Holly Lisle: Writer

The Deadline Crunch

Okay. So I’ve done 1800+ words tonight, and there are going to be a whole lot more before I’m done. What I’m writing is already 5622 words long, and I still have a couple of critical elements to include by tonight.

Problem. My writing tonight is non-fiction. My two beta testers are starting into How To Revise Your Novel next Monday, and in between the hospital stuff, Margaret and I have been working madly to get the course software debugged—and now that it’s done, I’m wrapping up Lesson 2 tonight because I MUST have a buffer between myself and the lessons students are taking, in case I get sick. But I still have a lot of stuff that has to go into the course before next Monday.

Two lessons is all I had for the whole insane Think Sideways run.

Two lessons is evidently all I’m going to have as a buffer for HTRYN, too.

Not much in the way of sick time. 😀

That’s my night.

How’s your writing coming along?

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16 responses to “The Deadline Crunch”

  1. Kait Nolan Avatar
    Kait Nolan

    None yesterday but 1498 words today!

    Reply
  2. Don Avatar
    Don

    Welcome back Holly I hope everything works out with you Brother in Law. I’ve done 1574 over the last few days. It’s snowing like crazy and we might have a snow day tomorrow, get some writing in and finish this beast.

    Reply
  3. DasteRoad Avatar
    DasteRoad

    519 more words for me, currently at around 5300 total for Path of Blood. Loving this scene since it’s heavyloaded with key points and what I hope will be some decent red herrings (and Mr. Bad Guy enters the scene and he’s creepy as heck – which is even better) 🙂

    Reply
  4. Patricia Avatar
    Patricia

    Well, I’m not quite certain of my word count, but in total I have 70,840 words. My goal is 100,000, so you can imagine how excited I am to almost have this done! 😀 Thinking back, when did I start this? My first post on WABWM was on July 23, and I’d already been writing and following this for about a week. So I’ve been writing for…3 1/2 months I guess? Wow…I think I will definitely be done by the deadline I’ve set for myself: Christmas.

    Anyway, the changes Ryan has gone through during his captivity are more obvious than ever now, since he actually risked his life to protect his “family” from invaders. To think that he once called these creatures monsters…he has found friendship and love in a place of darkness. He as yet to fully realize exactly how strong these ties are, but he’ll find out soon when he’s forced to make a choice.

    Reply
  5. HannaBelle Avatar
    HannaBelle

    536 bx2-pedestal
    0 chiari
    0 travel

    Reply
  6. Kari Avatar
    Kari

    Holly, I am definitely glad to hear that your brother-in-law is going to get the surgery he needs. I just hope that it goes smoothy – without a hitch – and his recovery is as quick as it can be 🙂

    I’m getting ready to start writing. Will write the first couple of scenes today – I’ve been fighting with wanting to do NaNoWriMo and have finally decided that if I write this novel Nano-style, I’m going to really screw it up moreso that I will if I just take my time and write it.

    I’ll let you know how things go. Take care of yourself and your family 🙂

    Reply
  7. Lisa R Avatar
    Lisa R

    Today, I finally started working a little on the novel. I am in the middle of a transition which tends to be hard for me. Add to that the drama of a codependant mother and sister during the middle of a memorial, life tends to be a bit distracting. The good news from that is I am getting a ton of words in my journal. Last night, over 1000 words in frustration.

    Holly, my heart goes out to you, your family, and your brother-in-law. I pray for good news on Thursday.

    Reply
  8. Peggy Avatar
    Peggy

    878 on Tuesday. Trying to explain something sciencey technical that I’m not sure I fully understand. Always fun.

    Reply
  9. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    Good luck with your time-management, Holly. And best of luck to your BIL tomorrow! 🙂

    803 for me. I like how the description of the chase came out, liked it even better when they get away, pull up to the train station and Cait’s mom beats James with her shoe for his driving tactics! lol. So now mom is safely on her way home, out of the city, and as James turns around all confident and cocky that he got away, he’s faced with three special tazers launching at his chest. Last word of the scene: Crap!

    So 2/6 complete in the chase scenes series. I’m flipping back and forth betweeen Cait and James’ POV. Leaving cliff hangers in each scene, and loving the effect it has on me – want to keep going/ can’t wait to get back to it! Gotta love a satisfying action sequence!

    Reply
  10. Holly Avatar
    Holly

    5:38 AM. I have done a whole day of software testing and debugging, followed by over 3000 words of nonfiction, followed by adding topical crosslinks to the HTRYN discussion board, and all of this on less than four freaking hours of sleep because LAST night I stayed up until 5 AM after we got home from the ER to work on classroom interface design for HTRYN, and this morning I got up at 8:30-something AM to get back to work on the course.

    Shades of Think Sideways, the Ghost of Big Course Past, haunts me. Memories of what eventually unrolled into eight months of 70-hour weeks.

    I’m not DOING 70-hour weeks this time. Not after THIS week, anyway. (This week, I’m already up to 30 hours, and there’s still a ton of stuff to do before my beta testers start in, and with five more days in the week, I’m thinking the writing is already on the wall. Mene, mene, teckle, hourabunga.)

    On the bright side, I got some really cool stuff done.

    Reply
    1. Sandy Jensen Avatar
      Sandy Jensen

      Holly,
      I suspected it was insane on your side of that course, but it was friggin’ genius from my side! True creativity springs from the following edge of chaos, and you proved that. Not to encourage you in self-abuse!
      Out of that course springs a new poetry book project just started this week (I know! I Know! It was supposed to be a novel-writing course!) called “Giantess.” And the Giantess is…you guessed it my Muse, who now want a book all about her.
      Looks like she’s going to get it.

      You have created the conditions of insane time crunch/creativity for yourself. If you want to change them–talk to your Muse. Trust me–this works!

      Sandy

      Reply
  11. Leah Avatar
    Leah

    nothing tonight. been fighting a headache all day, along with zero concentration and my monster test that looms ahead, ready to eat me in 10 days. but that’s ok. did think about the next scenes i have to write. so i made progress, just not on paper.

    Reply
  12. The Pencil Neck Avatar
    The Pencil Neck

    458 words.

    The Princess came out of the bathroom and took her place on the stage beside the mayor to great fanfare. While the master of ceremonies made his introductions, the Mayor leaned over to the Princess and told her how beautiful she is and how much she resembles her mother. Wrong thing to say. The Princess’ manager, seated on the stage looks to one side and sees a man pulling out a gun.

    I expected to write more tonight. But I had a late phone call and rewatched a football game and I’ve got a ghost of a headache. So, I’ll take those words and be happy about it. Got a trip to LA on Thursday. Not sure how much writing time I’ll get there.

    Reply
  13. Michelle Avatar
    Michelle

    258 for me. Trying something new in regards to POV…not sure if I can pull it off, but I can try.

    Reply
  14. May Avatar
    May

    No words on my actual story, but I DID finally get the time to do my 2nd lesson for HTTS…which, by the way, freaked the socks off me. You said it yourself: the Muse is a powerful stranger.
    I hope to get words on my story tomorrow.

    Reply
  15. Adam Avatar
    Adam

    words didn’t come as easy as last night, but i got some good progress, finishing ch 18. got the last dialog section of the chapter wrapped up and the brothers on their way to a peaceful nights rest, or not as the case may be. lots more dialog and backstory came through, and i’m pleased with how the introduction of Kraz’s advisor and her bodyguard turned out. going to be fun writing about them in the future.

    1,500 words to finish the chapter.

    Reply

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