The Writers Aspirant Accountability Thread

I didn't set October goals as I knew I would not get any of them done between school and outside activities. So, in a way, I guess I achieved my expectations?

For November, it'll be another tough call whether I'll get any writing done, but my goals are:

1. Plot something for Q1

2. Continue editing an HM

Clean copy but gibberish. I know the story I want to write for V41, Q1, but damn...

Then I got sick and couldn't think straight for two weeks. I wrote peanut butter four different times on the grocery list and then forgot... that's right. So, this month I've written and scrapped over ten thousand words and then abandoned four thousand more yesterday.

New one thousand page outline finished yesterday and three hundred fifty words into non-gibberish territory.

Posted by: @ease

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This thread's title tis terrible. (Pardon the 'tis' but that alliteration grabbed me by the throat). It's wrong.

We are not a group of aspiring writers. We, all of us, are writers. 

lol. I must admit I never read the title as aspiring writers, but what we as writers aspired to do this month and to be held accountable for that

As to October goals I didn't really ever state any - but what I have *done* is a couple attempts at short stories (one 75% drafted, 3 a paragraph and a couple scene sketches but not got far enough to call it anything). The 75% drafted one has promise but still needs some hammering to make it shine. Not convinced its right for *this* market, but maybe. We'll see.

I applied to the apex magazine slush reader that @rschibler posted on twitter but was not one of the selected 🙁 disappointing but they were nice about it and me always wanting to think on the bright side, that leaves me more time for writing right? And if I want to slush read I can continue to volunteer to take people's from here which I have done in the past.

Still participating in my writers-reading group where we analyze award nominated stories

Still participating in my novel critique group on the novel I wrote 2 novel-manuscripts ago.

I did do one blog post.

Another drabble piece accepted. Another short story submitted elsewhere.

Again, sadly, no novel queries sent out (how do I expect to get an agent if I never query any?) but its my least successful and so most discouraging writers activity so I find that harder to do. It's also just plain not fun sending a query. Id rather be writing a short story with my limited time...

And work has been pretty overwhelming this month with a week long work trip and all the prep for that there just wasn't a lot of time outside of it to do anything.

Goals for November 

1. Set goals. The reason I like this one is its kind of self-fulfilling no? So now I can feel good I've already accomplished something 😉

2. Finish up the 75% draft

3. Take one of the other 3 stories started and turn it into a 100% draft

4. Do a blog entry (I try for one a month, but don't normally list this in my goals but I failed in Sept so here it is)

@gideonpsmith I meant it when I said we were holding all the applications for future need! But honestly, I ended up with over eighty applicants, and there wasn't any way to take everyone. I encourage you to keep trying to find a place to read slush - it is so eye-opening in so many ways! And thanks for supporting Apex

@rschibler Apex is awesome! And I had no doubt the competition would be tough, so regardless of disappointment, hearing "no" is a part of writing I guess (57 rejections on my short stories so far this year!). Just got to keep working at it, keeping it fun. Thanks for the response and your presence here ? 

I neglected to post goals for October, but I succeeding in getting one new story written and several submissions sent out. My goal for November is to write every day. I hope this will lead to a new story for Q1 as well as a decent chunk of a new novel. It's been too long since I've worked on a longer project, so I'm hoping that NaNoWriMo will give me the motivation I've been lacking. A distraction from a long streak of rejections would be nice, too. 

Thanks for the nudge! 

I finally got my website going - huzzah! Still not totally satisfied with it but starting to think I never will be. 

Next month’s goals is to write something new instead of editing old stories to sub. 

Joined a  local SFF critique group -fingers crossed! Or should I say uncrossed and holding a pencil? ?

@ease 

Things are slowly getting back to normal, if normal was ever a thing. Holidays are coming up which means busy, busy, busy! 

I think I gave WoTF a pretty decent shot with my Q4 entry, so I'm looking forward to seeing the result of that.

I get next week off, mostly, so I'll be looking forward to having some time to myself and getting back into writing. I don't know if I'll work on Q1, which I haven't the slightest clue on what to write about, or if I'll go back and finish writing things I've already written. I feel like the latter is better for me. I would like to get back into the hang of writing and to remember what it feels like to love it.

I don't have any goals for November and December. Mainly, I hope to finish a Q1, then I also hope my nephew's toy gets here in time (I've been waiting for 3 years now on this kickstarter toy and shipping is constantly delayed), and I hope to transcribe some of my stories on paper on to the computer. That's about it.

I'm also unsure if I'm going to keep entering the contest. I like WoTF, but I want to get back to writing novels. I know a short story is just a novel with less words, but I miss having the word length to do what I want and say what I want. I miss being okay with writing random things, only to later find out that those random things are crucial to the story and that the things I glossed over would now be picked over with a fine-tooth comb. I miss having stories that tell themselves, that aren't limited to the scope of one event or one instance, that can grow over time and either shatter everything or fix it all. More than anything, I miss characters that grow. Characters whose entire lives aren't boiled down to an experience, characters who sometimes takes lifetimes to mature. I miss the adventures I'll miss out on because I can't afford to stray from the tightly woven plot of a short story. I miss the experiences: the thrills and scares, the love and hope, the utter tragedies and despair, and above all, how much the brokenness in the characters do not break them at all. Things I cannot do in a short story, the way that I want to.

I wish everyone the best and lots of luck on the contest. I will cheer you all on and I will help where I can.

Hi all, I hope it's okay if I sneak in on this thread?

My goal for November is to finish a draft for my current story. 

Loving all the goals and achievements here, folks. Sorry to hear that you might not keep entering the contest, @annax (and Happy Birthday!) but I think that's a fine reason for your decision/inclination. I missed novel writing like mad when I was entering every quarter. But oddly, once I stopped entering, the drive to write novels abated a little too ☹️ Currently working on stoking that flame, again.

And @tiinag, welcome to the thread! All are welcome here, always! Glad to have you here.

@ease 

This helps me when I start losing motivation to write, so I hope it will help you regain some of your drive when you're not feeling that spark anymore. What helps me is that I start to read. I don't read anything else but my own work. I either start from the beginning or start at a place I remember and want to read about. Just reading about the characters I'm writing, and getting back into feeling them and their feelings, it makes me want to write. Whether that's to give them a better ending or better experiences, or to punish the wicked, per say, etc, it helps me to remember what it feels like to be in that world and to be a part of it. I normally pick something I'm fond of, an experience or something that brings forth some kind of emotional output from me.

Don't give up. It isn't the writing itself that you love. It's the worlds you created with the characters you formed to inhabit them. Reading your own work and remembering the love you have for your own characters should and will sustain you. If it doesn't, then start over until it does, until you fall in love with the stories you tell.

Posted by: @ease

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@annax (and Happy Birthday!)

Thank you for the birthday wishes!  

@ease 

October has been one of those months that passed by and I have little writing product to show for it. Life reasons (work, family, house issues) kept me busier. I made some progress on editing a previously submitted story (a HM). I feel it's a strong story and one I like, but upon re-reading needs some editing to get it leaner and meaner. I am working through that. Otherwise, I have plenty of story seeds here and there but I am staring down the next 6 weeks and wondering if I will manage something new. I would like to. I will try. I think another few days / fortnight tops (he says, naively) editing and my current story will be okay to send to markets (or resubmit). That then gives me a back up should I be staring at "no entry" come late December.

There is still time!

I appreciate this thread. I don't always post my progress towards my writing goals, but... Yesterday I got an exciting email which affirms that I'm on the right course...

My story “Thunderbirds, Kraken, and Other Dangers to Dragon Reproduction” was accepted by Androids and Dragons and should come out in their April 2024 issue. It won first place in the Southeastern Writers Association’s Vega Award for Speculative Fiction [June 2023] and received an honorable mention in WOTF volume 40 Q2. There’s even a possibility for me to submit an illustration to pair with the story and so I’m working on thumbnail sketches based on the story. It’s not a pro-rate sale, but it is my first published short story so I’m excited.

I've been diligently studying Moon's super secrets and attending Dreamforge meetings on the craft of writing and am in a couple of writing groups and I have an awesome writing mentor [thanks Candice] and there are folks on this forum who provided valuable feedback [notably Dustin Adams].

Anyway, just thought I'd share. It's been a tough couple of months on my end so getting nice news is a real pick me up.

UPDATE: I got a second email today: My story "Baba Yaga and the Water of Life" is to be published in Issue Six: Ghoulish Grimoires. It was my first RWC [rejected with comments, Writers of the Future Q1, Vol 39]. Not a pro-market by any stretch of the imagination, but given the story is midgrade, that limits my choices of where to send it. This is the story that received a personal rejection from Cast of Wonders [and they advised me the story was a bit young for YA]. Thanks to everyone who reacted and replied to my androids and dragons news. I appreciate the support and kind words. My heart is full of happiness to know that two of my short stories will be out in the wild soon.

@physa Congratulations! How fun is that?

Posted by: @physa

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My story “Thunderbirds, Kraken, and Other Dangers to Dragon Reproduction” was accepted by Androids and Dragons ... It’s not a pro-rate sale, but it is my first published short story so I’m excited.

 

definitely cause for celebration!! Congrats  

Congratulations Amy.  

@physa Congratulations!

Sweet! Glad to hear it, Amy.

Since I'm here, I'll report I was rocking a new novel but hit the skids when I didn't like the antagonists' motivation. Their first chapter didn't pop, so I'll rewrite it when I know them better. Meanwhile, I'm up to 6k and I'm pretty solid on the MC's flaw and how it will come to a head with his moral choice oh 50,000 words or so from now. I should be able to write another chapter or two with him before having no choice but to fix the antags...

So as soon as I'm unstuck I should be crankin again. 5k a week is my goal. I'd love to finish by Superstars in February so I can talk about it as completed, and not in progress.

Posted by: @physa

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I've been diligently studying Moon's super secrets and attending Dreamforge meetings on the craft of writing and am in a couple of writing groups and I have an awesome writing mentor [thanks Candice] and there are folks on this forum who provided valuable feedback [notably Dustin Adams].

Happy to help! I knew it was just a matter of time until your fiction was published! So thrilled!

@tj_knight you can do it! I LOVE your story in WOTF Volume 39 by the way and really appreciate your insights into bring fiction alive.

Excellent news, Amy. This is an inspiration to us all.

I want to add a goal here to complete a short story that has been living in my notes on my phone for a while. I struggle to add emotion to my SFF stories and characters and this one has been my outlet to write my own emotions and it's taken shape into something contemporary. I want to finish this and submit it to an appropriate market by next month  

Well I've been suffering from something that was probably covid for the past two weeks so not much done. 

I've got 15 stories out doing the rounds though and a sort of idea rattling around my head. I may write another short before cracking on with the novel, just to get my eye in, once my head feels better. 

@ease You’re awesome. I just love you coming back in here and connecting, being human. I’ve been more absent as well. And it feels better knowing I’m not the only one and we can all pick back up.

So I finished my fifth novel. I wrote a synopsis etc and have now queried 3 agents(no word yet) I got submitted for illustrators Q1 already but my story is still fleshing itself out in my head. I could force it but I’d rather feel ready and inspired. 

On a sad note, I submitted the wrong version of my story last quarter. A halfway edit completely missing the beginning. It placed as an honorable mention, sigh. I feel it would be beating a dead horse to submit it again.

Hello everyone! I am new so I haven't posted here yet, and I am not sure if I get the concept of the thread right. If not, please gently kick my butt and I'll go hide in the corner, lol.

My goal for November was to have a break in short story writing and submitting, as the avalanche of rejections can be stressful. I started submitting in May and already collected 18 Rs (proud me).

So I've decided to relax and give myself a 100k challenge to write a dark fantasy novel. I am at 60k and I am having fun. I also start having this faint tickle down the back of my neck that says that this break is working: in December, I'll be grinning when I dive in short formats again!

@hannya I think you have the hang of the thread... ?  but will leave the official welcome to @ease our fearless thread leader 😉

I also think it sounds like you're doing it right - keeping things fun is key! And probably more important than other things like meeting a word count or submitting every quarter - both of which can be great goals for some people... but surely not if its at the cost of fun. just my feeling on it (which is probably worth considerably less than 2 cents)

And congrats on the 18 rejections!!   If you look at my own sig you'll see I too am now stranger to rejections - in fact accumulating them was one of my year goals, long before I joined this thread

@physa   that's amazing news on the two sales! You've given me some excellent critiques and are really supportive on the forum, so this is wonderful news and thoroughly well deserved. I've read a couple of your stories and knew it would only be a matter of time before you made a sale. I'm super chuffed for you, Amy

@physa, that is absolutely amazing. You must be on cloud nine! And I have no doubt you'll keep returning here with similar news in future ^_^

@hannya, welcome, welcome! There's no right or wrong way to use this thread, but the recommended way is to set goals for the coming month (as you've done) and to try to come back at the beginning of the follow month to report on how you got on. But feel free to use it in any way that encourages you to write.

@gideonpsmith, I am no leader! I am merely a facilitator encouraging you all to use this thread to be accountable so that I may selfishly use it too. Everyone is welcome to officially or unofficially do whatever they please here, so long as it's within the rules of the forum, and isn't mean.

I wrote a long very long post, replying to each person in turn, but the gremlins of the internet destroyed it after I hit submit 🙁 So I'll summarize: great work setting and working towards goals for November! You're all kicking ass, and there's still two weeks left for further ass kicking!

My goal for the remainder for November: write 6000 new words. Hopefully simple enough that even I can achieve it.

After a 230 day wait, I got the news just now that I didn't win the Mike Resnick award.  

I'm doing nanowrimo and enjoying the pressure to keep the word count acceptable.

Tuesday was my best day so far. Over 5,000 words, I entered the zone twice on that run.

The results for that session show promise as a stand-alone story.