Meilo’s World – Page 5 – Meilo Zaborowski: Author

Something Something Patience, Something Something Universe

Long story short, I’m getting my job back!

Which means I’m gonna have to re-calibrate… well, everything. And then do it all over again at the end of August when classes start up again. I expect some bumps in the road as far as my writing goes, and I’m gonna miss the extra crafting time, but I’m super excited to go back to work. And with the CARES Act bonus disappearing… literally next week, I’m going to appreciate a reasonable paycheck over the pittance I’d be getting from regular unemployment while desperately job hunting.

So uh. Woo!

Goal Update 7/11

GOAL 1) PUBLISH SKOS

My Goal: Spend at least 10 mins, 3 days/week minimum
Where I planned to be: Spent at least 30 mins
Where I am: Eh
On Target or Behind: Eh?

How’s It Going:
I managed to finish up plugging this into a calendar on Sunday and uh- I’m laughing cause not only was Matt right about the stuff he caught, but I realized I made some dumb errors that he didn’t catch. Small stuff, really. One of the characters having class on a Sunday is probably the biggest. And I doubt anyone would catch that on first read (or even be super bothered if they did), but I need to do some other work on that chapter/day and it’s an easy enough fix that I’m gonna fix it anyway.

I didn’t get anything done on Tuesday. Monday I got a new stainless steel archwire on the top half of my braces, and I have one stubborn tooth on the bottom that they had to put in a spring spacer for, so Tuesday was very painful and I couldn’t focus on anything, even with a steady supply of ibuprofen and benzocaine. Me and mouth pain do not get along.

I did get to this on Thursday though. Although at this point I am… really winging it. I have no idea how to do this, because it is nothing like revising first draft. So far, I’m taking each problem I find in order and working on it throughout the whole book before tackling the next one. While this helps keep the consistency, it’s possible I might miss something, as opposed to going through the whole thing in sequence and fixing everything I hit (where I would be more likely to forget something instead). A thorough read-through when I’m done will hopefully minimize issues, but… I haven’t even gotten to overhauling Keziah and this is already a lot of work.

A lot of work that probably should have been done in revision. But, you know, live and learn.

GOAL 2) REVISE SYCU

My Goal: 2 Lessons per month/ 1 Lesson every 2 weeks; 3 chapters/13 scenes per day
Where I planned to be: Lesson 16 finished
Where I am: Lesson 16 finished; Lesson 17 has begun
On Target or Behind: On Target

How’s It Going:
Well, I finalized my outline and laundry list on Sunday, and meant to start the write-in on Tuesday, but like I said above, that didn’t happen. I did take a few moments on Wednesday to print out my laundry list and gather up my file folders and loose leaf paper so I was ready to go Thursday.

My first scene is a brand-new scene (i.e. it does not exist in the original manuscript) and I think it went well. I’m having to flesh out one character that barely exists in the manuscript and creating another that was only mentioned in passing. I like what I got, but I’m definitely looking forward to actually cutting into what’s already there, starting with my next scene, which was the original beginning.

GOAL 3) SURVIVAL

My Goal: 500 WPD, 1500 WPW
Where I planned to be: 22500 words
Where I am: 22747 words
On Target or Behind: On Target

How’s It Going:
Getting some interesting stuff. Another decent week, despite everything.

Goal Update 5/23

Going a little crazy here. Probably eating too much. School semester’s over (has been for a couple of weeks, but I never mentioned it… and yes, all A’s again). I finally got to see my orthodontist again yesterday, so my mouth hurts. I paid for a whole month of World of Warcraft back in the middle of April and I let it run out a few days ago, really really really hoping I got called back into work. Gave up last night and bought another month. Don’t get me wrong, I’m making bank off unemployment right now (seriously, what is even happening in this country right now?), but I am… so bored. I want to go back to work. Says the guy who loves being at home…

Sure, I could go get another job right now. (Retail… blech.) But I really like working at Enterprise. I like (most of) my coworkers. I know it’s not saying much, considering the other places I’ve worked, but it’s literally the best job I’ve ever had. I want to go back to work there.

GOAL 1) PUBLISH SKOS

My Goal: Spend at least 10 mins, 3 days/week minimum
Where I planned to be: Spent at least 30 mins
Where I am: Let’s be real, I easily spend hours on these covers on any given day
On Target or Behind: On Target

How’s It Going:
Been fooling around with different tricks to basically do the same thing.

Fun times.

GOAL 2) REVISE SYCU

My Goal: 2 Lessons per month/ 1 Lesson every 2 weeks; 3 chapters/13 scenes per day
Where I planned to be: Lesson 11, somewhere; this one’s hard to track
Where I am: Lesson 11, staring really hard at index cards
On Target or Behind: On Target

How’s It Going:
Lesson 11 is all about reworking the plot and subplots.

Unfortunately, this is where about 50% of my problems with this story are. Even more unfortunately, this lesson leaves a lot to be desired on HOW to rework these things. At best, I’ve realized that the middle of the main plot is completely absent from my Focus Outline. Just. Poof, not there. It’s all subplots. Magic.

However, I also have HTWAN at my disposal, which has a bonus lesson at the end: Interweaving Multiple Story Threads in Big, Complex Novels. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a big OR a complex novel (…yet), but I do have multiple characters with their own little conflicts and I need to figure out how to weave them all together. Without forgetting about anyone. Or cheating. Or handwaving. Trying to use this lesson has proven complicated in more ways than one, but hopefully I can figure SOMETHING out. (I did post my issues on the forum, hoping someone else might have some insight.)

Only, I was getting low on colored index cards and had to order some more. Because everything is easier with index cards. So I tried to get as much done with what I had as I could before they got here. (Because like hell am I going to Walmart right now. Although I think I got the ones I have at Office Depot, but idek if they’re open right now.) They were supposed to be here yesterday, but USPS is doing something weird with my packages and idk what is happening or where they are right now. I’m hoping they show up soon.

GOAL 3) SURVIVAL

My Goal: 500 WPD, 1500 WPW
Where I planned to be: 12000 words
Where I am: 12053 words
On Target or Behind: On Target

How’s It Going:
Fun fact, looking back at the Interweaving lesson, I realized that it would be good for coming up with ideas for this story while I’m writing it. Imagine that. Using a HTWAN lesson for actually writing a novel. Hm.

Only, again, index cards. (And I’m lazy and didn’t want to make my own out of notebook paper.)

So I think I’ll work that into what I’ve already planned for next week. Or… whenever those cards get here. They couldn’t come soon enough, cause this week’s been kinda hit or miss.

I’M SCREAMING

MATT LIKED IT.

“To be blunt, it was simply a fantastic read; so fantastic, in fact, that I finished it in a single sitting. Didn’t even get up. Not once.”

Goal Update 3/28

Well, I got laid off Wednesday due to COVID-19 causing loss of business. Bossman said he’d appreciate my return when he reopens the branch, so it’s only temporary, but. For how long, we don’t know. I’ve applied for unemployment in the meantime, hoping for some kind of income, even if it’s… meager. Gotta pay my phone and insurance bills and feed the cats, yanno.

School is restarting face-to-face classes next week via Google Meet. So we’ll see how that goes.

GOAL 1) PUBLISH SKOS

My Goal: Spend at least 10 mins, 3 days/week minimum
Where I planned to be: Spent at least 30 mins
Where I am: Contemplating
On Target or Behind: On Target?

How’s It Going:
I got some really great feedback this week on the forums. Not that the covers I posted were all that great, but some of the advice. I’m still not hitting the mark for genre, and it probably has something to do with the photos I’m using/my criteria for photos I’m using. Someone had the brilliant suggestion to just make random covers that have nothing to do with my novel for practice, to take my writer hat off, so to speak.

In other news, I finally got the okay to email my manuscript to Matt! He said he’d get back to me no later than next Friday. I can’t wait!

GOAL 2) REVISE SYCU

My Goal: 2 Lessons per month/ 1 Lesson every 2 weeks; 13 scenes per day
Where I planned to be: Lesson 5, through scene 38
Where I am: Lesson 5, through scene 40
On Target or Behind: On Target

How’s It Going:
Slogging through. Nothing amazing. Lots to fix.

More free time, new work?

So I have this story idea that started off about 10 years ago as an alternate universe fanfiction. I got the opportunity to talk about it with Holly at the beginning of 2018 and she pointed out that if I wanted to use the idea for a novel, I had to fix my world, because it was tragically broken. Which it was, absolutely.

Literally the night before I got laid off, I couldn’t get this old idea out of my head as I tried to go to sleep, and how I could rework it to fix the world. I tried to ignore it – I’ve got enough going on right now, right? And Holly always says the best ideas will come back to you when you need them – but a little after I got the phone call, it all came rushing back.

I’ve run the idea through the beginning stages of How to Write a Novel to develop the concept a bit more. I won’t be setting any goals just yet, other than I’ll probably start in on the writing by the end of next week.

And, of course, any goals I do make for this will need to be modified as the situation changes.