Short update today, as I’m vacationing with the fam on the Oregon coast.
Getting right into it: By Friday night, I’d finished dissecting my first draft of the fantasy novel Queen Witch. I know what needs to be added and where. I believe there are about 15,000 words to write, along with revising as I go.
For the remaining five weeks of Round 2, here’s my precise goal: Finish the second draft of Queen Witch by adding at least 3,000 words each week.
Does that mean I’m soon to publish another book?…. Er, no. Sorry. I’m making large enough changes and adding enough new material that this manuscript is headed back to the shelf for another couple of months after Round 2. My eyes are just so refreshed by time away from a project, and I always find I’ve learned something about the story through that distance. I’m not going to rush it.
Good luck for a productive week, ROWers!
And all you moms out there — Happy Mother’s Day!
Sounds like you know exactly where to go from here. Awesome update, and you have a really cool blog too. Have a great week, J.R.! You can do it – finish that draft, and we’ll celebrate with ya!
~Wendy Lu
The Red Angel Blog
Thanks for stopping by, Wendy!
I have only one goal myself and I have found it works quite well for me too. Good luck on finishing your novel! This week on my blog I posted on the art of self-editing… stop by if you’re interested! http://emcastellan.com/2012/05/13/row-check-in-5-the-art-of-self-editing-your-novel/ In the meantime, happy writing!
Happy writing to you, E.M.
Put aside for while good – not for 2+decades as I did with WIP 🙂 life has changed so much needed a complete re-write! Sounds like you know where you are at and managing well – keep smiling
I know what you mean. Some of my early attempts will probably never resurface…but I try not to mourn that. It isn’t that I can’t write them, it’s just that I’ve thought of other things I’d rather put that effort into.
I hope you are having a fabulous vacation! And great job finishing the dissection of the 1st draft!! Yay!!! Good luck on knocking out those remaining words-we are all here cheering you on!
We had a great trip. Lovely weather for most of the time, with heavy clouds on our last day. Not bad for spring on the Oregon coast!
I hope everything goes as planned with Queen Witch. I know what you mean about fresh eyes. If you put something aside for awhile, when you read it again, it’s almost as if someone else wrote it! LOL
I completely understand that comment. That’s how I felt about those shorts I found in my files… “I wrote these?” 🙂
I like the sound of this, i hope this gets published too. Happy mother’s day and enjoy your vacation.
I’ll keep you in the loop, Braine. 🙂
Mother’s Day was great. My husband gave me a little writing time in the morning, and took the kids to pick up donuts. When he came back he brought flowers, and a card the kids had colored all over… it was really sweet. The whole weekend was really my present, and we had a great time.
This idea of setting aside a manuscript and returning to it after a few weeks’ break sits well with me. I’m going to try it with this next project I’m working on.
Hope your vacation is fabulous, J.R.