Category: Meilo’s World

So yesterday was my first day back at work. And I’m really glad it was only a half day, cause it kicked my ass. I’m so out of shape.

And now I’ll be working half days all week. So uh. I may just keep my schedule for all this and just see what happens.

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: Made a wrong turn in Albuquerque
• On Target or Behind: Uhhh

How’s It Going:
I’m in the thick of overhauling Keziah and… it’s going better than I thought? Either that or I’m doing it wrong, I don’t know. Other than that, I have one more scene to add, and I’m not sure what to put in it. I mean, I know I need to have Madison and his dad in there, and things are not going well for either of them, and it’s also Thanksgiving, but I’m just not sure how I’m gonna do it yet.

GOAL 2) REVISE SYCU

• My Goal: 2 Lessons per month/ 1 Lesson every 2 weeks (except L17 and L21, which get 4 weeks min)
• Where I planned to be: Lesson 17, 30 scenes in
• Where I am: Lesson 17, 23 scenes in
• On Target or Behind: Behind

How’s It Going:
If I’d just powered through that one new scene on Tuesday… But I didn’t, so I ended up spending something like 5 hours on Thursday just trying to sort of catch up because I’m a garbage can.

Other than that, I feel like everything’s coming together well? I think I got the scenes in the right order at least, because they seem to just flow into each other really well. And I feel like I’m doing a decent job at making the reader question who the villain really is. Now if I could just knock out more scenes at a time…

GOAL 3) SURVIVAL

• My Goal: 500 WPD, 1500 WPW
• Where I planned to be: 27000 words
• Where I am: 27495 words
• On Target or Behind: On Target

How’s It Going:
I’m screwed.

I got all of my characters in the same place, one of them seriously injured, and… now I don’t know where to go. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do after I finished up this scene and I’ve gotten nowhere. And now I have no idea what happens next.

I may have to dig through some of Holly’s other classes for the big guns.

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.

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.