Today I mostly wrote ... the word count thread. Showing 1,401-1,450 of 4,252

[Pam]

M.T. wrote: "I've booked him for a 2k non fiction and to edit the short Kate was half way through editing - or a new short if I can find someone to finish that/the confidence to release it myself - next Feb. So..."

M.T. I PMd you, could you check it please and let me know what you want me to do?

[Elizabeth]

Today's target is describing the North Wind in approx. 150 words.

[Kath]

I was awake a lot with things for my current writing buzzing around my head. I don't see much chance of getting back to it for a couple of weeks. Must make some notes before it evaporates.

[Jim]

I'm gearing up for launching another Tallis Steelyard collection, so am frantically writing stories for a blog tour.
Had a cunning plan and these are going to be linked in some way as Tallis makes unplanned expedition to the hinterland

done about 5000 words of stories so far :-)

[Pam]

Re-reading the book and finding a few more things to correct in the final chapters.

[Kath]

I've had the chance to write today, for a change. 1152 words! Happy bunny.

[Will]

Jim wrote: "M.T. wrote: "Well ... have had a few quotes from Editors but while they seem lovely people they are hugely expensive. Have decided I can't go for American pay per word folks. Sending a query to Dav..."

Jim, a lot of small presses are now doing deals with the editors, designers etc, to work for royalty share. I've got 2 such arrangements myself. Cuts the upfront cost enormously

[Jim]

Will wrote: "Jim, a lot of small presses are now doing deals with the editors, designers etc, to work for royalty share. I've got 2 such arrangements myself. Cuts the upfront cost enormously ..."

hopefully it'll encourage them to get involved in the marketing as well
The more contacts/leads you've got, the better

[M.T.]

Jim, thanks for the Tallis story, looking good. When it comes to people working for some of my royalties it's a hideous amount of financial admin and phaff (bearing my discalculia in mind) for about £1.50 every six months.

Everyone on progress, well done.

I am getting ready to hit the ground running tomorrow! Yeh right. But seriously, I have no editor for 6 months, whatever I do, so clearly my missions this term are:

1. Do eyebomb book kickstarter. I need 3k but if I try for 1.5 it will be a start.
2. Write more shorts.
3. Finish the novel (possible Nano that one).
4. Plot out the entire Space Dustmen series.

Not much then.

Cheers

MTM

[Jim]

M.T. wrote: "Jim, thanks for the Tallis story, looking good. When it comes to people working for some of my royalties it's a hideous amount of financial admin and phaff (bearing my discalculia in mind) for abou..."

That idea that they might be forced to wait for their share of the £3 annually may be what encourages them to demand cash up front :-)

[M.T.]

Jim wrote: "That idea that they might be forced to wait for their share of the £3 annually may be what encourages them to demand cash up front :-)"

Mwahahahahargh! Exactly.

[Kath]

447 new words - and the search and replace of a character's name as two started with the same letter and I was confusing myself!

Dentist soon. Calling a halt.

Hope you fly with the writing now The Lad's back at school, Mary.

[M.T.]

Thanks chuck.

[Tim]

M.T. wrote: "Jim, thanks for the Tallis story, looking good. When it comes to people working for some of my royalties it's a hideous amount of financial admin and phaff (bearing my discalculia in mind) for abou..."

Seeing as my editor is the only person that's made any money out of my books, I really can't see him working for a cut of the royalties - unless it's something like 500% . . . !

I did a space dustmen novel for NanoWrimo a few years ago (back when time came in positive increments). It was rubbish.

Have you seen this? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsXF...

[M.T.]

That looks funny. ;-) Maybe I should call mine space pirates. But ... well ... I'll have to google titles I think.

[Alicia]

I am on some kind of a run: finished one scene - critical one - in only a bit over two weeks (fast for me). As I had hoped, it was the cause of a logjam, and getting it sussed out and written loosened something.

I am somewhat startled to announce that the next scene -
1k+ - only tortured me for three days. I am all breathless, and hoping the speed keeps up. I could even stand to have it read to me by the Mac robot voice, which is a very-close-to-the-end step for me.

All that bit with the editors is what caused me to dig into doing it myself. Now I can't imagine any other way.

Everyone is different - and free to do it their way (with or without exhorbitant sums involved) - but editing is just another writing skill, and it CAN be learned.

It has the additional side effect of improving all further writing. Or so I hope. Or maybe I'm just getting cocky.

[Kath]

I find I'm too close to my own stories. I can proofread but a structural edit brings out things in the story I didn't know were there.

[Jim]

Kath wrote: "I find I'm too close to my own stories. I can proofread but a structural edit brings out things in the story I didn't know were there."

yes I struggle to proofread my own stuff, and editing works better with fresh eyes and somebody to ask the questions I never thought of

[M.T.]

I'm shit at proof reading and I know it! Indeed, I can't even tell if the editor has done a good job, except with Kate when it was very obvious. ;-) I've done seven tenths of bugger all today but at the same time, I have made a fair bit of progress on the Stuff that Needed Done list had a nice break for coffee with a friend and been to the gym so I'm feeling smug. I can only, realistically, hope to set myself up for next week really, shit pops up. Today, for example, I have to return a printer cartridge I bought because the yellow ink has dried out - it arrived like that. I also have to return a book I bought for McOther which is the wrong one. Both things involved phaffage and schleppage to an out of town Co-op so I can return them with My Hermes - rather than Royal Mail - and therefore avoid having to remortgage my house to pay postage!

Got my bike fixed up though, it cost a lot but riding it now, I realise how knackered it was. And bought a new orange cycling helmet to celebrate - so I can give McMini my boring black one.

Cheers

MTM

[Alicia]

Going down to the basement to do my exercise now.

Proofreading - not fun, but necessary. Found a missing period yesterday. Left another off on purpose - no one puts a period after their signature on a letter.

Of such is the world of writers.

[M.T.]

Did my exercise this am and have just finished my writing! 1,300! Woot.

[Kath]

Yay. Go, girl!

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

I misread that as M.T. having exercised her arm and then finished her writing. Which puzzled me slightly until I went back and read it properly.

[M.T.]

I can confirm that my arm was exercised ... Along with the rest of me.

[M.T.]

Yay, 1936. I will be doing a charity walk tomorrow night and McMini has two birthday parties and football so I probably won't get much done then. ;-) Then there's a club dig on Sunday ... it's all go. ;-)

[M.M.]

1300 yesterday. That's a good day for me. :) It's usually a lot less than that.

[Alicia]

Almost 2K finished words in two days - probably a record. So much so that I'm suspicious, and will go over the timeline, just in case.

[M.T.]

Booyacka! It seems as if we have all hit a creative sweet spot at the moment!

[Elizabeth]

Struggling with all the ways there are to write the same thing. Puts the word count up but not the productivity.

[Kath]

1071 today. Complete change of style and pace from yesterday's new release. It took me a while to read the run-up to the new writing.

[M.T.]

I did about 500 words before I went metal detecting today. ;-) well chuffed.

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

Reminds me of an old joke.

I couldn't find the words to tell you how I love you, until I went metal detecting in the wreckage of a printing press!

[Alicia]

Finished a scene today - since a scene is as long as it needs to be to do the job, they are of vastly different sizes, but this one was about average - 1500.

I love it when I can beat them into submission quickly.

[Elizabeth]

Have Hammer offered you a contract, Alicia? ; )

[M.M.]

500 on Saturday, 400 yesterday.

[Kath]

1124 today. I think this book might be rather dismal... ;)

[Alicia]

Elizabeth wrote: "Have Hammer offered you a contract, Alicia? ; )"

I'm not reliable; they probably know it. That's why I'm so excited when I do manage it. Scenes used to take months; now less than a week sometimes? Not so shabby.

[Kath]

1034. It's a bit dark, this one. Emotional type dark, not horror type dark.

[M.M.]

850 yesterday.

[Tim]

240 yesterday (the first in what seems like ages!)

[Elizabeth]

The North Wind has now exited (temporarily)

[M.M.]

750 yesterday

[M.M.]

nearly 750 yesterday.

[Kath]

1605 but it's on a different book!

[M.T.]

About 500 and a lengthy mailing. :-) well happy.

[Jim]

M.T. wrote: "About 500 and a lengthy mailing. :-) well happy."

going well :-)

[M.T.]

Jim wrote: "M.T. wrote: "About 500 and a lengthy mailing. :-) well happy."

going well :-)"

Indeed. I just wish the fiction was going as fast, too.

[✿Claire✿]

I've finally managed to write a bit more, oddly enough, now I'm studying, I'm getting ideas sat in lectures!!
Written a few hundred more words today, hope I can keep going now I'm on a bit of a roll. Starting to figure out the order of bits of my story as well, now I'm getting more written, it's making more sense.

[Jim]

nice when things start to come together isn't it :-)

[M.T.]

Sure is. It's like alchemy I have no idea how it happens, myself, it just does. Go Claire. :-) keep a pad and write those ideas down.