shadowycorner Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Hello fellow writers! Starting up this topic that's ofc inspired by @frostmagemadi who posted the Fall pre-NaNo edition It's the new calendar year and that always means new ambitions of goals. We are all writers here so I bet we have those writing dreams running on high again. Plus, where I'm from, it is super dark and dreary for most of the next two months, plus we're back in lockdown so that gives me the illusion impression that I will have time and space and inspiration of being able to write a lot! Here's some of my goals for OF that I want to focus in the next three months. I decided not to do word count goals, rather than spend 1-2 hours a day working on these projects. write a short story a month finish first draft of NaNo project - Myths of Ruin edit the 1st part of April NaNo - Spring Eternal (maybe post on the archives?) Anyone else here working on any short stories? I am currently following the Sarah Dennard challenge where she challenged herself and others to write one short story a month, there's a hashtag #storyamonthchallenge (I think it works on twitter and instagram both). Let me know if you're interested and would like to maybe do accountability checks, maybe even exchange and critique? I'd love to hear what everyone else is planning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darling_take_off_the_mask Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 On 1/8/2021 at 2:29 AM, victoria_anne said: I've also signed up for the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge, which I do almost every year. I've always made it to the second heat but never any further. Hopefully this is the year that changes! I don't have any short-term OF goals to share right now, but I just wanted to say this is super cool -- I've done the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge a couple of times before, but never the short story one. Maybe I'll enter this one. Good luck, B!! Update: I'm signing up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darling_take_off_the_mask Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 I finished "The Lovely Assistant," a short story just under 2500 words for the NYC Midnight challenge round 1! My prompts were: Genre: crime caper Subject: an inheritance Character: an anesthesiologist ...and let me tell you, it just about defeated me. I also drew inspiration from Rose's story dice challenge, and I will be expanding the story a bit (since it doesn't need to be under 2500 words for Rose's challenge) and posting it to the archives here in the next couple of months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowycorner Posted February 6, 2021 Author Share Posted February 6, 2021 Hello! Checking in with y'all how OF writing's going for you @RonsGirlsPatronus a huge congratulations on completing an OF short story. I can imagine how daunting it can get towards the end. Also really looking forward to seeing it on the archives soon! Just imagining all those prompts together sounds wildly interesting I'm not sure how this NYC Midnight challenge works, but will you be writing another one? @victoria_titania How are you doing with the Short Story a Month challenge? Do you have another lined up? Also, how is the Portal on the Platform going? I think I've noticed that that's what you are currently working on? @the otterable prewett tagging you because I know you've also been working on an original piece. Still working on that? Planning a new one? Me personally, I started a short story for the Short Story a Month challenge but didn't finish it. I'm a little disappointed with myself for not pushing myself a bit more to just do it, but I'm still hoping to in my own lazy time. Currently I'm drowning in my previously attempted original fictions, mostly NaNos. I'm still fighting to finish Myths of Ruin, even though I feel like it's derailed to the point of no return But, I have picked up and started reading my NaNo novels from two and three years ago, and while they're at various stages of nonsensical disarray, with all that time apart, I see now some avenues on how to fix and reconstruct the story and plot, and that makes me very excited. Question of the week: How do you try to develop your discipline to write(OF and FF both)? Any special techniques you want to share? Currently I've set a goal of writing down at least one thousand words for my original stories every day, I am on a three day (gasp, so many!) streak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ineffable_season Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 35 minutes ago, shadowyfox said: Me personally, I started a short story for the Short Story a Month challenge but didn't finish it. I'm a little disappointed with myself for not pushing myself a bit more to just do it, but I'm still hoping to in my own lazy time. Currently I'm drowning in my previously attempted original fictions, mostly NaNos. I'm still fighting to finish Myths of Ruin, even though I feel like it's derailed to the point of no return But, I have picked up and started reading my NaNo novels from two and three years ago, and while they're at various stages of nonsensical disarray, with all that time apart, I see now some avenues on how to fix and reconstruct the story and plot, and that makes me very excited. First of all, you are NOT lazy. Not when you're continuing to write/restructuring two novel length stories! My gawsh Eli, that's quite the opposite of lazy, actually. And while we're talking about "fails," I failed to complete my short story for the NYC Midnight Challenge on time. I don't think there's any shame in admitting that you only want to write things that interest you, and can't always follow prompts. I probably should have known I would've struggled hard with it, but I was curious to see what I could do. Unfortunately what I can not do is write a short story that is 2500 words or less haha. I'm still debating what I do with what I ended up half writing for this...maybe I'll post it here after I listen to a lot "bad bitch," music to get me in the mood for finishing it off. Hats off to Melanie & B for being champs! 40 minutes ago, shadowyfox said: @the otterable prewett tagging you because I know you've also been working on an original piece. Still working on that? Planning a new one? And yes, I am still working on the same one I teased via Twitter. it is a sloow WIP. Likely only to be a one-shot or two-parter. And it likely will never be published beyond the archives because it is personal as heck. No new ones for now. I'm just slowly delving back into OF in the hopes I don't bore myself to death and give it up again. 58 minutes ago, shadowyfox said: Currently I've set a goal of writing down at least one thousand words for my original stories every day, I am on a three day (gasp, so many!) streak That's an awesome goal! I really don't have any goals (for OF), which really explains my on/off again relationship w/it lol. I mean, I guess I do kind of have a goal to use my current OF piece for the Open At The Close Challenge on here. So that's nothing super fancy, but it's something. I probably should become more disciplined about my writing beyond the "write what feels good," mindset. I do make an effort to write everyday...but it doesn't always happen bc of life things. But that's where I currently am at. Hope everyone else is having fun with their schtuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darling_take_off_the_mask Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 @shadowyfox Thank you for checking in! First of all, a short story a month sounds pretty intense actually, so don't be hard on yourself! And you're juggling so many projects and ideas, and I absolutely know what that's like. It can make you feel like a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none, but keep at it! And of course I'm always around for beta-ing, swaps, whatever, to encourage everyone on the OF path! 7 hours ago, shadowyfox said: @RonsGirlsPatronus a huge congratulations on completing an OF short story. I can imagine how daunting it can get towards the end. Also really looking forward to seeing it on the archives soon! Just imagining all those prompts together sounds wildly interesting I'm not sure how this NYC Midnight challenge works, but will you be writing another one? Thank you so much, it was really hard. ( @the otterable prewett no shame in not finishing, I almost didn't!! Also, I had no idea you were participating, I don't think? If you don't mind sharing, what were your prompts?) The way this competition is structured, I think I don't move on to round 2 unless I make the cut, like the top half of my entry group or top 5 or something like that. I'll find out my results and score in early April and whether I'm advancing. They divide you into groups because there are thousands of entrants, and each group has maybe 15 people in it or something? And each group gets a different set of prompts. There are four rounds total, with fewer participants progressing each round, and each round you have even less time to write and even fewer words you're allowed! I literally didn't start actually writing my story until the day before the deadline because I was so hung up on what I wanted the story to be about and how I was supposed to do it in under 2500 words (super hard) and how I wanted to present it in terms of style and themes and stuff. (And I am just not a crime caper kind of writer.) So my only regret is not being able to start drafting sooner, because I was writing right up to the last moment, and I would have greatly benefitted from leaving myself an extra day to be able to go back and revise -- because I basically submitted my first draft, eep! I do look forward to playing around with it and fleshing it out into something a bit more, for Rose's challenge. 7 hours ago, shadowyfox said: Question of the week: How do you try to develop your discipline to write(OF and FF both)? Any special techniques you want to share? I think my response to this is that I am currently very undisciplined. Particularly because of having struggled a lot with depression lately and feeling like I don't have a handle on anything in my life, until it all kind of snowballs into one big undisciplined jumble of bleh. (Note to self: Clean entire house...) But I will say that what I'm really trying to do this year is focus. I have a habit of starting so many different stories and projects because when I get an idea I want to just jump on it, and I love all of them, but in theory I'd like to whittle down what I'm working on to a few things that I can do well. So this means sort of getting my FF under control and really sinking my teeth into a couple of important projects and staying dedicated to them, and then also making time to pursue OF (which I think the NYC challenges really help with, because it creates some urgency). I have some long-term, bigger OF ideas I'd like to develop eventually, but for now I'm good with using challenges as a springboard for some short OF pieces to get some practice with. And as far as FF, besides finishing Irrational I have two large projects that I'd like to really be the primary thing I do with FF this year (Regency AU + But Did You Provoke Him), and only very occasionally stray from that with one-shots and short stories and stuff so I don't get overwhelmed. That's the thing I think I have to discipline with myself, it taking on more than I can handle, such that I end up not being able to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ineffable_season Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 @RonsGirlsPatronus...pretty sure I purposefully told no one LOL. But my prompts were: genre: spy subject: an acquisition character: arsonist 40 minutes ago, RonsGirlsPatronus said: That's the thing I think I have to discipline with myself, it taking on more than I can handle, such that I end up not being able to do it. Also, 1000% me too. Hence why I'm always freaking the flip out about work stuff But also, I'm here for a certain Regency fic everything you write. And depression is roughh. I mean. I'm always here, but I am also someone who just hides under my blankets and is like "go away world," when I'm way down, so I get that that's not a helpful thing for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inmyownlittlecorner Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 Sliding in here fashionably late. My goal for the winter/early spring is to try to develop this ghost of an idea I have for an upper-middle grade sci-fi novel. If I can do that, I want it to be my April NaNo project. I had no plans to write this at the beginning of the year, but I was searching for sci fi novels for my 11 year old, who is a sensitive reader. I didn't find a lot that seemed quite right....so I guess I'll try to write one?? I want it to be something like Pederwicks x Little House on the Prairie x Wrinkle in Time--but in space. Really I have no idea what I'm doing @shadowyfoxyou are not lazy! I think you're doing a great job. I don't know about you, but for me, if I can't push myself that last bit, it's usually because I'm burnt out/about to burn out. @RonsGirlsPatronus congratulations on doing the first round of what sounds like a very intense competition! @the otterable prewett I feel you about the getting bored with OF sometimes. I don't know if it's because it feels lonelier than FF, or if I just haven't had a chance to fall in love with my characters, or both. But it does happen. @victoria_titania how is your writing going? My plan this year is to make a goal in terms of word count and story to work on each month. January's goal was 35K of rewriting on libera nos a malo, which I did. This month I'm aiming for 25K of rewriting on the same. Next month is 20K of rewriting on the same (or less, whatever gets me to the end of it), editing, and prep work for the Sci Fi thing. It sounds like a lot, but even if I only get a week to prep my OF, I will still give it a go drafting in April. One thing I am trying to do this year is to be very intentional about what I write when. If I'm totally burnt out on a story, I will give it a rest and take a break, but I'm doing my best not to be distracted by projects outside of my month's goal. I think during 2019 and 2020 I spent a lot of time running from one challenge story to the next. And while I'm not sorry that I did that--I learned a lot and wrote things I'm proud of that I might not have written otherwise--I have a much clearer picture of what I want to accomplish writing-wise, and how long it takes me to actually write the things. So that's some incentive not to get too distracted. Good luck everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darling_take_off_the_mask Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 2 minutes ago, Unotterable said: @the otterable prewett I feel you about the getting bored with OF sometimes. I don't know if it's because it feels lonelier than FF, or if I just haven't had a chance to fall in love with my characters, or both. But it does happen. This actually makes SO much sense! I think your goals sound good, Noelle, being intentional about your projects and so forth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magemadi Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 ope how haven't I posted in here yet?? As far as my goals go for this "quarter" of the year, I've updated Planetary Boundaries on the archives up to what I consider probably the end of Act I of the screenplay. It was definitely good that I didn't touch it at all in December, as looking at it while posting it I found things I definitely wanted to change/cut/rewrite, so I'll probably work on that this quarter. Other things I want to work on are more pieces within my Sunshire universe, the first piece of which I wrote back in September here+ that was read for Fic Night last month. I really didn't take a second look at what I'd created world-wise in that story until @toomanycurls and @victoria_titania asked me some great worldbuilding questions that I didn't have a lot of good answers for SO YES I will be writing more things in this universe, one or two will probably be challenge entry pieces, but also hopefully will be standalone things too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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