The Writers Aspirant Accountability Thread

Posted by: @ease

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I'll get Q2, Resnick, and my Apex Anthologies in.

I'm doing the same. I usually wait until the last day for everything. Always waiting for my muse to channel another story through me.

Posted by: @ease

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Somehow I'm ill again

Get better, clear your head, and relax. Now, let the little voice (or multiple voices if you're an overachiever, which it reads/sounds like you are) whisper in your ear. The story goes like this …

Ok, time for a check in. 

I have 13 stories out there doing the rounds. Two are for WotF, two are being held, one seems to have been forgotten about (awaiting reply to a query which may end up with me querying the query if they're much longer).

I have a short almost finished, hopefully it'll be done and polished in time to enter the Baen Fantasy Award. I have another brewing in the back of my head and I've got the final round of edits to go on my current novel.

This should all keep me busy through April.

On top of that I've upgraded from Office XP (around 2002) to 365. It's one hell of a leap but I really like One Note and will definitely be using it for outlining and research.

@kz_richards I just read your story and it was great! Congratulations!

@clfors thank you so much!

Circulating my Q2 for comments and feedback now before getting it turned in by the deadline. Brainstorming for Q3. Good luck to everyone who is entering!

Hi Jason, if you need someone to read through your story send it my way.

I've completed one for WotF and another for TMRC so I have time to help.

Huzzah! I shall do so

Got Q2 in. Had to change my story a lot so I opted to edit a story I already had written that wasn't published anywhere for WOTF while pushing my original Q2 to Q3. Still working on Resnick. Going back to school to finish my bachelors in the next few days, so will be busy again and cramming time in for writing. Sorry for not being more active. Life is throwing curve balls but I hope to catch them all.

I guess quarter 3 is about to start! I met my goals for last quarter even if I squeaked in at the end. Finished first draft of my new novel, completed new illustration and new story for WOTF and IOTF and submit to Q2, write a new story for Mike Resnick and submit.

This Quarter I plan to spend the first month writing stories including a Q3 submission. I have a backlog of story ideas on a list that I’d like to just plow through and write at least 4 of while I’m in writing mode.

Then I’m hoping to do the same with illustrations. I delved into some new style elements in my art this quarter and I want to explore that in some new pieces! I have a long list of those as well.

Then I’d like to edit and polish my novel draft and pass it over to my alpha reader.

Last task, get some pro submissions in again(non-contest)

That sounds like a lot but I think it is doable. 

With help from Amy and Cherrie I entered both WotF and The Mike Resnick Memorial Contest.

I've done one kyd for the month and worked on my novel in progress. 

My neighbors think I've become a slacker because I have 5 acres of weeds.

I haven't told them I'm doing no-mow March. So tomorrow the grass will get a trim.

Way to go, & best of luck on both entries, @storysinger!

No-mow March is a cinch in Montana.

March goal update.  

Just submitted a previous WotF HM to the Mike Resnick Memorial contest. 

Thank you to those who read parts of this story and helped me understand why it was stuck as a so-so story.

NOTE: My wife read the updated version today and said, "I don't hate it anymore."   

Happy writing to all of you.    

I need to do something to keep my mind off Q1 twitching, so I guess it's time for Q3 goals? Thanks again, @ease for starting this thread. It was very motivating last quarter. 

1. Write new piece for Q3.

2. Write 5-6 new stories for a writing contest.

3. Revise and resubmit Q1 to another market.

4. Read/study Volume 39, Wulf Moon's Illustrated Super Secrets workbook, and How to Write a Howling Good story.

I have six stories submitted, two to WotF and four to other markets, including the Mike Resnick Memorial Award.

Have fun,

Kent

April's goal is to work on my horror novel, "Danse des Morts."

I haven't touched it in nearly a year. I left off at the roughly 67K word mark, after cutting about 20k words and moving them to book 2. My more specific goal for the month is to go through what I have and apply what I've learned from writing short stories over the last year. That should give me a better understanding of what the story is lacking so I can formulate a game plan to finish the story.

I do have my entry all ready to go for Q3, but due to some other non-writing things that have come up, I'm going to be excusing myself from all other Q3 goals that go beyond that one thing. I may revisit in Q4, depending on where things have gone (and will still have a Q4 entry as my baseline target, even if not).

I didn't formalize March goals and it might help my productivity to make a list and stick to it.  I finished what I guess were my March goals.  I entered a Q2 story. I did a little work on my novel (not enough). I wrote 2 gothic stories/chapters that need tweaking. (Unfortunately, not enough fantasy in those for WotF). I entered 3 things in a state-wide contest/event thing that I attend mostly to socialize with friends.

My April Goals:

1.) Tinker playfully with my Q3 story. I planned to enter this story for Q2, but couldn't force it to not sux. So, I expanded (greatly) and tweaked hard on a half finished magical realism story, turning it into a respectable literary-fantasy story for Q2. That leaves me a bad partial Q3 story. But I found a snippet of very old and very interesting writing that I will incorporate into this Q3 and that should help. The snippet is just a printout of around 400 words. During April I will type in the snippet and figure out what it means to the plot for my Q3 story.

2.) Finish my novel. It's embarrassing to say how long I've been tinkering with this novel. I started going through it late last year, editing it chapter by chapter. But then other things distracted me, like WotF and writing snippets for another novel.

3.) Find the file for my first novel that I indie published in 2010. Fix it. This is a YA paranormal. Not bad for a first novel, but I could improve it and relaunch. Plus I never did any marketing things. The cover is lacking. Either I need to make a new cover and put more into it or buy one. Eventually I will relaunch it and perform all the proper marketing things (that I hate so much).

@storysinger wishing you luck!

@kent wishing you good fortune on all your submissions. I’m in for Mike Resnick too.

@ajschultz6, @clfors, @doctorjest, @writhmic, @pdblake, @annax, @kz_richards, @toddjones, @joel-c-scoberg, @storysinger, @physa, @pegeen, @kent, @jeschleicher

Those that have already checked in with March's Magnificent Milestones (patent pending) and April's Goals, bloody brilliant work. Love seeing y'all do that unpestered. Those that haven't managed to yet, please feel encouraged to drop in and share with us your goals for this month. Encouraged, but not obliged. And if life's tough, make sure you make that goal manageable, even if it's "write a single blinking word." 

Personally, I'm ecstatic to have March out the way. An anthology submission, Resnick, and Q2 all hitting in the same week was brutal. I'm going easier on myself for April: one anthology submission (66% written) and first draft of Q3 written (the whole outline is done).

Rooting for every forumite for Q2. I critiqued some incredible stories over the last couple months, so if we don't get at least one winner I'll be stunned.

If you want off the list, lemme know. Ditto if you want on! Next mass-call coming at the end of the month.

Now back to your keyboards!

@ease Glad to hear you got all 3 in on time. Rough schedule! I hope everyone takes care of their health and stress levels. If you can't do it all, don't feel bad about it.  Sometimes success is just getting through the week.

Posted by: @ease

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I'm going easier on myself for April:

No time for resting Ease. The Jim Baen Memorial Short Story is due on April 30. It's fantasy time.

Posted by: @ease

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If you want off the list, lemme know. Ditto if you want on! Next mass-call coming at the end of the month.

I'll opt out for now--I'll have goals, but they won't be writing oriented in the immediate future. I'll return to opt in again once the smoke has cleared.

@storysinger @kent best of luck with your submissions!

Posted by: @toddjones

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NOTE: My wife read the updated version today and said, "I don't hate it anymore." 

Thanks for the prompt @ease

March's Magnificent Milestones update: I don't recall what my goals were, other than submit for Q2 - always a bad sign   Of the goals I DO recall, I did submit a new story for WotF. So, maybe that means I achieved my goals?!

April's Goals:

1. I'm working on a new fantasy short story (two on the bounce, which is unusual for me because I usually write sci-fi short stories). Subject to when I finish writing it, I'll either go for Baen (30 April)--which is rather optimistic--or WotF Q3. I have a family holiday over Easter, which takes me out of the country for a week, so realistically I only have 3 weeks if I want to get in for Baen.
2. Aside from one SHM out on submission, I have not submitted any stories this year outside of WotF. So I would like to look at completed stories I can submit after some polishing and submit at least ONE story this month.
3. Each year I say I will "work on a novel". I have several ideas for novels but I tend to change my mind after growing frustrated with one idea and move to another. My procrastination/doubt/frustration is keeping me from actually writing any novel, so I would like to choose one idea, begin plotting it out, and start working on it. In all likelihood, taking into account goals 1 and 2, I'd be happy to choose an idea and get a rough outline on paper/screen (or even in my head).

Posted by: @joel-c-scoberg

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My procrastination/doubt/frustration is keeping me from actually writing any novel, so I would like to choose one idea, begin plotting it out, and start working on it

There is a thread where at the end of the year everyone listed their accomplishments for the year.

I think at that time I posted 17 completed stories out of 32, or something like that.

That was an aha moment. Now I write and finish what I start most of the time.

There's still the occasional wall that slows me down.

Now I'm doing the same thing with my effort to write a novel, I have 4 incomplete efforts.

They are all over the 50,000 word count but my plan is to pick one and finish.

Posted by: @storysinger

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They are all over the 50,000 word count but my plan is to pick one and finish.

Good luck. It does feel like a monumental task, but it can be done. At least that is what people tell me, since I've not finished one of mine yet.

I read (somewhere) that around the 50K mark is where most writers give up on their novel. I would guess it has something to do with all the story plot tangents are running wild like greased piglets; not easy to wrangle back in.   

@ease

I'm going to try and be kind to myself this month. Focus on trying to write for Q3. Work on Resnick. That's it. I have school and work so that's about all the time I have for. Thank you for keeping me accountable.

@ease I need some accountability ? 

Goals for April are modest:

1. Complete draft for WotF Q3

2. Query agents as I continue to hear back, to ensure I have at least 10 queries active on novel #3

3. ... no number 3. That's it.

With school vacation in the middle I think that's as much as I can commit to