (this is a weird one), since I'm already having to learn how to panel-beat the fountain pen I've had for about two months, I think I need some kind of challenge to improve my handwriting. 3. Do you have any ideas for challenges/events for Steve in 2018? You can look back at 2017 and earlier challenges on Steve to get inspiration, suggest stuff from elsewhere on the web, and of course make up your own.After being introduced to 'Word Crawls' on NaNoFiMo this year, I'm wondering about combining that sort of idea with that old idea of setting up role-playing games. Not sure how this would work yet, but might be worth thinking about. My main idea is to have monthly writing challenges and regular day/weekend challenges. Also, we should have an editing challenge of some kind. Poetry challenge? 4. Any other ideas for things you'd like to see more of on Steve?I'd like some more skill-development things. This may involve me digging into my textbook collection for some exercises, and also probably encouraging everyone else to post similar things. Oh, I just remembered - Steve the Writers' Group. I'd like that to come back in some form. 5. Other comments?Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 - yes, creating the threads in advance is probably a good idea. Also not sure whether we should just have a 'Month' thread that covers all writing and non-writing goals or if we should have separate threads for activities, though. I guess we can just pick one approach for January and see how it goes? Corvid - DPBs = Daily Plot Bunnies. Come up with one new story idea every day for seven days.
Okay, so it looks like we're generally in favour of Steve being more active as a 'WriMo forum', and would also like some kind of chatter/support for various non-writing goals. Does that sound about right.
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Corvid
Dalek
Worldbuilding: that great time-gobbler
Posts: 161
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Post by Corvid on Dec 27, 2017 5:10:43 GMT
Siana Blackwood -- Thanks! That makes sense. I totally agree with exercises and an editing challenge is a great idea. I'd also love to be active in the roleplay forum.
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Post by Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 on Dec 27, 2017 19:25:22 GMT
@corvid Daily Plot Bunnies are an exercise to help generate ideas when the brain is empty, or to play around with a recalcitrant plot bunny. This is an example of the Daily Plot Bunny exercise.This is an example of a slightly different take on one I...subverted for my own purposes.HOKAY. Master List:I would say we should run these separately, rather than trying to juggle a bunch of very different goals. . Planning - I envision a rather free-form challenge on this one, because everyone plans differently. I would probably run this alongside a writing challenge because some of us...don't plan at all, or plan through writing. What would work fro y'all, planners out there? Bullet points to flesh out? Snowflake? A place where you can brainstorm? XD . Editing - yes. March, February, or April? We can address the need for another one later in the year as we get to it. Again I'd probably run it alongside a writing one. . Reading - yes. I'm terrible at updating the list, but I agree it would be helpful. I'd say have separate lists for novels and short stuff/academia. Acadaemia? How the hell do you spell academia? HOW THE HELL DO YOU SPELL MACADAMIA? WHY ARE THESE DIFFERENT? . Exercise - yes. A check-in thread would be good. I've been trying to walk and do yoga anyway so checking in with others would be motivational. . Arts/Crafts/Other - I could go for this. I even have a goal for this. After all, it's important to remember non-writing things... Not sure how we'd divide this up based on activity. . Consistency - Yes...my main goal in everything. . DPBs - Always. So I was thinking of using the 57 prompts from the AW Sisyphus challenge to do an epic DPB run, even if I'm not going to write all the stories. My brain needs exercise. Anyone who wants to can join in. (You don't have to use the AW prompts, that's just for me because I'm insane.) . WriMos (Short Stories, Novels) . Handwriting (Siana I would definitely join in on this one...from what I've seen of the one sample of your handwriting, yours is still better than mine...my handwriting is TERRIBLE. . Word Crawls/Role Playing - I have no idea how we'd do this one. I will also admit I STAY THE HELL AWAY from both word crawls and role play because I SUCK at both. How about...starting off with a version of the Cafe that shows up on so many other forums, where characters just show up to hang out, and then we can build from there? . One-Day challenges - Anyone who has any ideas for these is welcome to put them up. . Skill development ( Siana Blackwood What kind of skills do you mean? Like...nunchuck skills...oxbow skills...computer hacking skills?) . Steve the Writers' Group - Honestly, this fills me with terror, but it would probably fit right in with my goal of writing short stories anyway...would the format of last year's group work for everyone? Or was last year's thread too confusing? Hmmmm. So. Each of the bullet points below would have a separate thread. January-Specific. JanNoWriMo (any word count goal or consistency). Steve the Writing Group (1st deadline at the end of the month) 2018-Overall
. Planning (any ideas, planners? This one's out of my league.) . DPBs (because Sisyphus) . Arts/Crafts/Other - thread to declare goal and check in (?) . Reading (you can declare 2 sections in your post as necessary, one for novels, one for shorts/academia) - declare reading goal for the year and check in . Handwriting - check in thread (?) . Exercise - declare goal (consistency or other) and check in . Cafe/character hangout thread to get the role play started and meet each other's characters! Also discussion for how to do the other word crawl/role play thing that I don't know how to do!Thoughts/input?
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Post by tyess on Dec 29, 2017 6:08:23 GMT
A few comments:
Planning: Best months for this are those previous to WriMos (specially NaNoWriMo and camps) It could be free, measuring only time of work or personal challenges, or include a list of preparation exercises like character interviews, description of places, characters and societies, exploring the plot... I would say is better not to establish an order to complete those exercises.
Editing: I would totally join these... specially in a few months, if includes some novel swap (is that the expression?) or plot discussion.
Steve the writer's group: Sounds amazing!
Word Crawls/Role Playing: I love world crawls, but the only thing I can remember that mix these two things is the Adventure Crawl (which is great). The Cafe looks promising too, but I'm not sure about the relation with "word crawl".
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Post by Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 on Jan 6, 2018 4:01:58 GMT
Notes:
- Planning/worldbuilding exercises - More role play - More specific editing challenges - Write word crawls
*whew*
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Post by tyess on Jan 7, 2018 0:07:59 GMT
Need help? I could try (with any area, except role play) but I make no promises.
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Post by Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 on Jan 7, 2018 2:29:30 GMT
By all means have at it! If you have an idea as to what kind of challenges you want and how you'll achieve those goals, feel free to create them! It'll probably be better coming from someone whose brain works that way anyway, and it'll definitely help others too!
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Corvid
Dalek
Worldbuilding: that great time-gobbler
Posts: 161
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Post by Corvid on Jan 7, 2018 6:46:06 GMT
I am interested in helping breathe life into the Roleplay Corner, if that's something that calls for extra hands!
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Post by Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 on Jan 7, 2018 18:47:06 GMT
GO FOR IT!
*has no idea how to role play*
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