Day 20 and I’m not on track for the 50K word count, but I’ve at least done 8,800 or so words that probably wouldn’t have been written this month otherwise, given the things life has thrown my way. So I’m not disheartened. I’ve been writing more at odd times such as lunch breaks, scribbling into a notebook then typing it up in the evening. That’s new, as I normally save it all up for the weekend, then have to fit it in around everything else saved for then!
NaNo … not in a month though
Have started NaNo and as I might have expected, life has been intervening. Have only managed to get a bit over 5,000 words done. Still, mustn’t beat myself up as even that is a victory at present. Despite the NaNo edict of just write anything without editing, I have been doing mini edits before I restart each session, on the previous stuff, partly because it occurs to me that I’ve missed out important points.
Should say that after posting about it being a shame not to continue the WIP, other participants have made it clear that you can write just about anything, including non fiction, short stories or part written novels, so it’s the ‘retreat’ novel that I’ve been working on. It’s good to get some more done. I think the real reason it is slow going is that I’m on a very difficult part of the novel that needs a lot of thought to work out how each scene can go to be convincing.
While reading about NaNo on the web, I’ve come across something else, called ‘A Round of Words in 80 Days’. ROW80 runs 4 times a year, beginning the first Monday in January, April, July, and October. Not sure I’ll be ready to start in January, but am definitely interested. Anything that keeps up some momentum is welcome.
NaNoMoWri
Well, I signed up tonight, a little late. Got sucked into looking at forums, of course. Am having a bit of a debate about what novel to work on because it doesn’t seem I can carry on with the one I was writing at the retreat – it has to be something new. There are quite a few ideas that have been piled on the backburner just as long as that one, so it’s difficult to know which would be best.
Finished Green Magic
Finally got to the end of the ‘Green Magic’ edit. Have a few formatting things to check on the final ‘Rian’ edit and a short story to re-jig, then can get back to the novel I wrote a big chunk of on retreat.
Want to clear the decks as November is now looming and I want to do a NaNoWriMo this year. Couldn’t manage it the last two years but am really keen to try it this time.
Sadly, the agent did not respond even with a quick email of acknowledgement although their website said they would do this, and to query if you don’t hear. Well, I did, but again no response. And they wonder why people are turning in droves to self publishing!
Really Quiet, Sorry about that …
Feeling a bit quilty that I haven’t added an update for some time. Real world problems have been causing a lack of time to write, hence having nothing worthwhile to say. Sadly, the Fiction Feast submission returned, rejected, a couple of days ago, and I have had no response from the agent.
Meanwhile, the final revision of ‘Green Magic’ is limping along given lack of quality time to work on it.
It’s Gone a Bit Quiet…
Since returning from the retreat, have managed to get a submission package prepared and sent to an agent. It went off a couple of weeks ago, but there’s been no acknowledgement, even though the website says to email an enquiry if there’s no response in 24 hours. Did that after a few days, and have heard nothing. So not sure what is happening there.
Meanwhile, have heard nothing from Fiction Feast either, though I think the reporting time may be 12 weeks so have not given up hope yet.
Have not managed to get back to the novel I made so much progress on at the retreat, initially due to prioritising the submission to the agent, and since then due to being hit by general life stuff. However, I have made a start on re-reading Green Magic to do last little tweaks.
Writing’s like that sometimes, lots of excitement and then a lull … hopefully not before the storm!
Really on a Roll Now!
I’ve just come back from a writers’ retreat in the depths of Devon, in a fascinating 17th century large thatched house, run by a very friendly couple, Deborah and Bob, where meals were served three times a day, and in between I could retreat to my room and just write. I got my head down and in three full days and a shorter afternoon (arrival) and morning session (on my departure day), managed just over 21,600 words on one of the novels that have been queued up awaiting my attention.
I was shocked though to realise, looking back, that I first developed the idea for this novel in 1991 when I submitted an opening scene and a synopsis that I had to somehow invent, to a competition at the Annual Writers’ Conference which then was held in Southampton and has now transferred to Winchester. It did pretty well as I recall, even picking up a prize. Over the years I’ve added a bit here, a bit there, sometimes fitting them in as exercises on workshops, and had gradually produced just over 30,000 words and succeeded in stringing together most of the isolated bits of story, but had not reached the really critical stage in the narrative. Well, I did at the retreat. There’s still further to go, but I found the quiet time with no distractions and no need to break off to prepare meals and wash up – or feel guilty about not doing the hoovering etc. – really inspirational. It seemed that the more I wrote, the more I could write, and the whole thing really built up momentum. It will be a challenge to see if I can keep that ticking over now I’m back in the real world.
Anyway, for anyone who would like some peace, and quality time to write, the website is http://www.retreatsforyou.co.uk/. It’s very reasonable for the full board provided, and you also get the chance to socialise and discuss with other writers over mealtimes, including with Deborah, who is a professional journalist, and to have a good natter in the evenings if you want, with maybe a reading thrown in, or a visit to the pub hosted by Bob. I recommend it.
Light at the End of …
Managed to polish off the polish of ‘The Underway’ in record time compared with the months – even years – it has taken to re-edit my two long novels, but a) it’s a (much) shorter book and b) it doesn’t have the problem of needing updates to stay contemporary. Submitted it to the Mslexia competition well ahead of the deadlines so am really pleased with that.
The guidelines came from Fiction Feast in record time and I did quite a major rewrite of ‘The Secret Heart’, even renaming it, so that has now been posted, as FF communicate via traditional postage methods.
So I finally feel I’m getting somewhere. I still have to re-read ‘Green Magic’ in a couple of weeks, to try to catch any other typing mistakes or continuity errors, but I have almost cleared the decks so that I can get back to novels I’ve had to park unfinished for more years than I care to remember. So the last few weeks have been really productive.
The Latest
Have finally got to the end of the rewrite, but a writer’s work is never done. Next, must revisit the synopsis (groan) and then put the MS aside and read it through in a few weeks. Despite the endless scrutiny of computer screen, there are bound to be typos. Don’t know why but there always are ….
In the meantime, as light relief, am going to send off for the guidelines for Fiction Feast, as I have a short story that I think would fit nicely. Then will get down to the ‘quick’ polish of The Underway that I need to do for Mslexia.
Plodding On
After learning that ‘Green Magic’ was unsuccessful in the Lucy Cavendish comp, am continuing with the final polish/edit I was doing anyway, with the aim of entering it in yet another competition. Slow going, but am up to chapter 23. I want to get this rewrite out of the way so that I can go back to one of the novels I’ve started and been unable to progress.
Update – looked into the other comp and decided against it after reading some info on various websites. Never mind; not a wasted effort as it needed bringing up to date, after being written some years ago. Next, will polish ‘The Underway’ for entry to the Mslexia Children’s Novel comp.