At the end of the tunnel that is. Oh my word I've gotten a ton done and I am fidgeting like mad with excitement. Why you ask? Because somehow, since last Wednesday I've finished the draft of the WIP I've been working on and I've gotten 2/3 of the way through said draft with revisions. Those revisions have included making some major changes to the first third of the book as well making some changes to the main characters actions. She'd been bothering me for a bit, not being clear in what she wanted and being well, weak. It was annoying me, but finally I had a breakthrough and was able to straighten her out. One thing that always annoys me about main characters (especially female characters) are ones where she can't make up her mind or she stands in her own way (too much). Sure she has a past that effects who she is, but at some point she has to make a decision. Well, during my revisions, decisions have been made and they suit her nicely I think.
Anyways, as for the rest of my ROW80 update, here we go:
Writing Every Day: Check!
Book 1: The draft is done and revisions are under way! Woot!!!! I am hoping that by next Friday (or maybe Wednesday if all goes well) I will have it sent off to my three betas. I feel sick just thinking about it because people reading what I've written? *starts to freak the F out and collapses onto the floor* Gah! HELP! I can't do it! Don't make me do it! What if they hate it? Or make fun of me? Or snicker?! Oh god what have I done!?!? *Pulls herself together and crawls back onto the chair.* The writing is so much easier for me than the part where people actually read the writing I've done. I need to work on this.
Book 2: I have been working on this whenever time has allowed which hasn't been as much as I'd like. I added up my words yesterday and finally remembered to go to the website to update my novel info. It looks like I wrote 10K words yesterday, but I didn't. I hadn't updated it since it was around 5K or so. (Adds a post it note on my computer to update daily. Hopefully it doesn't fall off) I am up to 15,794 since the start of August, and since I started with about 10K words on August 1, I'm halfway there. My goal though was to have 50K new words (in addition to the 10K), which is clearly not going to happen. It's okay though. Words are words and progress is progress. Not going to dwell on not hitting the 50K.
Being Active: Unlike last week I have not finished this goal. Hopefully I can work some time in the end of this week, but between revisions and work I've had little time for working out.
Reading: I'm trying to finish a book but I'm struggling. It's good, but I don't know I find myself easily distracted. I think it's the main character-she seems wishy-washy to me and it's driving me batty. I'll get through it though and move on to the next!
Social Media: More lurking this week and not much else to report. I joined in the wordsprint Monday to work on revisions, and yesterday I lurked in the background while I revised. I was so into the WIP I didn't even realize the sprint had started til about 45 minutes into it. O.O Tomorrow, I will pay closer attention to the clock so I can cheer the sprinters on!
That's it for me, time to put my nose back to the grindstone. I hope everyone is having a productive week and happy writing!
Your rendition of 'panicky-author-syndrome-once-she-has-hit-the-send-button' has me in hysterics! Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Ha! Take a deep breath and have a glass of red wine. (Not only will it calm your nerves...it's good for your heart, too!)
ReplyDeleteBest of everything, Kat...and I'm sending you patience in spades as you wait. (Oh! The waiting!) :}
I have the red wine ready to go, and my inhaler so I don't hyperventilate while I wait. :D Thank you!
DeleteThat's fantastic progress on the revision! I get so lazy once the first lot of words are out! Best of luck with the next stage. I'm sure you're betas will love it!
ReplyDeleteFor this WIP I've been lazy on the writing (this shouldn't have taken me so long to write) and moving right along with the revisions; usually it's the opposite. And thank you! *keeps fingers crossed about the betas!*
DeleteGreat progress, Kat. I totally hear you on the reader-anxiety. I clench when I think about it, and I'm much farther away from it!
ReplyDeleteI'll echo Nadja on giving you truck loads of patience. I hope the time passes quickly for you!
Thank you! When my short story was published, I was a MESS whenever I thought about people reading it; thing was that story was something I wrote for one of my master's classes so my professor had already read it. (The only reason I published it was because my professor urged me to do it to get over my anxiety; and apparently he thought it was worthy of an A for the assignment, though I disagree! LOL) I don't think my prof's plan worked though, cause a teacher reading it is so not the same as the general public!
DeleteWell done on the progress Kat and I hear you on the anxiety front. I'm the same with one of my characters too. Afraid she's too self pitying.
ReplyDeleteHUGE good luck on the next stage.
Laura
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Thanks! I had a real problem with my main character. With everything going on in the story (starting her new life, meeting new people, the other "things" that were happening to her), I wanted her to make a major decision and not waffle til the end. Now she has to deal with the consequences of that decision. I think for my character that makes for a more interesting story than the back and forth and the "I don't deserve to be happy" vibe I was getting as I revised. LOL. Good luck with your character!
DeleteHaving others read your stuff is nerve wrecking. My poor husband and best friend. Those two guys have to deal with me second guessing every positive statement they make. And then I give them "You stabbed my puppy!" looks when they say something bad. We have wonderful relationships. (And by wonderful I mean thank goodness they put up with me!) I wish you constructive feed back and lots of praise from your betas.
ReplyDeleteHa!! I LOLed at the "you stabbed my puppy!" because I am the same way. I tell people to rip my stories apart; but then I get comments and I re-think what I've told them to do! :D Thanks for the comment!
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