Tag Archives: writing process

End of October Post

by Liana Posted on November 1, 2013
This entry is part 27 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So I started this month out with a challenge to scribble in public and see where it took me. Apparently, it took me to almost 40,000 words of poetry and fiction besides blog posts and it was, to be frank, a really bad month for my discipline. So.

Heading into November, I'd like to do better, way better, and I'd really like to fill out a lot of the gaps in my work and finish some books.

November Projects

  • Pieter/Ashen initial meeting book — There will be coffee.
  • Collaboration fic with thecatisacritic — There will be special abilities and family dynamics.
  • Yuletide fics — Lithiumlaughter is helping me brainstorm on the prompted one, and I'm still mulling over Laurie. Then there's bookswaps.

365 Challenge

I've downgraded the importance of this. It's weird. I should want, maybe even need to finish out the challenge, but I don't. I have so much raw material to turn into powerful books that readers actually want to read that I consider the challenge an unmitigated success and now want to seriously finish out all the stuff it started. So yeah. Expect books. Novelettes, novellas, and maybe novels. I've never been as fast at pulling out long fiction, but I'm going to try.

Count

  • Fiction & Poetry: 3273 words - Month to Date: 39,410 words
  • Blog: 0 words - Month to Date: 9,831 words
  • Nonfiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 362 words

How's your docket?

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Scribbling, October 30

by Liana Posted on October 30, 2013
This entry is part 26 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So started off by reading the collaborative additions, then wrote 609 words of what comes next. Then 184 off of a conversation snippet. Very busy day so having a hard time squeezing stuff in. And another 668 words. It's problematic, this writing out of order business.

Can't decide on a Nano project and it starts in 2 days. :headdesk:

After hours, I got another 289 on the collaboration and 69 words of rough-drafted poem.

Count

  • Fiction & Poetry: 1819 words - Month to Date: 36,137 words
  • Blog: 71 words - Month to Date: 9,831 words
  • Nonfiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 362 words
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Frantically Writing Before Its November, October 29

by Liana Posted on October 29, 2013
This entry is part 25 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So I had a rude awakening this morning when I realized it's almost November. Here goes.

And there goes 1478 words to wrap up the Justus fic. I hate having written it out, but I hope you like it, thecatisacritic. It's your own fault you asked.

Edited the collab piece to 397 words from 133. Added another 231 words after talking to thecatisacritic. And another 229 after evening prayer.

In between, I filled out another prompt for why Storm made Red Wolf leader. Truth is, I expected a different piece to come out, the one I'd originally imagined with Maker and that had a broader perspective and more about Red Wolf, but this came out instead, raw and under the surface of why Storm was angry about making Red Wolf leader, which was something different.

Starting in on "Everything is Blood" at 1029 words. I looked it over and didn't actually have to toss anything I already had but couldn't think of how to bridge from point A to point B. I love this fic, and I hate it. A lot.

Skipping that... I think I'm going to quit and update if I write more later. So I promised an update. I sketched and scribbled on some index cards.

Count

  • Fiction: 2868 words - Month to Date: 34,318 words
  • Blog: 215 words - Month to Date: 9,760 words
  • Nonfiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 362 words

365 Challenge

  • 237–238/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn: A Time to Die – 3740 words
  • 239/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Hard Decisions – 543 words
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Reading and Writing, October 28

by Liana Posted on October 29, 2013
This entry is part 24 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

Today, I started by typing in my sketches for the Justus fic (still haven't caught up on "Amnes") and writing up my scribbler post for the weekend.

Starting editing and writing in the Justus fic at 2177 words. I got to 2264 before the end of the workday.

Between work and home, there was a major shopping trip for Thanksgiving/Christmas/craft fair, which was fun but knocked out most of my writing time handily.

Right before bed, I got another 133 words down for the collaboration on an index card. Writing on index cards seems to be a thing for me. It works better than notebooks.

Count

  • Fiction: 220 words - Month to Date: 31,450 words
  • Blog: 742 words - Month to Date: 9,545 words
  • Nonfiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 362 words

 

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On Downtime

by Liana Posted on October 28, 2013

I recently read P.C. Wrede's "Not Writing" and found it hit upon something I don't often like to face up to in my own writing life: my process includes periods of not writing. Sometimes I need to read and refresh and refuel, but more than that, I go through phases of mulling and percolating and mentally hammering my way through a thorny problem or just not thinking about it while not getting so immersed in another fic that I really don't percolate while not thinking about it.

I need to accept this as part of my process, not use it to make excuses, but accept when I'm working by not working. It does happen.

And from the original post:

I spend quite a lot of time not-writing. I have, on occasion, been told that I have writer’s block when I haven’t produced anything in a long time. I always find this a bit puzzling, because I don’t feel particularly blocked. I could sit down and write a new first chapter or a bunch of backstory for something or any number of bits and pieces that might eventually find their way into a story; I just don’t see much point in doing so right then, for one reason or another.
Sometimes, the reason is that I have more important things to do, like getting the plumber to stop the waterfall in the bathroom while I move all my paper books out from under the leak in the ceiling, or like being executor of my mother’s estate. Sometimes, the reason is that I am sick and tired of the thing I’m working on, but I know better than to start a shiny new project while I am in the miserable middle of an older one, so I choose not to write anything. Sometimes, the reason is that it is a nice day and I am going to take a book outside and sit under a tree and read. Sometimes, the reason is that I need to mull over the things I already know need to happen in the current story so that I can figure out the exact right thing to be the next piece of it. Sometimes, the reason is that I’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere and I need to completely rethink my plot, starting two or six or fourteen chapters ago. And sometimes, I simply have a profound disinclination to write.
I don’t call any of those things “writer’s block.” I don’t think they are deserving of the term, and I don’t think I ought to be allowed the copout.

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Reading and Writing, Weekend October 24–27

by Liana Posted on October 28, 2013
This entry is part 23 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So playing total catch-up here (I know, I know). On Thursday, I managed to write some at the end in the Justus POV fic of "Its Own Absolution" due to a wonderful antagonists prompt from in_the_blue. It gave me a good headstart. I percolated a lot on Sabbath about it, but didn't turn that sketch into fic until Sunday, and awkward fic at that.

Somewhere in there, I also sketched down some other stuff and have started to rethink my approach to this collaboration. I need something that doesn't fit easily into worldbuilding I've already done for any other story. It's not fair to thecatisacritic.

Also, trovia got me off on an amazing Avengers fanfic novel (I'm a sucker for brothers), so there's that. It took time to read and was good for when I was feeling totally bleh on the mental front.

To the counts:

October 24, 2013

  • Fiction: 1041 words - Month to Date: 29,911 words
  • Blog: 0 words - Month to Date: 8,803 words
  • Nonfiction: 48 words - Month to Date: 362 words

October 26, 2013

  • Fiction: 180 words - Month to Date: 30,091 words
  • Blog: 0 words - Month to Date: 8,803 words
  • Nonfiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 362 words

October 27, 2013

  • Fiction: 1139 words - Month to Date: 31,230 words
  • Blog: 0 words - Month to Date: 8,803 words
  • Nonfiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 362 words
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Reading and Writing, etc., October 22

by Liana Posted on October 22, 2013
This entry is part 21 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

Started off editing and writing. I got 379 words on the crossover. Read and commented on the stuff from thecatisacritic.

Lunch break, back to work. Got 327 words on the Butterfly Division fic. Didn't get further because the second scene sketch is MIA. Will look for it later at home.

I started my edits on "Dowse and Bleed" at 13,581 words. Technically, I should be working on Yuletide fic or something, but :shrugs:, the story from inferno is my baby right now. Stopped at 13,663 words.

So I'm scribbling around in all sorts of things while proofreading and doing corporate filings. Don't ask.

Count

  • Fiction: 2186 words - Month to Date: 27,516 words
  • Blog: 232 words - Month to Date: 8,569 words
  • Nonfiction: 314 words - Month to Date: 314 words

365 Challenge

  • 232/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn/Fracture and Recall Crossover: A Little History – 379 words
  • 233/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn/Fracture and Recall Crossover: Transition and Redux – 660 words
  • 234/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn/Fracture and Recall Crossover: Medical Options – 383 words

WIP

  • Buttefly Division: Amnes – 606 words
  • Kingdoms and Thorn poem: The World Backed Down – 76 words; Total: 606 words
  • Kingdoms and Thorn story: Dowse and Bleed – 82 words; Total: 13,663 words
  • Nonfiction: The Poem in Poetry – 314 words
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Reading and Writing, October 20

by Liana Posted on October 20, 2013
This entry is part 19 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So Scrivener has multiple uses, including analysis. I wanted to do an analysis of "Dowse and Bleed" and promptly discovered that I had three scenes of around 3000 words each, give or take a few hundred. This was shocking to say the least. Normally, I don't manage that kind of word count for a single scene.

So I did a lot more reading than writing and some editing. It's like I couldn't get my brain to kick in until after dark. (This might have been due to three meetings, taking minutes, doing board research, and shopping and chores, but hey, a girl's not supposed to make excuses, right?)

I love to write directly to prompts, but not sure that I'm going to do this one for the exchange. En brief, their questions were already answered by the creator. It's hard to write fic to answer them again.

Count

  • Fiction: 340 words - Month to Date: 23,139 words
  • Blog: 163 words - Month to Date: 8,058 words

365 Challenge

  • 229/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn/Fracture & Recall Crossover: The Only Mercy – 274 words
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Reading and Writing, October 19

by Liana Posted on October 19, 2013
This entry is part 18 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So yesterday's post got left at work by accident. Will post it Monday and update the weekend posts to reflect accurate numbers. In the meantime, not doing good not reading before writing.

Yuletide assignments went out and all the pinch hits went during Sabbath. Nice. :shrugs: Oh, well.

And it's back to the crossover. And you know what? That's good enough for tonight. It's late. I'm tired and cranky, and boy, do I have a jam-packed day tomorrow. I've got a board meeting and shopping and board research and yuletide and Denny/Laurie reading and rugs to wash and a kitchen to take care of. Ah well.

Count

  • Fiction: 513 words - Month to Date: 22,799 words
  • Blog: 122 words - Month to Date: 7,895 words

365 Challenge

  • 228/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn/Fracture & Recall Crossover: The Right Question – 513 words
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Reading and Writing, October 18

by Liana Posted on October 18, 2013
This entry is part 17 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So I did an incredibly poor job of reading nada before writing. Alas! I'm beginning to feel a little fraudulent, but I wonder if I'm just tired. I'm on a cleanse and the weather's changing and I'm working on another longer piece that's plot-driven, a sure recipe for forcing myself to slow down. It's intensely not my strong point. Plot-driven, that is.

But I did get something written today. A crossovery bit of fanfic. There goes 415 words.

Thinking out loud here: I think the problem is that while I got off to a good foot on this Justus story, it was unintentional and I'm having a hard time working it with canon and I hadn't the clue where I was starting, let alone where I was headed. I think I'm going to scrap and redraft. This is a very scary thought.

I could always stop, drop, and write about kittens. I've got two clans, the grammatical and the errata. And then there's Popcorn. It gets messy.

Count

  • Fiction: 415 words - Month to Date: 22,286 words
  • Blog: 193 words - Month to Date: 7,773 words

365 Challenge

  • 227/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn/Fracture & Recall Crossover: It's a Start Anyway – 415 words
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