Share the joy: what's your writing success today?

[Taylor]

we all have unique ways of of navigating through our stories. I find it helpful to open a word doc and write out the points I need to cover as bullet points. Then I read through it and can easily move things around before committing it to actual writing.

Yeah, that's a great idea to get the creative juices flowing. I do something similar in that I keep an outline on an Excel doc, where I set out all the chapters, POV, plotlines etc., with a column for requirements. It's a good birdseye view of the story. Plus it provides a quick glance of how often characters appear and how often each plot is developed. I also added a filter, so I can look at it by just one character, just one family or just one plotline, etc. I use that to stay balanced. But adding your idea, I'll copy and paste the requirement notes I made for a chapter on the actual word document. I like that...thanks!

Like right now. I'm kinda stuck! I think I'm just tired from all the research I did that last few days. Any tricks for momentary blocks due to fatigue?

[indianroads]

Yeah, that's a great idea to get the creative juices flowing. I do something similar in that I keep an outline on an Excel doc, where I set out all the chapters, POV, plotlines etc., with a column for requirements. It's a good birdseye view of the story. Plus it provides a quick glance of how often characters appear and how often each plot is developed. I also added a filter, so I can look at it by just one character, just one family or just one plotline, etc. I use that to stay balanced. But adding your idea, I'll copy and paste the requirement notes I made for a chapter on the actual word document. I like that...thanks!

Like right now. I'm kinda stuck! I think I'm just tired from all the research I did that last few days. Any tricks for momentary blocks due to fatigue?

I use Excel during my edits as well, to follow secondary characters when they enter and leave, major events, and to make sure I don't cover a particular subject more than once. For the main characters I track the morphing of their characters as the move along their arc.

I do a ton of edits before I send it out to a professional because it saves me money and time.

[Backstroke_Italics]

My success story for today has been finishing up some beta reading I was working on. I have found beta reading to be very rewarding, and helpful for my own process.

[indianroads]

I won't get much writing done today. Taught a TKD class this morning, and now I get to snow-blow our (long) driveway.

[TheMightyAz]

Mine is always going to be really boring: It's writing a paragraph that I think looks professional enough to appear in a published book. If I can string enough professional looking paragraphs together and tell a compelling story, bonus! As I said, I'm a nuts and bolts person.

[Taylor]

I use Excel during my edits as well, to follow secondary characters when they enter and leave, major events, and to make sure I don't cover a particular subject more than once. For the main characters I track the morphing of their characters as the move along their arc.

I do a ton of edits before I send it out to a professional because it saves me money and time.

It's funny after reading your other post in 'write what you know', this made me think that the reason we use Excel to write is because we dragged it with us from our past life. I wonder, how many writers have discovered the beauty of a spreadsheet program for organizing thoughts?

[indianroads]

It's funny after reading your other post in 'write what you know', this made me think that the reason we use Excel to write is because we dragged it with us from our past life. I wonder, how many writers have discovered the beauty of a spreadsheet program for organizing thoughts?

Probably so. We use what we are comfortable with.

At my local Pikes Peak Writer's Guild meeting one person stated that they write the stories and books on their PHONE. I have no idea how that's possible, but you know, if it works I say go with it.

[vranger]

Early this morning I brought Chapter 18 to within 1100 words of completion, and worked out how to fix a character's insanity. This type of scene was a first for me, in describing the cause and nature of the insanity, and what my MC decided to try as a solution. I'm more convinced than before I'll write past my conceptual target of 100K words, but I'm not too worried about that. According to one source, most fantasy novels wind up between 100K and 115K. 110K would give me 20K words after I wrap up Chapter 18, and that will be more than enough.

So I need one interesting scene tonight, and on to 19.

[indianroads]

Early this morning I brought Chapter 18 to within 1100 words of completion, and worked out how to fix a character's insanity. This type of scene was a first for me, in describing the cause and nature of the insanity, and what my MC decided to try as a solution. I'm more convinced than before I'll write past my conceptual target of 100K words, but I'm not too worried about that. According to one source, most fantasy novels wind up between 100K and 115K. 110K would give me 20K words after I wrap up Chapter 18, and that will be more than enough.

So I need one interesting scene tonight, and on to 19.

Great news!

[Foxee]

Right now any forward progress with writing, any time spent at all, is a win. I was so happy to have an hour first thing in the morning open up with my son's return to school for his third quarter. He's a chatterbox and an extrovert so when he's at home he likes to talk to me. Now that he's 15 and the Teenage Boy Silences strike occasionally I try to let him chatter when I can handle it. So peace descends and I have this hour...except when he misses the bus or doesn't have JROTC drill and PT.

All that to say, out of the four days so far this week, this morning is the ONLY morning that I had that hour for focusing on writing and I did get here and put distractions aside and worked. Whatever else happens, this is still a good day.