Discussion: Q2 Volume 42

Four months from now Q2 will close, the stories will be in, and there will be three winners going to Hollywood.

I'd love to see all three come from here.
Does that make me selfish and greedy? Yup!  

Posted by: @tj_knight

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Four months from now Q2 will close, the stories will be in, and there will be three winners going to Hollywood.

I'd love to see all three come from here.
Does that make me selfish and greedy? Yup!  

100% agree! Just can't believe it's Q2 V42 thread time 😧 

How is time passing this quick???

Already? Wow.  I better get going on my Q1 story.  Augh!

@toddjones Me too!

I have a flash-fiction piece that I've teed up to be my Q2, but it is in severe need of story flesh. I'll certainly have some work to do.

Fighting with an 8600-word story right now, and my previous longest was 6800.  Executing the 10% Solution is painful with 5000 words.  This is excruciating.  But it might be good.  Just don't ask after I've finished.  

Onward to QTR2 brainstorming.

Posted by: @craydimensional

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Onward to QTR2 brainstorming.

I can't agree more! I need to start Q2 brainstorming too. Onward!

In other words, it's groundhog day 🤣 

Editing and rewriting my first submission. I know there's a good story in there, but I wrote it so quickly the first time that it didn't get a proper editing or even proofreading. I moved on to my next story for the next quarter so that I could go back with fresh eyes later regarding that first one. That second story sucked. Interesting concept, but I didn't have much faith in it. It was too long too... nerdy? Is that the word I'm looking for? I don't know, but the first one I had a stronger gut instinct about, so that's the one I decide to work on.

I had an idea for a Q2 story about 2 months ago and had started writing it. The beginning went well. The ending fine. But the middle was a messy morass. Even I couldn't find writing it exciting and it was my story, so I couldn't imagine anyone reading it would. So my writing on it stalled. After a few attempts to re-start that project I think I have shelved it for now, and started instead on a different from scratch story. Here's hoping this one doesn't stall out too!

^ Probably a good call. Step away, take a look, wait to be called back. If not, put your energy toward something new.

I started and stalled two novels last year, at last settling in on a third. They're still there if I get a spark, if not, like you, I'll come up with something entirely new.

I have the meat and bones of a short story that I wrote the majority of over Christmas break, though I will have to make a few passes through it to remove any stray references to other IPs I may have left in there. I also have another idea for a story that is entirely original, with an outline for some of its plot progression already, though it needs more work on figuring out the full flow of events before I can start writing.

If I end up feeling ambitious and write out the second plot idea I will commit with it. If not, which may be possible given the responsibilities I have, I will fall back to the draft I already have.

@tj_knight so my latest q2 also stalled out. clearly this is a *me* issue not a *story* issue right now.

I did push this latest one all the way to the end of the first draft (ish) so we'll see if its rescuable in edits or if it really is time to start a third q2 effort!

I've drafted up a fairly unexpected Q2, but it's reached a conclusion, and is ready for edits. Not typical fare for my entries, and I'm not going to run it through my usual checks and balances, as I really don't want to do too much to change its shape. But it does need some spit and polish before it'll be ready for prime-time, so to speak, and that's going to be next on my radar for this week. My goal is to polish, dust off, and sub before the end of January, after which will come the final stretch of novel outlining--and that, and the subsequent writing of said novel, I plan to stick with until late Q3, with a view to any third-quarter entry being drafted quick and submitted late in that window.

That's the plan, anyway. We shall see how well it holds up against the relentless press of reality...