Wednesday, January 5, 2011

ROW80 Update

'Tis Wednesday, day of the first ROW80 update.  I don't have much to report right now - I'm still trying to find my get up and go. 

The biggest thing for me is how unorganised I am.  I need a new printer cartridge, the shop I usually get them is out of stock, so I can't print out the original draft which means I'm clicking between documents all the freaking time.  It's overwhelming and I kind of don't know where to start with the rewrite. 

I've decided to go back a little and work on the characters for a bit - how the end of the first novella changed them and all of that good stuff.  This is fun for me, I love my characters.  So, I've written at least 500 words a day but I still haven't really focused or knuckled down yet.  I keep coming up with scenes for the third book in the series which is incredibly distracting considering I'm still working on the second book.

The editing, on the other hand, is going well.  It's slow but fun.  I think I've gotten enough space from Verity to really see it clearly now - it may never work but at least I'm giving it a fair shot.  I nuked about eight exclamation points that somehow wormed their way into the first chapter so job well done.  ;) 

The replotting isn't going all that well, I think I need to put actual pen to paper and plan a section at a time rather than trying to rework the original outline.  I'm not all that fussed about sequence right now though.

Reading challenges are going well.  Haven't finished a book yet but I've enjoyed what I've read, for the most part.

To summarise: 

  • Daily wordcounts have been met.  Weekly wordcount almost done.
  • First chapter replotted.
  • Two chapters & prologue fully edited (noted & corrected).

Check out everyone else's progress here.

15 comments:

  1. Best of luck getting organized. It's something I fight with all the time. :( Glad editing is going well. Hopefully by the end of this challenge, I'll view the subject in a positive light...lol.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Makes a change for editing to go well, tbh. If I ever figure out how to get organised, I'll pass on the info. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ooooh organisation! I love that topic although I've never mastered it myself. :P

    I need to get myself a new printer cartridge too before I can work on revising my latest wip. It's really frustrating to do that on the computer, I'd never be able to do that and stay sane.

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's probably what's wrong with me, Tanja. I really didn't think this through. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Organization is definitely a key part in our process, isn't it? Sounds like something we all have to master....

    With my characters, I create files on Word documents; scenes, too. Some people have fancy software, but I don't. Right now I'm rereading and proofing my WIP, and finding weird stuff that crept in. Exclamation points are something I have to watch out for, too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I need to reread mine in full. The thought terrifies me. LOL. I've always used Word documents but I seem to have way too many of them right now.

    I'm considering reading a chapter at a time then completely rewriting it from scratch in a new file instead of trying to salvage less than awful paragraphs.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I only do short stories, so kind of talking out of my bum here, but I always do at least one total rewrite in a fresh file. Retyping and making decisions as I go makes it dig into my brain better. You might find it helpful, at least on the really questionable chapters.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes, I have the basic idea but how we get to the end isn't set in stone. I've started replotting and think the sequence of events needs to be changed so actually rewriting will be easier than messing about with what I already have.

    Now I've decided that, it feels better. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. The best creations often come out of chaos. Once your in the 'flow' of the story, it will come out great without second-guessing yourself and so many rewrites. Word is all I've ever used--nothing fancy.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's the getting into the flow bit that I'm still working on. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. If it's on your mind, maybe you should just go with it and write for the third book. Who knows? It might stir up things you can use for the second.

    You're off to an awesome start!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Claire,

    It's Craig from KB! I'm your ROW80 sponsor for this update. Just wanted you to know I'm having my struggles, too. I can relate. But stick with it, you'll get there.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks Andrew, I might start jotting down the scenes that keep popping into my head just so I can let them go for a bit.

    Hey Craig, thanks for the visit. Definitely no quitting going on here. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for dropping by. Organization is one of my pet peeves. I can't work in clutter either. I also need to learn how to edit effectively. I'm used to editing smaller documents for business. So it's hard not to edit as I go along. I have to figure out a good editing process for me. Good luck with your writing. Happy reading as well!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks Robin - it's a habit really. The first time I took part in NaNoWriMo, I didn't have the time to edit as I went and it was so freeing! That's what cured me. ;) Best of luck to you too.

    ReplyDelete

Feel free to have your say.