Unplanned Night Off

I needed a night off. Didn’t sleep yesterday, going to be up late tonight.

So for me, no words.

How about you?

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53 responses to “Unplanned Night Off”

  1. Nick Avatar
    Nick

    About 1500 words this morning. (Saturday mornings, love Saturday mornings.) I already know my characters talk too much. But I’m sort of pleased with some of it. The hapless writer still a couple of steps ahead of his hapless protagonist.

  2. Beverly Avatar
    Beverly

    No words again. I’m about to re-read How To Write When Your Life Just Exploded. It’s Friday for me. I am so glad it’s the weekend!

  3. Dena C. Avatar
    Dena C.

    I was tired today and didn’t know if I was going to get any writing done. I took little sips at it through out the day (15 minutes before work, during the ride on the bus to work, a little bit when I got home and a small bit after dinner). It’s funny how those little sips add up. I ended up getting 1379 words today.

  4. Don Avatar
    Don

    Did 1013 still on track to finish by Turkey Day. I’ve started thinking about re-writing the book I have sitting. Maybe that can wait I’m really excited about how things are going with this one lots of action, the MC good her BFF is still alive, but early days yet.

  5. Lisa R Avatar
    Lisa R

    No words. This is not a very productive week. However, I did get a little plot skeching done, so if life every slows down, I have quite a bit to write.

    Oh, and Happy New Year! It is the fiscal new year for all federal employees.

  6. Elise Avatar
    Elise

    I’ve been kind of out of kilter lately due to life circumstances (loss of a job, a job lead out of the blue, really odd schedules, trying to do HtTS lessons) but Holly’s email nudged me to come back and post again.
    Last week I wrote over 1,000 words-but it was all on one day, which is NOT good for keeping in the flow of the story. I’ve been trying to be more regular this week (706 words on Monday, nothing on Tuesday, 1103 words Wednesday and 320 words yesterday) and am going to try to come up with some structure for my now unstructured life. I’m avoiding going through the redevelopment that Holly’s doing now, but it sounds like something I won’t be able to put off at some point in the near future. This story has had some unplanned events (not a bad thing) and, in order to keep going, I’ve written scenes totally out of order, which I’ve never done before.
    Sorry for the rambling, but it’s early yet. ๐Ÿ™‚
    Elise

  7. Kait Nolan Avatar

    Well I’m back from out of town and yesterday launched a big Novel Push Initiative over at my blog. I’ve got 20 participants, which is exciting. I kicked that off with 663. I’m going fine on my novella but still struggling with the first draft wip I put to bed a couple of weeks ago. I just can’t seem to REALLY connect with my heroine in order to get her character arc and internal conflict down.

  8. June Avatar
    June

    About 250 for me. I didn’t plan on this scene so it’s ‘make it up as I go’ time and that’s usually slow.

  9. Gabby Avatar
    Gabby

    Well, I ended up with about 300 mostly throw away words last night. My Muse kindly explained that she won’t invest energy in a meaningless character. (…ok, ok, so I admit it’s me that’s having trouble doing that.) So, I’ve decided to wrap the “fake hero’s” backstory in the main conflict and make him part of the whole downfall of my MCs’ families. Will need to do lots of planning but I have the edge of the idea now. Hopefully today I can focus during my work’s downtime so that I will make lots of writing progress tonight (to make up for the complete lack yesterday).

  10. Tami Avatar

    Planned night off Thursday and unplanned on Wednesday. My day job takes precedence, and when it requires the extra mile, I rarely have enough energy for being creative.

    I try to balance that out with planned weekend writing sessions (two hours, typically).

    I do have high hopes for tonight – I have two installments to my various webserials that need drafts.

  11. Nick Avatar
    Nick

    Maybe 500 this morning. 500 is better than no-hundred! Pushes my latest project to the 11k+ mark. It seems to be working. First person, a trail of deception and mystery, although there is plot, I’m letting the tale take my protagonist often where it will. Maybe that way the natural surprises he is waylaid by will be natural to the reader as well… Only about 80k to go!

  12. Larkk Avatar
    Larkk

    I went through the burn it, bury it, or let it live workshop for my first draft, and am pleased to report that it will live! What really saved it was that there were parts I really loved, (even though they were just small parts sometimes.) I knew I would fight for itโ€™s life anyway, just because of those, and going through those exercises confirmed that itโ€™s worth fighting for. But then there are the conflict, and story problems. Yup, big oleโ€™ zeroes. It is a lot easier to deal with that fact now that I have a finished draft though.
    Then I started the novel pre writing workshop because I’m hoping I don’t end up with another mess on the next project. Great questions! I will carry them around in the back of my mind today and see what kind of answers I get.
    Canโ€™t thank you enough, Holly, for putting this all together:) !!!! You deserve a night off once in a while!

    1. Debora Avatar
      Debora

      Hooray! So glad it will live. That gives me hope. If I just persevere, and write all the way to the end . . .

      1. Larkk Avatar
        Larkk

        You obviously LOVE what you are writing about, so I am certain you will finish:)
        And if your writing is even half as interesting and beautiful as your posts, people will be lining up to read it!

  13. Khena Avatar
    Khena

    1151 words for me. I finished up two scenes. They were short scenes, and I’m not sure if I’ll end up keeping them. Just a little idea I had, but it might through off the story too much. One more little scene to add, then I can get back to my regularly scheduled program.

    It’s strange… I really like what I’ve written, yet I hate it at the same time. Time will tell I supposed if this little sidetrip is worthwhile or not. It certainly has tension, but that’s not always enough…

    1. Larkk Avatar
      Larkk

      Both loving and hating what I write. That is an all too familiar feeling for me as well…

  14. Debora Avatar
    Debora

    No words for me, either, but it was my own fault. I had more time than usual in which to write, and instead I squandered it! I downloaded a software demo I don’t really want or need. Big waste of time. Played a few rounds of Fishdom, thinking it would clear my brain (sometimes this actually works!), but no . . . .

    It was only when I had gone outside to mow the lawn that my Muse decided to start talking to me again. So it was stop and start, stop and start, as I simultaneously mowed the lawn and listened to my Muse, writing down what she pitched me every second pass or so.

    So no words, but I did learn something about myself. When I don’t have actual deadlines to meet (meaning, I have to leave by 10 o’clock, so I’ve got to start writing now), I need to set my own deadlines, as a matter of self-discipline, and then obey them as dutifully as I do my actual deadlines.

    Now I’ve have got to :
    1) decipher what I wrote down while I was mowing the lawn;
    and 2) try to remember what I was thinking!

    1. Debora Avatar
      Debora

      Now I’ve have got to! Oh dear, this does not bode well . . .

      1. Minze Avatar
        Minze

        Thanks for sharing this – it reminded me of how useful wordless activities are for plotting. I tried to outline and plot my story while sitting at the computer. Hah. No wonder that didn’t work.

        And don’t worry about grammar. “Writing the same word twice” hardly equals “not able to write a story”, does it? You’ll be fine!

        1. Debora Avatar
          Debora

          ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. Beverly Avatar
      Beverly

      Washing dishes. Of course my hands are wet when I suddenly get ideas. Hubby asked if I wanted one of those diver’s things to write on in the shower. The other place to get good ideas.

      1. Debora Avatar
        Debora

        And walking my dog!

  15. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    529 about half good on the start of FMC’s revelation, the other half ended up being a conversation between FMC and MMC which didn’t really go anywhere but showed me they’re honestly willing to work together now. FMC is mistaken to think she can still get everything she wants if she just does what’s expected though. Her WANT and her NEED are in opposite directions and she’s slowly going to realize this too late.

    It was a good night but a late night. This weekend is another crazy one so not sure how much I’ll get done but VERY close to 40K now! ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. Minze Avatar
    Minze

    No words today. I’m stuck.

  17. Cat (from HtTS) Avatar

    I wrote 1172 words on my WIP and finished Part II with a bang. In this last scene my MC learned that she is the Calif’s daughter and that the man she has just lost to slavers is her brother. Also, the love of her life nearly died and she will have to look after him for a wile before she can go after the kidnappers. I’ll start part three after my holiday.

    So, I’ll be gone till the 12th of October. Have fun till then and let the words flow.

    1. Beverly Avatar
      Beverly

      Have a great holiday.

  18. Greg Avatar
    Greg

    D&D: 507
    OFL: 1021
    RFW: 1007
    A steady day. RFW is slightly less planned than the other two, so the words take longer as I spend more time thinking about what to write. I’m hoping as I get further into the story this will ease!

  19. The Pencil Neck Avatar
    The Pencil Neck

    975 words – Development.

    Writing up an overview of the story. New things are getting added in. Some things becoming clearer.

    I’m playing in a charity thing tomorrow night and tonight, the director of the show asked me to figure out something else upbeat and funny to play because he needs one more song. So, I’m learning Me, Neither tonight. I hate it when I have to learn songs and play them at a gig in less than 24 hours. Of course, that’s better than getting up there and not knowing the songs at all. (I’ve done that a few times.)

    1. Cat (from HtTS) Avatar

      You’ll make it. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you that everything goes as planned.

      1. The Pencil Neck Avatar
        The Pencil Neck

        It turned out really well. Although in a very twisted way. It’s a comedy show and I was able to use the fact that I kept forgettting the melody to make it look like it was a planned part of the act. Which made a funny song even funnier.

        Now, I’ve just got to do it one more time.

  20. Julian Adorney Avatar
    Julian Adorney

    I took the night off too. I’m too exhausted to write.

  21. Treelight Avatar
    Treelight

    Only 288 words for me. I lost too much time preparing for my weekend-trip (and listening to an audio-book).

  22. Ieva Avatar

    1100+ words, and creepy words at that.
    I’m moving out over the weekend. My new apartment will be two tram stops further from my office. Which means more time to write.

    Also, yesterday we spent lots of time planning the moving. Everything was easy except for calculations how much space do books take up and do we need extra shelves to store them. They obviously take up more space than anything else in the apartment. I’m fine with that. ๐Ÿ˜€

    1. Cat (from HtTS) Avatar

      Sounds like my house. Nearly every shelf we own is overflowing with books.

      1. Ieva Avatar

        Yea, and I’ve developed an ear for people whispering at the other side of apartment, “probably we could throw some of these books out, surely we don’t need that much”.
        And then they duck and cover as I descend upon them.

  23. Patricia Avatar
    Patricia

    586 words tonight, and I’m forcing myself to stop here before I stay awake longer than is healthy. ๐Ÿ™‚ I really like tonight’s words. Ryan is feeling peaceful for the first time in a very long time, partly because he feels strangely safe as he’s burning what remains of his friend. The vampyres are far behind, he has shelter, food, a warm fire, and his friend by his side (regardless of the fact that said friend is dead), what more could he ask for? I love seeing him so happy. ๐Ÿ™‚

  24. Michelle Avatar

    491 for me tonight. I’m really settling into the voice of this story, which is beyond exciting.

    1. Michelle Avatar

      Sorry for the double post!

  25. Michelle Avatar

    491 for me tonight. I’m really settling to the voice of this story, which is beyond exciting.

  26. Adam Avatar

    not many words for tonight. got sucked into a book my wife asked me to read, and didn’t put it down once i got halfway through. (‘Lord of the Fading Lands’ by C. L. Wilson, love the world she made)

    ended up starting the trek to the necromancer, and the first wave of his defenses was emerging where i left off. this whole section is very scatterbrained, and i’ll be revising the hell out of it because i just don’t like it, but its moving the basic plot along so i won’t complain too much. It has been a large disappointment because of how easy the first part of this section came, but c’est la vie.

    250 words that i’ll have to redo at a later time. hopefully once i get into the battle scene i’ll be able to keep most of it and just be able to fix the transition from the entrance to here.

  27. Yese Avatar
    Yese

    Happy Birthday! =)

    No real words tonight. Have been doing lots of replotting. I think I have a whole new story on my hands, a better one. I can relate more to this new character. But I do need to sketch out the main characters out and do some more plotting. Only halfway done or less with that so…

    But looking forward to getting started on this. =) My first novel.

  28. Clare K. R. Miller Avatar

    I also took the night off. But for me, it was planned. It’s my birthday!

    1. Adam Avatar

      Happy Birthday! hope it was relaxing and fun.

    2. The Pencil Neck Avatar
      The Pencil Neck

      Happy Birthday!

      1. Michelle Avatar

        Happy B-Day Clare!

    3. Patricia Avatar
      Patricia

      Happy Birthday! Have fun ๐Ÿ˜€

    4. Ieva Avatar

      Happy birthday! ๐Ÿ™‚

    5. Treelight Avatar
      Treelight

      Happy birthday! May you write lots of great words when you are done celebrating ๐Ÿ˜‰

    6. Cat (from HtTS) Avatar

      Happy birthday, love, care, health and success to you.

    7. Minze Avatar
      Minze

      Happy birthday!

    8. Jessica Avatar
      Jessica

      Happy Birthday!

    9. June Avatar
      June

      Happy birthday — (imagine fireworks and party hats and all sorts of other annoying icons here) — June

    10. Beverly Avatar
      Beverly

      Happy birthday!

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