Planning For 2016

2015 was a huge fail. I had a lot of plans but I didn't leave any room for changes in my plans. This is where I tend to go wrong. I bite off way more than I can chew. So, in 2016, I plan on taking it easy. I'll just work on getting these goals in one at a time rather than having huge plans for myself.

• Write one whole novel series (first draft only) - There should be about 5 novels total. I need to do a lot of planning when it comes to this series but I think it's something I can do in December.
• Edit District Pluto Series (to the second draft) - I don't want to try to do too much so I'm sticking to the low end here. I'm already on the third story and I know that the last two are going to need a lot of reworking. If I happen to finish the second draft of all the the stories, then I'll work on the next edit. 
• Read some books - No set goal for this and I don't have plans for writing reviews for this unless I really feel like it. This year, my reading was on a low end of the spectrum, I plan on reading at least 10 books this year. 

My ultimate goal is to maintain some kind of balance. My work life is getting very busy. I just started a full time job 3 months ago at a daycare and my hours aren't always consistent. On top of that, I'll be going back to school to get my bachelor's degree.

It's going to be a busy year. I plan on trying to make it all work out. But the first thing that I need to do is plan out the 5 novels I want to write. I have a lot to do by the end of December.

Poetry

Poetry

How do you feel about poetry? Do you write any? Do you see the significance of it or do you think it's a waste of time?

Bonus: What is your favorite poem?

I don't mind poetry but it's not something I enjoy writing. I have a hard time writing it for some reason. For those of you who can write it, good for you. I find that poetry is a way for a lot of people to find emotional release.

It might not be something I like to write but I don't think it's insignificant. Everyone has different styles and there are some poems that I really like. I couldn't name them right now but there are a few that I didn't find dull as hell while sitting in English class. I don't go out of my way to read poetry. If it's there, I'll read it but it's not something that immediately grabs my attention.

Archetypes

Archetype
It’s said that there are only so many plots in the universe and all novels/stories are a twist on them. What about for our characters? Can you pinpoint your current main character’s archetypes? How do you feel about the concept of archetypes? Do you think your character is a blend of a few or one steadily - or unique in their own right?

Bonus: Let’s see your interpretation of your character as the epitome of their archetype. Write us a sample or draw us a sketch

I'm behind! This prompt was for April.


Almost every character falls under at least one archetype. The writer might not realize it but there are some traits a character shows that will cause them to fall under such an archetype. It's not particularly a bad thing. Just because it's categorized doesn't mean the character feels like every other character of that archetype.


My current main character is definitely categorized as a reluctant hero. Though she could fit under few other categories, it's the best she identifies with at the moment. As I said before, even though she falls under a reluctant hero, doesn't mean she's like every other character who shares this archetype. There are aspects about her that make her different, as it should be for every character.

Progress Update: Getting Somewhere

So far, I've been doing really well. I'm on top of most of my projects this month. I'm almost done editing The Morality Sentence. It's going much better than I hoped. I think I wrote this one really well and it's one of my favorites so far.

I'm currently writing the Escapist (temp. title). I have about 10k written in the novel so far and it's getting into the interesting and fun stuff.

I'm doing well with keeping up a schedule. Though, I haven't been good with these blog posts. I was going to post the Blogging Circle prompt last week but I didn't finish it.  I should try to work on that soon. And once I get everything set up, I'm going to show off my writing planner. It doesn't sound exciting but it's keeping me on track of everything. I can't keep track of anything on the computer because I tend to ditch it after a while. My planners are always around.

Anyway, this is my really quick and random update.

Progress Update: First Edit

It has happened. I finally finished editing the first draft of the Sacrificial Son. I'm not sure if it's going to be called that but that's the title I have now. It will be what I'll call it until I figure out another name for it. Anyway, it's finished. I'm letting it settle for a moment before I go through it again.

I already know there are scenes that need work. Mostly the ending scenes. They are important to the story since it introduces a much bigger plot that encompasses the series. This editing process was a journey. I'm still trying to figure out what works for me but there are some things that I find really help. I'll be sharing them in another post later down the road.

For now, I'm going to continue planning my new novel The Escapist. That is also a temporary title. I only picked that because it was the only thing that fit for now. I don't have all of the details worked out yet so the title is more than likely going to change. As far as planning goes for this novel, I think I figured out a fair bit but not enough to get started yet.

Planning Notebooks

When I first started writing I never really cared about what kind of notebook I used when it came to planning. That was until I started getting annoyed with the smallest things that made me ditch the notebook all together and try to find something else. I tried keeping my notes on a computer but that didn't last long at all. I didn't realize how picky I was until I found the notebook that worked for me.

I went through a lot of phases. The regular A4 notebooks that are always on sale and even when they aren't, they are still really cheap. They were too big and I ended up bending the spirals because I tend to carry around some heavy things that squish them.

A5 journals are generally what I like to go for. They are the perfect size to fit in almost any bag and the hardcover versions are durable. I'm not talking about the spiral bound ones but the perfect bound. They don't have spirals that I have to worry about and they just hold everything I need in them just fine.

There are a variety of these kinds of journals. Moleskine. Ecosystem journals. Piccadilly. Piccadilly is my favorite and currently, they sell for a decent price. These journals are just for novel planning or for when I plan out a short story series.

There are some saddle-stitched journals that work just as well for the more smaller pieces I work on. Some short stories that I write that are stand-alone stories tend to fit these better than a full sized journal. Again, the a5 journals are the size of choice. They are much easier to carry that way.

Lately, with the saddle-stitched journals (even the stapled version), I've been adding them to my felt fauxdori my sister and I made one day. Though, I use my felt fauxdori for more journaling purposes than planning.

I can see how this method would be great for planning though. It allows books and other things to be added or changed out once they are no longer what you need. This could be perfect for when you are writing a huge series and need to split some things apart. It would help with organization. There is a definite advantage to having this as a planning method of choice. Also, it helps that the inserts are easy (and cheap) to make.

There are still several options I haven't tried yet. Eventually, I'll explore that but for now, I'm going to stick to what I have since that is my only option at the moment.

Progress Update: A Balanced Schedule

So, I haven't updated in awhile, which is usually when I disappear for months and pop up around October. I'm snapping out of that pretty early. But, sadly, I don't have any major plans for this month. I was going to join CampNaNo but I decided against it. I want to try to make a balanced schedule instead.

I'll still be writing and editing but I want to do it in moderation so I don't burn out quickly. That always seems to be my problem. I find that writing down a list of the tasks I need to do helps. I try to finish them as soon as I can but then I have a lot of free time on my hands, which isn't a bad thing but I tend to get in  the habit of procrastinating when I realize that I have plenty of time to finish my tasks. Eventually, I stop doing them.

So, making a schedule/routine that will stick with me for a long period of time will be helpful. If something comes up, that extra time will be helpful to move things around as needed.

It's still a work in progress but I hope I find a schedule that helps me be more productive.

Progress Update: Overdone

I hardly finished anything this month. Yeah, it's the beginning of my disappearing time and the fact that I'm still here doing this is amazing on it's own but I'm going to continue to try to finish through this. I think I'll be able to finish editing one short story.

Honestly, I have a feeling that I'm just getting a little tired of doing the same thing over and over again. I need to balance out my writing and editing times a little better. So, at the end of the month, I'm turning my focus to writing. I'm actually really excited about the novel I'm going to write. It might not be complete by the end of April because it's going to be a long book but I need a break from editing. Now, this won't stop my from finishing up Call of the Piper or another short story from District Pluto but editing won't be my main focus.

Maybe for the rest of the year, I need to work on balance.

Revision

My Bonus picture for the month.

Revision
Easy question: why is it necessary? Hard question: do you enjoy it?

Bonus: Take a selfie/novel-ie of you/your novel in the midst of revision.

Another WriYe blogging circle prompt has come around and it fits with my current theme on editing and revision. I spend the majority of this year (though it's only March) editing something and I've been struggling through it. But my writing needs it. There are plot holes and grammatical errors that need to be resolved. My first drafts are far from perfect. I can't imagine someone's first draft being perfect.

No first draft is perfect. Heck, it's probably not even close to great. That is why editing is necessary. It helps bring that first draft to a somewhat better second draft. It helps bring a story closer to what you wanted to write.

I don't enjoy editing my own work but I love editing stories that belong to someone else. Right now, I'm working on finding some kind of system that helps me but I haven't really found one that works for me just yet. It probably won't happen any time soon either. Once I find a system, I think it will become a little more enjoyable for me but until then, I'm not fond of picking through my own stories. 

Progress Update: Nothing

With everything I did this month, I only have 15 hours of editing. I really need to crack down on this but I don't know if I can. I think I'm going to have to re-plan my mornings. If I can get a could hours of editing in the morning, I should be fine for the rest of the day.

I won't get muddled with other things if I start then. So, my new goal will be to wake up earlier and fit in a few hours. This first story is taking much longer than it should. Thankfully, my next story won't have as many scenes to add. I just wanted to make the obstacles seem like more of a challenge since it was kind of lame before.

The planning for my other story is coming along. I can't decide on a setting. I'm leaning toward one and it's going to take a lot of world building if I want to do it that way...I just might because it will be fun. I do love some world building. If it ends up taking too long to plan, I'll just write it for NaNoWriMo.

Progress Update: Not Going to Plan

So this week started off strong but fell pretty rapidly. I managed to get 5.5 hours of editing finished. That got me through all 26 pages. I'm in the middle of taking the mark-ups and adding them in. Unfortunately, I have to write a few scenes in and I'm having a hard time figuring out where to place some of them. There are some places that I know I'm going to have to go back and fix several things before it has some kind of flow.

It's not going to plan. I wanted to finish the first short story this week but I procrastinated. It is around the time I normally have a fall out with everything I'm doing at the beginning of the year. I'll just have to put in as much editing as I can tomorrow. 

As far as writing goes...I'm not sure how many I wrote but I didn't write the 7 pages I wanted but I did make some progress. I just need to think of where I want this to go. I didn't plan ahead. I should have. That is something I'll have to work on.

I started planning out a novel for April. It's my month for a break. I'm pretty excited about this new novel. It is untitled as of now but I will get one as soon as I know what I'm doing.

Progress Update: Beginning of a New Month

 

Yesterday was the start of a new month and, for me, it started off pretty well. I managed to get 2 hours of editing in with the new method of editing I'm doing. Frankly, this is working a little better than my other method even though, I'm pulling a few things from that method.  I still haven't found a sure way of editing yet but I have a long way to go.

This month is the month I work on my District Pluto series. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to need more short stories in the series to help people understand the world a little better. It's best to understand the world. 

I'm pleased with my progress so far. Editing short stories is going to be much easier than editing a novel. Baby steps, I suppose.

I'd better get my 2 hours in for today and write a page in my handwritten stories.

End of the Month Overview: February

February Results

Hours Edited: 18

Word Count Total: 28,393

Hand-written pages: 12

Challenges Completed: 2

February wasn't my best month, but it's only the second month of the year so I can't bring myself to really complain. I think because I'm coming to a close on my novel, I'm really dragging with my editing.

Now onto my goals for March.

• Edit my District Pluto Series
• Continue with my Handwritten Novel 

This should be a good enough list of goals to keep me busy during the month of March. I might add more as I continue through the month. The series I'm editing is supposed to be my first published works. Since I'm actually happy with the way they are written...it might go out sooner than I had anticipated (depending on if I can get a beta and someone to edit for me). Well, I guess I'll see how it turns out.

Music & Writing

There are a lot of people who can't write without a bit of music playing in the background or blasting in their ears. There are people who have to write in silence. And there are people like me who need a little of both. There are times when I need it quiet to write and there are times when music is okay.

I've discovered something odd that has been happening to me lately, and that is, I can't write if the music is related to the scene I'm writing. Strange, I know. I was writing a scene that was meant to be a little suspenseful because my character could get caught at any moment by some dangerous people, and I was listening to some love song. These characters aren't even close to being romantically involved.

The song that I was listening to was Never Stop by SafetySuit. The wedding version. I don't even know how that worked out but it did.

I've also notice that if I have a short playlist and keep it on repeat, that works for me. The repetition ends up being predictable background noise that won't distract me. I'm great at tuning things out. If it's silent, I tend to get antsy and distracted by everything. The smallest noise will distract me because it's something I'm not expecting. With the short playlist on repeat, it helps me maintain some sort of control of the noise around me.

Maybe it's just me that has this strange way to stay focused but at least it helps.

Progress Update: Getting Ready For More Editing

Weekly Progress

Editing Hours: 4

Words Written (Typed): 8,915

Pages Handwritten: 2.5

Summary: It wasn't my best editing week but I did manage to get in a fair bit of writing. I need to write some more to catch up with Hush.

That list and summary should be enough to tell you how my weekly progress went. Next week it will be March and I'll have a whole new project to edit. I know I'm not even close to being finished with Call of the Piper but, that's too bad. I planned to edit District Pluto for Editing Month (March). These are short stories so they shouldn't take as long as Call of the Piper but it will still be a pain in the butt.  

  

When I'm done editing District Pluto, I'll go back to Call of the Piper, if not sooner. There are 5 short stories and my goal is to have at least 1 of them completely edited by the end of the month. I'm thinking that it's time to switch it up. My muse needs a rest. I've been editing the same novel for almost a year. These short stories shouldn't take too long to edit. I hope it won't take too long to edit. 

Now, I'm about to go backwards a bit. I already mentioned my plans for next week (next month) but I didn't say anything about Tell a Fairy Tale Day! That's on Thursday. I already made stuff for my crafting blog for this. I get way too excited about days like this. There are a few I have marked down in my calendar. 

Overall, I'm ready to start a new month. I'm hoping to post more during the month of March, not just progress updates or blogging circle posts but other things that are writing related and less boring than my progress updates. 

Motivation Behind the Character

Not the final version of my Firewall cover art.

Character Motivation: What is the main motivation behind your characters? Where do you come up with that motivation? Do you tend to use the same sort of motivation in every novel, or do you tend to mix it up more? What is your favorite example of character motivation?

Bonus: Share with us an excerpt from your current or completed novel(s) that demonstrates your favorite example of character motivation.

The motivation for my characters usually vary. In the novel I'm currently editing, Call of the Piper (temp title), my main character Radley starts off by wanting to figure out more about her past, why she ended up in the place she did and the like but later on, it becomes apparent that there is something else motivating her to keep going. That becomes a huge point in her character development. 

That's just my current example. Where they come from is questionable. I'm sure some conflicts come from something I saw in real life or a very indirect connection to something happening in my life.

I try not to use the same motivation but occasionally it will happen. It will come out different than the other story but it's still similar. The common factors are there and are noticeable to me (and possibly to others).

My favorite example of character motivation - that's a hard one. I'm not sure if I have a favorite example but since I've already written about Radley's motivation for doing stuff. I guess I can give you another example of some character motivation that I like and that is from my novel Firewall. My minor character's motivation is to try to gain control of his life (that's the best way to word it without giving away too much). Though he is in the background, a lot of his decisions caused my main characters to be where they are in the novel.

I'm not sure if I explained that right. Well, if it doesn't make sense, I'll try to explain it again in a different way.

Sadly, no bonus again this month.

Progress Update: Slacking

This week hasn't been a good week. So far, I only have 11.75 hours of editing and that isn't including today. Hopefully I'll get that count up soon.

My current novel is kicking my butt. I'm basically rewriting the whole thing and that's where it's dragging me down a bit. My new plot line keeps changing, not in a bad way, I just keep adding things. That's what I get for not giving myself room to move things around so I have to track my scenes a bit differently than I usually do. Maybe I should bust out my index cards but that motivation just isn't there.

I did read through my Hourglass series though and started marking places that need to be changed. I just needed something different to read. I won't be editing the Hourglass series until later but it will happen this year hopefully.

I'm hoping this week will be a better week. My goal is 10 hours of editing. That's all I want to get in. It is possible if I stop being so lazy.

Progress Update: Getting Organized

My progress hasn't really been great for the first week of February. While I'm getting places with both my editing and my writing, it's a bit slow. Part of the reason is because I need to get organized. I'm currently making a planner that suits my needs but I also have something for blogging. Eventually, I want to start doing more than just boring updates on my progress. There are the blogging circle prompts which are fun but I think there should be a little more.

As of right now, I have no idea what those posts are going to be about but it will happen. I want to work on better graphics for my posts and maybe some book reviews or random research topics I find interesting. I already have a crafting blog to post my fun stuff on but I'll think of some content to make this more interesting for me.

This coming week might be slow with progress. My goddaughter is due any moment now and I plan on being there when she is. But, then again, I might not be with my best friend in her daughter all week. They are going to need time to adjust and I don't want to get in the way.

I think getting a little behind on my editing will be okay this week because I think getting organized will help with that. I have two planners, one that travels with me and one that stays at my desk. I really want to make the most of them and hopefully create some kind of schedule for my life.

Maybe next time, I'll actually talk about some real progress. 

Results of January

This January wasn't one of my best considering my goals and all but I learned a thing or two along the way about editing. I'm not sure if it's just for this particular novel but that's something I'll figure out as the year goes on.

My totals for the year are:

• Editing: 50 hours
• Writing (typed): 22,515 words
• Writing (hand-written): 1,219

I think that's all I have for this month's goals. I didn't finish editing Call of the Piper but I did figure out where I wanted to go with the story. It's not going to be perfect but after I finish rewriting some of the scenes, I'll be on the right track. I won't have to go through and change everything again.

February is going to have a nice range of goals. Some of them are more personal.

• Finish editing Call of the Piper
• Continue working on handwritten novellas
• Write Hush for the Keeping Warm in February challenge
• Consistency Challenge (750 words a day)
• WriYe Blogging Circle 
• Work on creating a healthy lifestyle
• Apply for Jobs

 That is all I have for now and frankly, that's all I really want to have for the month of February. There are going to be small challenges during the month that I might partake in but I'm not sure I'll have time. I want to keep them simple. I want to start working out again and eating better. Hell, eating more at home would be a good start.

I have my art goals that I want to do as well but I think I'll leave that for my crafting blog.

Progress Update: Software and Planning

I got sucked in to trying a new 3D program because it was free. Yeah, I get sucked into this stuff a lot. I just wanted to give it a try to see where it goes. So far, I suck at it. I need to play around with it a bit to get used to it and maybe watch tutorials.

I want to try to make novel covers or just artwork with it, just to try it out. It's just something to try out to see if I like it. If I don't, it's not a big deal. I can easily remove it from my computer and stick to Photoshop.

Other than software, I did manage to get a bit of editing done. I'm at a total of 39 hours with plenty more to come. Hopefully, next month I'll have Call of the Piper (temp title) finished. Well, at least finished with the first edit and where I want it to be for me to edit again later. I was going to take that month to write but I think I'm going to stick with editing this. I want to finish it and I think I know where I want it to go.

I finally finished my new storyboard and I'm keeping a lot more scenes than I thought I was. And I'm getting over another bump in the editing process. I'm hoping for some smooth sailing soon.

Progress Update: Plot Bunnies

I figured out my editing hour total. I currently stand at 26.75 hours and I still need to add more to it. I'm half way to where I want to be by the end of the month but I need to really buckle down on this editing. Once I get into the fun part of it, I think it'll just breeze on by but I need to push myself to get there.

A lot of the rewriting is setting me back. I have to make a new outline and a new story board. I just need to remember to stay on track. So, I'll continue doing that.

Lately, I've been really into writing everything out by hand. I have those moments and that's usually when paper ends up everywhere. Now my room is a mess. That's probably why I can't be creative in my room. It's messy. I should really work on that.

On another note, thanks to work, I got hit with a plot bunny and I'm considering using the idea for the Handwrite a Complete Novel challenge on the WriYe forums. They are probably going to end up being Novellas. 4 of them. I already started outlining them because it wasn't leaving my head. I'm not sure how I'm going to write it completely. I always get stuck with the 1st person VS 3rd Person POV. I'll have to do some samples later.

Writing Resolution: Editing

 Goals: What is your one main goal for this year? Call it your writing resolution. Not two. Not five. Your main and only one. And why is it your goal? 

Bonus:Make a mantra to tell yourself all year when you feel as if you can’t reach this goal. Share it with us! 

(WriYe Blogging Circle Prompt)

  

This year, for me, my focus is all on editing. I have a lot of projects to get through this year. One might not be fully finished by the end of the year due to the massive changes but I want to get it out of the first draft stage. There will be writing but it's not what I'm working with this year. Most of my writing will focus on short stories rather than full on novels. I will write a few novels this year but I don't have many planned. 

Editing is my primary goal because it's the next step I need to take if I want to try to publish something soon. It might not be a novel just yet but a short story or a series of short stories. Whatever it is, I just want to get something ready for publishing.

As for a mantra, I don't have one that goes with my current goal. At least, I don't have one right now. One might come to me later, as I continue to edit.

Progress Update: Writing By Hand

Today, I have no idea where I stand when it comes to editing. I haven't plugged in my chart yet but I did most of it by hand. There are times when I get really distracted with things around the house. So, I think I need to clean my room and get focused again.

I did get pretty far with writing by hand but I'm not sure how much was written. So, I'm hoping for a better week.

Progress Update: Discovering New Things

I started editing the first novel of my Radley series since the first of January. Well, technically, it was the first of March. Between then and now, I realized that my novel didn't flow, so I changed it a bit and added the flow. I moved around scenes and let everything come together like it should. Though, now I realize that the process is going to take a bit longer. That, or I'm going to have to work double time on this.

So, even though it's been a few days into the new year, I've discovered a few things that help me with the "dissection" of my first draft. I don't think I need to use these all of the time, for every draft. This is just for me getting back into editing and changing certain scene significantly without rewriting the whole darn novel.

The one thing that really helps me is taking notes on my scenes so I know what needs to be added and where it needs to be added. Also, keeping my workspace distraction free is key to getting things done.

Thanks to my brother, Lee, I'm not obsessed with Pentatonix. I've been avoiding listening to their music for a while but now I have a few of their albums. I have to keep my phone and my headphones off my desk if I want to get any work done.

For now, I don't really have a set method for editing but I'm hoping to discover something that works for me as I continue to edit novels and short stories throughout the year.

A Year of Editing

It's finally the new year! That means, setting goals. For me, it's editing. I mean, all editing. I have several novels and short stories that need to be revised and looked over. There will be some writing, but only 2 or 3 novels this year and some short stories randomly scattered about the year.

The goal is to bring at least one novel to the final stages and possibly releasing it into the world, published. There's still a lot of work to get to that stage though.

The first novel I'll be working on is Call of the Piper (temporary name). I've been working on this since March (2014) and I have so much work to do on it. A good chunk of the novel will be changed. I can't wait to get started.