[Cathie Posts: 341 Status: Offline]

Everyone is doing great! I'm plugging right along, slow and steady, but it looks like next week with Thanksgiving, I'll be doing less writing.       But it's Thanksgiving--I'm ready for a full tummy and chillin' with the family.

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

Melody, great word count. Pons, congrats on hubby's consulting job! Sandy, it all counts. All of it. Maybe one of them can come up with a special recipe...that'll count, too. And Cathie, I agree. Family trumps word count. Actually, family trumps pretty much anything.

Happy writing to all, whatever gets done!

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

Okay, I know I have to go back and work this in earlier, but so far I think this is my favorite line in my story:

...and she pulled out a miraculous piece of rope that Providence had placed in her pocket to help with my word count,...

[SandyM Posts: 12 Status: Offline]

JFriday, that's perfect!! 

[Pons Posts: 3,823 Status: Online]

...and she pulled out a miraculous piece of rope that Providence had placed in her pocket to help with my word count,...

  Love it.

I spent the last two days revising a story to submit to a contest whose deadline is today. I'm counting that as writing, but I can't report an increase in word count. I can live with that. 

[Cathie Posts: 341 Status: Offline]

...and she pulled out a miraculous piece of rope that Providence had placed in her pocket to help with my word count,...

I love this!!!   

[Melody Posts: 896 Status: Offline WWW]

...and she pulled out a miraculous piece of rope that Providence had placed in her pocket to help with my word count,...

LOL!

You guys are definitely encouraging me to push harder.  Did my highest word count yet today, maybe ever:

3200 words. Woohoo!

[Vijaya Posts: 8,946 Status: Offline LISTEN. Let all mortal flesh keep silence ... WWW]

Love that line JFriday. No writing today but I'm thinking about it. You all are doing great!!!

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

Glad you liked the line. Glad you got a laugh, Cathie and Sandy.

Melody, amazing word count! You go, girl!

Pons, I hope you win the contest!!

Vijaya, had I put more thought into mine, maybe my lines would be a little more logical. Hope you are able to think things through.

[hairaplenty Posts: 1,696 Status: Offline Don't ever quit!]

1300 total on my new chapter in my old book. SO much easier to rewrite/revise rather than a 1st draft.


                                                                                 

[hairaplenty Posts: 1,696 Status: Offline Don't ever quit!]

JFriday, I hadn't read your post before. HAHA.  Let's all grab a piece of miraculous rope. (BTW your story sounds fun.) Every time I have to mention where my main character moved from, I write (That place) because I haven't decided where he's from, yet, and I don't want to slow my pace down. Whatever it takes!
Melody, you're a Rock Star   
Cathie, somehow I invited people to Thanksgiving Dinner at my place. I've been cleaning like a mad woman and perusing the Food Network.
Yesterday I wrote 473. Today? Not yet. It's only 5:00 am.

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

hairaplenty, I need several more coils of that miraculous rope. I'm running on idea fumes at this point and it's not pretty.

I realized I switched a couple of minor characters' names, and I just kept going. I really really really hope no one ever reads this.

Hope everyone meets whatever goals they have this week!

[SandyM Posts: 12 Status: Offline]

Also on fumes over here but not nearly as far along as you, JFriday! Now I'm just making up background stories for every character, building, agency, plant, etc. One of my main characters is still named CockyBoy because I haven't committed to a name yet. I have to admit that I'm still enjoying this world I've created though...and the extensive background of the edible Flulilies. 

Happy writing, everyone!

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

Sandy, I laughed out loud at CockyBoy! Love it! And edible Flulilies? Oh, I'm hooked!!

And don't be impressed with my word count. I'm just trying to get this finished! You're right on target for finishing by the end of the month, as are the more sane people.

I've learned I write much better when I don't have a word count goal, particularly a massive one, hanging over my head. Instead of having the story unfolding to a good conclusion as my goal, the number becomes my goal. And the story suffers terribly. I mean as in stupendously, completely, awfully terribly.

I'm sure there are writers who excel under a number goal, but I'm not one of them. Lesson learned.

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

Sharing another line which shows great literary genius:

Shel picked up another pitchfork which was conveniently leaning against the side of the door, apparently unaffected by the high winds, and started to help.

No one can ever, ever look at this. Ever.

[Pons Posts: 3,823 Status: Online]

Sharing another line which shows great literary genius:

Shel picked up another pitchfork which was conveniently leaning against the side of the door, apparently unaffected by the high winds, and started to help.

No one can ever, ever look at this. Ever.

  I feel the same way about my draft: no one can ever read it, but it is actually getting me to a better place. (I hope.)

[SandyM Posts: 12 Status: Offline]

 . I am really stuck over here. I think I'm getting too focused on my word count. My goal this weekend is to get back to enjoying the story and worrying less about the deadline. I'm mostly finished with work this week so I'm hoping I can relax, write, and read for the next 4 days. Oh, and eat pie.   

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

Sandy, I totally got focused on word count and I've never had such awful writing. So I think you have an excellent plan. Besides, when you focus on and enjoy the story, that's when the writing flows.

I hope everyone enjoys their pie!!

[Cathie Posts: 341 Status: Offline]

Just popped in to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I'm stuffed and so ready to nap! Hopefully, I'll be hitting the keyboard tomorrow.

 Hairaplenty, hope the mad cleaning frenzy and food prep weren't too stressful and  you are basking in lots of praise!
JFriday and Sandy --Yay, pie! 

[hairaplenty Posts: 1,696 Status: Offline Don't ever quit!]

Oh, yeah, NaNoWriMo.   

[Pons Posts: 3,823 Status: Online]

Oh, yeah, NaNoWriMo.   

This is me, too. I'm a week behind from Thanksgiving, but ready to get back in the saddle again today.     Onward and Upward!

[Vijaya Posts: 8,946 Status: Offline LISTEN. Let all mortal flesh keep silence ... WWW]

Oh, yeah, NaNoWriMo.   

Me three. But I'm all of you who are working diligently.

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

Less than a week to go. I hope everyone is satisfied with whatever they reach. 

[hairaplenty Posts: 1,696 Status: Offline Don't ever quit!]

I failed miserably at the word count, but have taken this month to delve into my novel/plot and characters. I jumped in with both feet and really had no idea where I was going, so I've taken some time to figure out what this book is going to be about.
Plus, I've rewritten a lot on my completed novel, so I call November a win. I think we're all winners!   

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

Hairaplenty, you have won. Kudos for you. I've done well with word count but that's all I focused on, so my plot, characters, story arc, setting - you name it - failed. So we balance each other.

And we all have more than we had a month ago. And there's still more time. So I agree, we're all winners.

[SandyM Posts: 12 Status: Offline]

I agree, we've all won. We have all explored ideas that were not around one month ago.  I set out to prove to myself that I could follow through on 50,000 words and I just finished. My goal was to write everyday and prove to myself that I can do this while working full-time. I fell in love with the world I created and most of my characters (even if only 1/3 of them have names right now). It's a skeleton draft, but I didn't expect it to be more than that. I can't wait to start revisions after the first of the year.  Now I just have to type all those handwritten pages...if only I could skip that part. 
 
I hope everyone reaches their goals or at least has fun trying! Thanks to everyone and I'm still cheering for all of you! 

[hairaplenty Posts: 1,696 Status: Offline Don't ever quit!]

         Heaping piles of congratulatory autumn leaves on you SandyM. You did it!

[Vijaya Posts: 8,946 Status: Offline LISTEN. Let all mortal flesh keep silence ... WWW]

Sandy Knowing you can do what you set out to do is such a great feeling. And now you have some great habits to draw upon. It's so important to do hard things once in a while.

And to all who are meeting their goals,

Alas, I did not meet my goals at all, so that's a fail. You'd think after making a proper outline I'd make progress but I've been too sick   I hope I can have a complete draft by the end of the year.

[Pons Posts: 3,823 Status: Online]

Wow!    Sandy. That is monumental. Hats off to you!

I won't meet my original goal of 500 words/day, but I did accomplish the bigger goal of getting over starting-the-rough-draft dread. I will end up six chapters into my new ms and that is enough encouragement to keep me going. November has been a plus for me.

[JFriday Posts: 865 Status: Offline]

Vijaya, so sorry to hear you've been sick. I hope you're feeling better. Everything is awful when we're sick. I hope you can finish that draft.

Pons, glad you started that rough draft!

And Sandy, Congratulations!!!

I've reached 50K too, so I made my goal, but as I said, it's awful writing. Maybe I can salvage something from it, even if the story takes a completely different direction.

There are, after all, dragons in it.  :dragonchase