Recently in wipmadness Category

I am pleased to report that my fledging novel is flapping along.

This is the second book of Children of Peace, which for now I’m calling The Swan Riders. I’ve added a few thousand words this week. Specifically I wrote the opening chapter, and the climax for the first act. Unfortunately, while I know the beginning and end of the first act, I don’t know the middle, don’t know my way from A to B. (I do know they go by horse and existential crisis, but that’s about it. Speaking of: shoot, I think I’m going to have to take a riding lesson or two. At least it will add some variety to the rather gruesome research I’ve been doing into sucking chest wounds.)

It’s possible when I do take that A to B journey that makes up the middle it won’t end up where I think it’s going to and I’ll have to scrap the first-act-crisis chapter. But oh well. The important thing for now is that I like it. I have one character who’s a hoot to write for. I am always trapping myself with emotionally closed characters who are interested in things like order and restraint (Greta Stuart, I’m looking at you) so when I get over the top characters it’s delicious change of weather. This one is prone to replying to little questions like “Are you all right” with: “A list of the various ways in which I am not all right, Greta, would top the Oxford English Dictionary. The unabridged one. With the little magnifying glass.”

Anyway, I write every spare second and think of the book when I’m not wiritng. When you start daydreaming about your own stuff, you’re on to something.

I’m setting a #wipmadness goal for July of 15,000 words total. I’m at 7,000 now.

I don’t know about your month, fellow mad ones, but my June went fast. So fast that I need a quick visual check-in:

Big grant deadlines on star post-its, little word count and what-I-wrote notes, and (in case you thought the #wipmadness stickers were merely metaphorical) STICKERS, for my 1000-word-and-up days. I did indeed hit my goal of adding 15K and completing a first draft — or very nearly. I’m down to entering proofreader’s changes (two-thirds of the book yet to go) and completing this stack of edits:

But, yes, I still hope to be done Thursday.

Anyone else have visual keep-on-track tools they want to share?

Eeek! My work in progress, Children of Peace, is very very nearly done. I’ve been doing some editing/expansion in the first part of my novel, and (in parallel) writing my way toward the end. I’m still hoping to have a share-with-my-agent first draft ready for when Vivian gets out of school at the end of June.

The editing on the first part is nearly done: I’ve been working in exposition and feeling genius-smart about the way the exposition is actually strengthening the story. I’ve added an entire new chapter in the first half, that provokes and defines the story’s first crisis, where the hero changes her mind about something important.

Meanwhile, the rush toward the ending rushes along. I wrote what I think is the next-to-last chapter (perhaps next-to next-to-last) on Friday. Sweet and sexy and sad: I made myself smile and cry. I was on such a roll — I wanted to take another few hours and write and write and write until the book was finished. But I had a sick kid at home, and had to go to her. So all weekend I’ve been teetering on the edge of done, and on the edge of sick. Tomorrow (unless the sick gets me) I might just finish this book.

It’s strange and good to edit and draft at once. Editing is satisfying in a different way than drafting is: there’s more brain power, more problem solving, craftsmanship, but less thrill, less risk. Drafting is more frustrating, wilder, more of a rush: it’s my first drafts, not my edits, that make me laugh or cry.

So, fellow #wipmadness writers: we’ve got some editing and some first-drafting. Anyone else doing both? Which do you like best?

Welcome back to those affected by the #wipmadness, the set-your-own-goal, cheer-each-other-on writing challenge. June is nearly half over! How’s everyone’s work in progress doing?

Me: I am still hoping to finish my 15K for the month, ending up with a workable draft of Children of Peace. I started the month at 55K and am now at 62K, so I’m half-way to my word count goal. I’m editing the beginning and middle of the story while still writing the ending, and am nearly done with that. Of course I could yet throw something in at the end which would require massive rewrites: it’s happened before! But baring that, I feel optimistic about finishing this novel this week — or at least this month — and excited about how it’s turning out. How about that? A writing status report with no angst.

I would love to think that this optimism and excitement could be contagious. Check in in the comments.

Welcome to the #wipmadness Monday check in! Wipmadness is a twitter-based, cheer-each-other-on, set-your-own-goal write-athon. I’ll be hosting checkins for happy or unhappy or mad #wipmadness writers every Monday in June. So, dig into the comments, use as many characters as you like!

My own goal is to finish my novel in progress, Children of Peace, this month. I’m at 57,000 words just now, and rushing in toward the climax. I’m also editing the beginning and middle in parallel to writing the end. I hope to get it into good enough shape to share with my agent before my big girl gets out of kindergarten on June 30 and my writing schedule goes away. In this last week I did about 5000 new words, and think I have only two major edits left in the beginning and middle.

Just a note: this the very first entry on my brand new blog — I’ve been on LJ for ages, but wanted something native to my new and improved site. There are bound to be a few kinks, and if you notice anything wonky, feel free to let me know.