So – it’s been a whirlwind (hectic) week for me. I finished my 3rd draft edits on Wednesday. What a feeling. It’s now been sent out to a bundle of beta readers.
Instead of sitting and contemplating certain doom, I decided (and yes I decided this when I wrote up my year’s goals in January) to focus on a story that’s been plaguing me since November. Let’s call said work H for now.
So Thursday and Friday I poured about 8-9k words into outlining the plot, detailing my characters/places/things, expanding the plot and then point by point outlining.
I wasn’t going to write on Friday.
Notice I said wasn’t – not didn’t.
My husband took me to an awesome restaurant on Friday night. This is where the Fish comes in (because I know it had you all wondering). It’s a beautiful (as fresh seafood as you can get in Kansas) Seafood restaurant. Instead of said fish, being that I’m from BRISBANE AUSTRALIA, I had a filet. O. M. G. It was the best steak I have EVER had.
And the dessert – so happy hubby shared it with me.
So, I arrived at home all happy from food and I said to myself – self I said: You should write a bit.
And then Jami was all – yeah, you should write. Now I know this is self-serving of her because she only wants me to write so she gets to read my woeful first drafts, but still, it’s kind of nice, right?
Then I thought – well TDP is completely present tense. If I’m going to be serious about writing – shouldn’t I write in alternating tenses and pov’s? I mean that’s well rounded, right?
So I began writing in past tense. Do you have any idea how painful it is to write in past tense, when you’ve written an entire trilogy and edited each book at least once, if not three times… ALL IN PRESENT TENSE? I’ll let you think about that for a moment. Feel free to laugh at me.
Instead of the one chapter I was aiming for, I managed 5.5k. I’m not sure how – although the copious amounts of caffeine I had during the day probably helped. I’m also loathe to read what I wrote – but that’s besides the point.
I managed to get myself 7% through my H WIP today. I’m so enormously happy about that, it’s not funny.
I also need to thank people for awards. I’m not a huge award person. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate them and feel awesome getting them, but I have to be the worst ever person to post about them. I mean to, and then another topic comes up that I want to post.
You get the idea.
Brenna, thank you. Debbie, thank you. Barbara, thank you. Mark, thank you.
I truly appreciate that you felt I deserved any type of award. Sincerely . Thank you.
I’m almost certain I’m forgetting someone and I profusely apologize, please feel free to thwap me on the head. ย Hopefully, I’ll get around to adding the awesome badges and even listing some more boring crap about myself for people to use as fodder for falling asleep.
#Writemotivation tweeps and potential tweeps – I’ll be putting up a post next week for the March Month sign up ๐
A note to Jocelyn, Jai and Brenna. Stop making me cry – even happy tears aren’t fair ๐ However, you may continue to kick MAJOR BUTT ๐
If you’re not yet participating in Origins BlogFest and would love to tell everyone about the time you scrawled a story in crayon on your mom’s wall (trust me, my sister swears her son did it. But she’s a compulsive liar, so I never believe her). Then you should pop on over here and SIGN UP FOR ORIGINS BLOG FEST of awesome.
And then, of course, and I’m totally not biased at all – there is the lovely Writer’s Platform Building Campaign the 4th Edition being held over at Rach Writes. You can still sign up. And Should. NO EXCUSES. Except buying houses, having babies, getting married or losing internet.
Just in case no one noticed, I’m on a caffeine/writing high. I feel extraordinarily good. But there are two things I’d like my friends to tell me next time I have this much caffeine. You need to say: KT – for your sake and others, don’t write blog posts on a caffeine high.
Okay? Got it? Good.
How goes your writing? Are you as bad about award thank yous as I am? Do you like fish even though you live inland or are you as scared as me to eat it and therefore opt for steak instead?
Have you ever been so caffeinated you’re jittery?
Share – let me know
๐
PS
Feb Progress so far:
Finish TDP-1โฒs third draftPlot H- Write H
Critique for M- Critique for H
- ย Donโt take on too many crits
<3 *blows raspberry* I don't ONLY want you to write so I get to read the not-nearly-as-cruddy-as-you-think roughs. I also want you to write so you can eventually get them pubbed, and I can brag about you. ๐
!!! You’re so evil. But effective. I love both of these things about you.
Hahaha yeah, I know how hard a change can be when you’r used to writing one way. I currently have: Two 3rd person pasts, a first person past and a first person present. Every time I switch ms, my mind has this WTF moment… ๐
I’ve enjoyed a brief break from writing, giving myself a bit of distance from my first draft. I’m now ready to attack the second draft with some revisions ๐
I love tilapia, salmon, cod and would to try some more fish. I’m definitely inland being several hours away from the shore. But I do love a delicious steak.
And the awards? Oh dear me, I’m horrible. I just can’t pick a certain blogger here and there to pass them on to. How terrible am I? ๐
I always need a break between a first and second draft – but not between anything and a new story ๐
My favourite fish is Whiting, but I can’t seem to get it here ๐
Yeah – my award skills are lacking ๐
Congrats on the progress! Especially after switching tenses. I write mainly in past, but my last ms is present w/ a few past elements–yes, I decided to be fancy for the sake of plot. It was hard! I was editing a past tense at the same time, but after a couple chapters, I got into the swing of it and rolled. The past tense parts actually became hard to write. Good thing they’re small:)
Oh tenses will be my undoing. I’m so glad you understand ๐
I am horrible with award thank yous! I have one I need to include on my next blog, for sure! Glad your writing went well. I have recently been writing in present tense (My WIP is in past)….but not on purpose! =[ I am reading a trilogy and they are in present, so I think I am just naturally doing it without realizing. I’ll go back over what I wrote and be all DANG IT! Hahaha.
Ack, that sounds nightmarish ๐ I hope the tense stops picking on you.
And yes… if there was a bin for awful award people – I’d be in it ๐
Congratulations on the award – it looks like you’re as busy as I sometimes feel. Nice to meet you, fellow campaigner!
Did you like moving from Australia to Kansas? I visited Lawrence for two weeks last year, doing a workshop with the CSSF at KU, and I’m hoping to go back this summer!
Nice to meet you, Chris!
Well, not really, but I love my husband so he’s worth the move. I guess that makes me like it? Also, I love Lawrence ๐ You should go back!
I never eat fish. I’m such a steak person. Half the time I probably don’t know when I have awards LOL.
I have to write a story in first POV recently. I never write in first. I couldn’t do it. It was like a mental block. So I cheated. I wrote it in third and switched all the pronounds at the end, LMAO. Hey, whatever works, right? Apparently it was very effective.
Hah! I love this answer – awards are creepy things – and steak (cooked properly) is nom!
I would do what you do! It worked, after all. And first person? We do not get along.