Monday, June 8, 2015

Ready. Set. Write. Week 1: Goals

Ready. Set. Write.

                Hello everyone.  So I’m trying something new.  Something a bit different than my usual reviews and fun.  In case any of you didn’t know already I’m also an aspiring author.  I have been writing for fun for a long while but I have yet to finally finish any of my projects for one reason or another.  I have not done anything like this before, the closest would be NaNoWriMo.  Which is also the last time I worked on my current project.  That being said I’m going to participate in Ready. Set. Write. this summer and push myself to work on my writing.  But don’t worry I will still be reading and reviewing!

                 Ready. Set. Write is a summer writing intensive that provides an opportunity for everyone to cheer each other on wherever we are in our writing stage.  This year the RSW hosts are Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, Erin Funk, Elodie Nowodazki, and Jamie Morrow.  Each Monday everyone will post a few quick lines under the headlines then spend a few minutes visiting and spreading the love and encouragement to other participants then get back to those WIP.  Sounds like a plan. 

                Today is day 1 so we only post our goals for the week.  Here goes.

Week 1 goals: 

  • It’s been too long since I worked on my project so I need to read everything I have written at this point, all 52K words of it; plus my notes, scene cards, character cards, the works and find the heart of my story again. 
  • Once I have the heart and soul of the story back at the forefront of my mind, goal two is to write at least FOUR FULL separate scenes.  Lengths depend on the particular scene but I figure finishing scenes over word count might work better for me.



               That’s it. I’m starting off small but better than nothing! 

31 comments:

  1. Good luck! I think it's sensible to start small and make it manageable and small steps add up quickly 😄

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm in the same situation as you, trying to get back into the heart of a story I haven't looked at in awhile. Hopefully I still like it :)

    Good luck with your goals this summer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awe thank you! Hope you find your stories heart as well!

      Delete
  3. You can totally do this!! If you ever need someone to bounce off ideas with or anything at all, just let me know. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I may just take you up on that Bo!

      Delete
  4. Starting off small makes it feel managable, so good planning! Here's to a great summer of words!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for a productive week!

      Delete
  5. Best of luck with the challenge! I find reading over a manuscript is the best way to reconnect with the story. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm hopping so! Thanks for the kind words.

      Delete
  6. Good luck with your goals! Can't wait to hear how you are doing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck with your goals! Can't wait to hear how you are doing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Glad you decided to hop on board for RSW this summer! Best of luck writing those four scenes and finding the heart of your story again! I often set scene goals instead of word count goals too. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy I found out about it so I could join :) Thanks I'm hoping I will be less intimidated by my scene goals than a specific word count.

      Delete
  9. Simple goals to start... And then build up. You'll get there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is the game plan! Thanks for the kind words.

      Delete
  10. So glad you're joining in this year! And good luck finding the heart of your story. Very wise to start with that. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I figure I had it, I haven't worked on it since November and I've been playing around with some other ideas in my head.

      Delete
  11. I love what you said about finding the heart of your story -- sounds like no big deal, but yeah, a major challenge sometimes! It's such a wonderful feeling when you get there, though, and I'm rooting for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! I think the heart is the most important part. Sure I have my notes and I could just write scenes as they are on my cards but without knowing where my characters are in my heart they would be dead and lifeless.

      Delete
  12. So glad you could join us for RSW! And good luck this week with your goals!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good luck with your goals! I'm also just getting back into my NaNo book full-time, after I'd already begun the original, discontinued version in 1996 and 2001. It's an alternative history, and my protagonist was starting to come back to me in dreams, just as he had in October when I was compelled back to this story. When your muse is talking to you, you'd better listen!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aint that the truth! I'm finding my characters again in the re-reading and it's so much fun. That has to be a good sign right, that I am enjoying reading what I've already written.

      Delete
  14. Taking some time to distance yourself from the manuscript is THE BEST. I love coming at it with fresh eyes. Have fun with it. This is an exciting point for you to be at. I love first-round edits so much. Re-writing is incredibly freeing.

    Also, I have to say,your emphasis on setting scene-based goals rather than word-based goals is totally making me re-think my own goals. I'm soooo much more a person to be satisfied by [number of completed scenes] rather than [word count]. Hmmm .... thanks for the inspiration!! <3 <3 <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy to help Carissa! Yes I figure if I write an amazing scene, packed with all the good stuff but it is short then I would still feel the scene is amazing and not worry that the word count isn't high.

      Delete
  15. Hi Eve - Your goals look great - starting off small is a wonderful idea. And I like the idea of "finding the heart" of the story again. Sometimes it's easy to lose that in all the other small details. Good luck with your goals this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm almost finished reading what I have now and I have some good momentum for what scenes I want to work on.

      Delete
  16. Good luck with the read through and the writing! Starting small is a good idea, I was probably a bit to over zealous with my goals :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I didn't quite make mine but I came close. Most important is I started again and I'm sticking to that!

      Delete