For anyone else who wants to start/progress/finish writing a book in 2012

[BsshBossh]

Sign in here, whether you are published or not :) Perhaps we can keep each other motivated.

I am a first time writer, never been published, have completed two drafts of my novel and am now working on the third - revising/editing.

How about you?

It's great that he can step back from what he doesn't like.
I learnt last time round that it is so hard to find people who are really good at reading drafts. I have many intelligent, educated, etc, friends, many of whom have literature degrees or have published non-fiction, but no RL novelist friends. I do, however, have a playwright friend and the advice she gave me on my draft was just amazing - all I'd ever had up to that point was 'It's really good [they are my friends, they were not going to tell me it was rubbish], I think there's a typo on p.47' and she told me some fundamental things that made me see the whole thing differently. Constructive feedback is like gold dust IMO.

anyhow I wanted to post in a celebratory manner because I've got to 30 000 words, which I thought was the halfway point (though I'm not halfway through the plot)

Just checking in to say I'm still going...

Checking in, too, to say I'm not still going: have been laid low by the flu for a week plus it's DD's half term. Hopefully will resume next week.

68,000 words in! On chapter 28....If only I had more time to write! How does everyone else do it? Hope everyone else is clocking up the word count. Good luck to you all!

Sounds like everyone's been knocked out with sickness/school holidays. Managed to get 3000 words done on episode four before a week in Norway. Hoping to get the first draft of the 18,000 word or so episode done by Friday 2 March. Fingers crossed!

Just checking in.
I've been in the States meeting my US publisher and doing some events for them. DH also had meetings so we took the DC and swapped about.
Cheeky way to get free air fares and accommodation .

Am now determined to get back into the WIP and fnish the first draft by Easter.

Hello all. I have just started a novel after failing to figure out how my story would work as a radio play. It's a bit epic. I write for a living as a journo and have written quite a few short stories in the past though not had anything published.

I am planning the plot, and the characters at the moment. How much do you normally do in planning and how do you do it?

oh and my membership questions:

1. Is this your first novel? Yes, though I do write for a living and have a diploma in journalism.
2. what is your preferred genre? To read, I would say angry feminism or plays!
3. What is the genre of your novel? It's hard to say, but ultimately it is a distopic novel set in the near future. 4)can you give us a brief plot synopsis (25 words or less?) An academic gets caught up in a global plan to implement bioengineering to reverse global warming. Civil unrest and a kidnap ensue....
4. When and where do you write? I plan on the train and write at lunch and infront of the TV in the evenings (v bad i know!)
5. any useful tips or advice? Nope. Sorry!

Hi Tardisjumper, your ms sounds like exciting stuff! Was never a dystopian fan and then I read the Hunger Games, which totally blew my mind! Want to read Matched next.

Your trip sounds exciting, Wordfactory. Hope you got a bit of shopping in! I have to go in to every Sephora store I see in NYC, which always holds things up a bit...

Seem to have made my writing goals for this week. 12,000 down, 6,000 to go for the coming week. Will be slowed down slightly as I have a book out in the US on Tuesday (have been waiting forever for this one -- sold it over 18 months ago!). Of course, just as I thought I was ahead (am finishing up episode four of the six I'm writing), I also got slammed with the edits for the first three episodes. That's how it goes!

Just checking in. I'm on the penultimate chapter, it's 38k at the moment. I had an email back from an agent I've been stalking submitting to, it's looking good. She's not signed me yet but is going to make some notes on one of my manuscripts and send it back to me as she's had a few publishers asking about books containing similar themes!

I hope you're all well. Keep at it!

I'm finally getting a chance to check in again, and have changed my plans yet again. It just seemed daft starting another draft when I have so little time at the minute. So I've gone back to my nano draft which I really enjoyed doing, it does need a lot of work but the bones of it are there and I have an ending.
So I'm doing all the research I need to do on it before doing a second more complete draft.
I only have 2 more essays and an exam left on this course at uni and I'm free from mid June, so will probably start the second draft then and get it down over the summer.
Glad to see lots of you still going!

I've finished it!! I just need to go through the last half and edit it. 42,679 of loveliness!

Checking in. Been knocked out by recurrent colds and tummy bugs and also looking after DD when she's been poorly. Revision of WIP resumes this week, though still have a hacking cough :(

1. is this your first novel? No, I've completed a couple before this though they are destined to remain unpublished.
2. what is your preferred genre? I've largely written across SF/F before.
3. what genre is your current project - Urban fantasy
4. can you give us a brief plot synopsis (25 words or less?). The sky splits open, pouring magic onto Ada and making her a witch. Can she learn to control her skills and heal her sister? 5)when and where do you write: Evenings, when I get a chance. Trying to make a point of sitting at my desk whenever I have free time, but I'm in editing mode now, which I tend to find slower going than writing a first draft.
5. any useful tips or advice? It's okay if the first draft is crap.

I'm here (see questionnaire thingy above) still, still tinkering with my WIP. I'm 60k in but need to add a bit of plot into some later chapters which should take it up to 80k+. Desperate to get it done and out there.

Hi all. Advice please. Is it best to have novel complete before dipping toes into water? I'm nearly there but not quite; it's children's fantasy. And direct to publisher or try for agent? Thanks!

Hi allbie, I'm not a published author and I am sure far more experienced writers on this thread will come along shortly to give more informed advice but here's my two cents: If you have never been published and have had no track record with an editor or agent then I would complete the book first - this will prove to a publisher or agent that you can write a full book (loads of people have good ideas, start something then never finish - myself included!). Secondly I would go with an agent first, unless you have good contacts in the publishing industry - and choose your agent well (someone with experience of pushing the types of books you write).

Just checking in! It's going well this week, after a sticky patch last month when I was really struggling with introducing a new character. Having joined a creative writing class has worked out very well to keep me motivated - great to get regular feedback, and to know that I have to have something to share with the rest of the group!

I'm hoping to have finished my second draft by the end of March - so far I'm on track, as I'm about 1/3 of the way through.

Hi allbie,

Generally (you occasionally read about exceptions), agents and publishers will not be interested unless you have a full book. They need to know you can bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. Lots of books start well and end badly, after all.

You can of course start submitting a partial manuscript (they usually want to see the first three chaps in the first instance), and just act as if you have completed it - you can write while waiting for replies. However most people don't recommend this. A) How you end a book often ties into the beginning and you might find yourself revising bits and B) what if they reply quickly and want to see it all? Nothing worse than having to finish under pressure!

Most of the time you are best off going to an agent first, because once you've done the round of publishers, you can't then go to agents, whereas if you exhaust agents there may still be some publishers you can try direct - though fewer of them are taking unsolicited manuscripts these days.

Am not published but worked for a publisher aeons ago.

I'm on a roll again. I'm putting in the hours on revising my novel - even taking the laptop to DD's gym class so I can edit in the cafe during the hour she's doing cartwheels and balancing on the beam :)

And making more of an effort to write after her bedtime before DH returns home. Before I was using this time to surf online, read or watch TV.

I am way behind you lot. I finsihed all the planning last week and had a week of down time. I have written 700 words today and it's not as bad as I thought. I am hopeing to have 6,000 words in tip tip shape and ready to submit to the Stylist competition in July.

Oh, good for you, Bssshbosh! I took mine into the office and did a little work on it at lunchtime in a supposedly quiet location (complete with teacher and school group pointing at me and saying "Sssshhhh! That lady's studying.")

Thanks Bsssh and MysteriousH, good advice. One of my characters died and I cried! Nuts or what?! I didn't realise how linked I'd become to the characters...her death was a surprise even to me! Does that make sense to anyone?

Yup. Sounds as though you went with the flow of the story. I do that. I start with a rough idea of where I want it to go and just sit and write.