Monday, March 29, 2010

Monday Meeting and Turning the Page

Welcome to another Monday Meeting, where we all chime in with our goals.  I wanted to say thanks to all my fantastic followers--I'm up over a hundred, so I thought I'd bring some brownies to our meeting.  Feel free to munch on a few while discussing what you want to accomplish this week. (You can see I've already started us off, and mmm.  They're yummy!)

This week is a flip-over week.  You know, a week where the month ends in the middle of the week, and I have to flip over my date book page halfway through.  I'm a month-at-a-glance kinda gal.  So, I always find these weeks disconcerting.  Like I need to live simultaneously in two different weeks.  I always lose track of something, and feel much better when I turn the page.

I'll feel relieved when I turn the page on this revision, too.  I am nearing a major turning point in the novel (which happens 2/3rds into the novel), and very excited to get there.  My revisions are running smoothly, and I don't have to force myself to unplug--I'm enjoying the unplugging (more on that on Wednesday, so please stop by!).  I'm also able to get more things done in small bursts, which means that things are progressing faster.

Okay, my goals for the week:  To finish this huge section of revisions.  To get to the 2/3rds mark in the novel. Which is a very big deal.  There were lots and lots of problems that I needed to iron out in the first 2/3rds, and to be almost to the end of that feels amazing.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be completely polished up when done with this revision, but I will be so much closer.  And, ready for another round of betas to give me feedback.  Can you feel the excitement in the air? :)

I had an April first deadline to finish this round of revisions--to get to the actual end of the novel.  I'm letting that go.  But I'm not letting go of this momentum. I feel like I'm really narrowing in on the end of a major part of this revision--everything will be easier after this.  I'm almost to the top of the hill!  So, have a brownie, maybe grab some milk or coffee, and tell me.  What are your goals for the week?  How are you feeling with your writing?  Are you climbing up hill or coasting down?

17 comments:

  1. Yum Heather - Thanks for the brownies. They go very well with the chocolate cheesecake I made today....sending you over the internet now!
    For the last 2 wks I've been spending countless of hours on the computer reading, learning and commenting and generally making friends. I know neither the exact time of day nor the day of the week. It has got so extreme that I spent almost 36 hrs (with a few minor interuptions) on the computer a while ago. It has to stop and I must pace myself and give more time to my family! Those will be my goals for the next week or two. I've had some great insights for the book I'm working on so that's positive. Many hugs from me my FRIEND! X

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  2. Ann Marie--Cheesecake is my favorite!! And yours is sooo yummy--thanks!

    Wow--you've been intensely connected to the internet world recently. I find it's nice to immerse yourself to figure things out, and then try to find the balance. It's difficult. I started reading blogs last summer, and while I feel good with my balance most days, sometimes I have to gain perspective about it all. I have learned so much while blogging, I'm grateful for the whole experience. And the friends I've met--amazing!

    Good luck finding your balance! *hugs* right back at ya!

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  3. Yay, Heather! Sounds like you're doing great with your revision. You definitely deserve a brownie (or two).

    I'm finally done with the revisions I've been working on for the past few weeks (at least for now). So this week is all about catching up on the things I was putting off because of revising. I'm also hoping to go back to working on my fairy tale retelling by Friday.

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  4. (couldn't stay away)

    Climbing, climbing, climbing!

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  5. Brownies... drool... Heather your goals sound great... wow, 2/3rds done! What an accomplishment!!

    Lets see... goals for me... I want to hit the halfway mark for my YA this week. I'm just about there, but I have such a problem compulsively editing (and by that I mean deleting) that my word count has gone down by 15,000 words in a week and a half, and I don't think I'll ever finish my book if I don't push myself to step away from the delete key!

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  6. Wow! Good luck, Heather! That rocks.

    I'm on the upward climb. Finishing this WIP today, hoping to bang out a 20K novella this week, then at least a 10K start on another novel for Pseudie this weekend, and then... finally... focusing on the YA for the rest of the month!

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  7. Oooooooh, those brownies look amazing.

    Great job with your progress on revisions!

    My goal for this week is to do nothing -- because that's what I'm accomplishing, anyway. I'm just going to make it official: I am taking the week off of writing.

    Next week is spring break from school, and I can write then. But it's only Monday and I'm exhausted from writing in the mornings and trying to wrestle a class of kid who know spring break is coming. They're wild and I need to focus on them this week. So I'm going to sleep two hours later each morning and deal with them when I'm rested -- and I'm NOT going to write, or revise, or research, or do anything related to writing, until spring break begins.

    Also, it would really help if I could find my muse, my notebook cat Sage. She disappeared Saturday and hasn't come back. That's my most important goal for the week.

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  8. I hope to figure out which of 2 ideas I want to pursue. So I'm just playing around,, which is kind of fun. No pressure.

    Congrats on 100 followers! And for revising. Just enjoy where you are at. :)

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  9. Anna-I'm doing a little finished revisions dance for you. I'm glad that it's not a myth! Have fun being done!

    J--So good to see you! I'm hoping that when I finish this peak, that there isn't another one staring over at me! Good luck with your climb. Let us know if it gets tough.

    Marisa--That's a tough one, the delight in the delete key. But you probably will end up with a strong draft.

    T--The virtual carrots were delish. Thanks. (And they reminded me of the real ones in the fridge, so double thanks.) And, it sounds like you're going to be further than 2/3rds of the way through when you get through chapter 9--way to go!

    Natasha--Thanks. Your word count is truly amazing--keep it up! Good luck with the week's writing.

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  10. Sarah--Good luck with the kids. And getting extra sleep. And finding Sage. I'm the opposite. I have to get this stuff before spring break starts! Although we have a few weeks. I wish you lots of words when you do sit down to write next week!

    Laura--Wise words! And have fun playing! I can't wait to be drafting again... soon! Soon! Good luck this week!

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  11. Congrats, Heather! You've earned every one of those followers (we followers, I should say!). I just wrote a new 2500 word chapter for my WIP -- but I need to start cruising through revisions. I know there are some major tweaks, but I'm feeling pretty good about where it is at the moment. But, that's today. Ask me tomorrow, and I'll tell you it's crap. LOL!

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  12. Oooooooooo! Brownies nice a chewy too! My goal this week is to begin to organize some research I've done for a story I'm working on.

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  13. Sounds great Heather!! And the brownies...yum!
    My goal is to get all my hard copy revisions, which I've been working on for the last couple of weeks or more, incorporated into my new draft. I'm about 1/5 of the way there.

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  14. Kris--nice work on the chapter! And, I know what you mean. Right now I'm very excited about the current revisions, and the state of my novel, but tomorrow, it may all be crap! Let's have another brownie and let it go...

    Bish--Hello! Oh, I love to organize my stuff. I love knowing where everything is... Have fun with that!

    Paul--That sounds like a great goal. You've been moving along with great momentum! Good luck this week!

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  15. Way to go Heather! Revisions are the bulk of writing, huh? I finished mine up and am waiting to get excited about something new. I've started but mostly find myself taking a break and reading a lot.

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  16. hey bestie!! best of luck with your writing :D you can do it!!

    also: left you an award on my blog :D

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  17. Lori--I think down time makes a lot of sense--there's no better way to recharge the writing battery than reading! Good luck getting fired up!

    Tahereh--Thanks! And, thanks! You're sweet!

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