Writing projects for 2023: plans and support

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

Anyone else making new plans for creative writing in the new year? My 2022 plans fell apart, as usual 😭

So, 2023 is the year I finally publish something. This was my 2022 goal too… 👀

I intend to log my progress here to keep myself accountable. I’m leaving novels aside for now and am aiming to write a short story every week for the year and to publish at least ONE of those on Amazon so that I can learn the whole self-publishing process. Ideally I’ll publish 12 short stories in the year and, most importantly, get some feedback to help me steer my writing.

Short history: I’ve written about 5 or 6 novels over the last 30 years, taking years to edit each of them, swap critiques with writer friends, revise, polish and proofread, and finally submit to agents, only to abandon them eventually (two requests for fulls in all that time that went nowhere). I know my weakness is plotting, so I’ve been reading how-to books on that, plus I’m armed with Plottr software now, which I’m pretty sure is going to change my life.😜

I’d love some company on my journey. Anyone else ready to check in for support, advice, encouragement, all the things?😅

[CrepuscularCritter]

I'll join you.

I'm committing to a fantasy novel of around 90k by the end of March. I couldn't do most of it during NaNo as I hoped, as I broke my wrist. I'm now mostly healed, so game to give it a go.

I used Plottr last time and found it good.

What are you planning?

[CrepuscularCritter]

That should have asked what you are planning for the short stories? Are they themed or related?

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

Yah! Great to have company. March sounds like a solid plan especially if you've already started. I never manage to do NaNo because I'm never at the right stage in the process. Have you finished other novels before?

I write something between literary and women's fiction but I need to move a little closer to women's fiction to make it marketable, I think. So the short story idea is an experiment: to write whatever and see where it takes me. Not linked at all, unless it turns out that way. Hopefully I'll find my way to the subject of my next novel in the process.

I want to start with prompts, or half-developed ideas, or a character profile, or a news story, and just write 1K or 10K words over a week, then move on to the next one. Who knows if it's a good plan but I can only try. I've plotted out a story for my first week to get me started.

[CrepuscularCritter]

This one will be my fourth, although I've never tried to get published or self publish for fiction. Writing a pandemic novel the year before Covid was not my finest decision...although it made the events interesting to compare.

I thunk you have the harder task with all that plotting ahead!

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

@CrepuscularCritter oh dear, the pandemic novel! I bet reading back over that provided some insights.

I'm on Day 1: about to sit down and plot my story for Week 1.

Main objective: write a complete story, any length

I'm going to do Pomodoro sessions of 25 minutes. If I can do 1 session/day, I'll be happy but hoping to get in at least 3 sessions/day. If I can finish a short, short story in 2 or 3 days, I hope to edit it over the rest of the week and start something new next Sunday.

Good luck to any other writers out there! Join us!😀

[Alcemeg]

Can I join the gang, please?!

I'm working on a book I started during lockdown (because work went a bit quiet for a while), having wanted to write it for at least 20 years.

I was so excited just to spit it out, I honestly thought I'd "written my book" ... but gradually came to realise that completing the first draft was just the first step in a very long journey! In retrospect, my brilliant masterpiece was almost incoherent 🤣

I've been educating myself on plot and structure and have spent Xmas/NY working on a detailed outline so that I can start redrafting The. Whole. Bloody. Thing. with a clearer sense of themes and direction. I've taken this week off work to get my head round it once and for all.

Blimey though, such a lot of work keeping all the threads in my head and re-examining the story through various lenses! I'm on a mission to complete the outline by the end of this week, so that as of next week I can focus on writing just one short scene each day (that's the plan).

If I don't get the outline in shape this week, I'll be fucked because work is so busy I just don't have the bandwidth for that level of detailed planning.

I think I've nearly cracked it though.

I was an absolute ignoramus when it came to plot and structure - the books I've found most helpful and inspiring have been John Truby's The Anatomy of Story and Alan Watt's 90-Day Novel/90-Day Rewrite. What are your favourites?

[CrepuscularCritter]

@alcemeg That 90 day novel read looks interesting -thanks for the link. I've mostly had support via NaNo -my local group is great - and also various FB groups. I have an assortment of guides on things like characterisation and plotting, but I think that my favourite book guide is Stephen King's On Writing.

I have, of course, begun the process with the purchase of new crisp notebooks!

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

@Alcemeg Yes, keeping everything in your head is so hard. Hope you get the outline sorted this week. What genre are you writing?

I've heard the Truby book recommended before and have seen him speak on youtube. He does know his stuff. I found Save the Cat! Writes a Novel to be excellent for structuring plot points (my weakness).

@CrepuscularCritter On Writing is great - one of the first craft books I read and I loved the mix of advice and autobiography. New notebooks, yah! Nothing like a great notebook (apart from pens!).

I've been outlining my short story for two days and feel like I'm close to actually writing the words. I'm not a great plotter so I'm trying to be deliberate about not just pantsing it this time. We'll see how that goes...

[Alcemeg]

My book is about how I brought my first marriage to an end after nearly 20 years together. I think the first draft was rubbish because it's hard to write about, let alone get enough distance from to shape it into a clear storyline. But I've always wanted to write it because I see the same issues being agonised over in threads on MN every day!

I enjoyed On Writing, but don't remember much about it - I'm afraid a lot of the writing advice I read before actually getting my nose stuck into the work went in one ear and out the other. 😁

Chuck Palahniuk's 36 Essays are available freely online and are really superb. He rehashes them in Consider This.

I just had to get up at 05:30 to scribble down more ideas for the framework!

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

I'm a big believer in writing as a sort of therapy. It's always helped me. My problem is keeping my own trials and tribulations out of my writing because they always creep in to every story and I want to just move on.

I have a brain that doesn't retain much either. But I like to think that I've absorbed the essence and forgotten the details 😉

[Alcemeg]

I can't remember where I read "If you think you learn a lot from reading books, try writing one!" - but it's certainly true.

I don't consider the book therapy for me, though. It's more that I see so many women struggling with the same doubts and concerns that it seems worth sharing... Of course, I could be completely wrong about that! 😁

[LuciferRising]

I'm in.

Started first ever novel Aug 21. First draft completed in the summer. Did start editing but took end of last year off. Back to it but blimey the writing is crap! I think editing will take me ages. And I'm not convinced by the ending. In addition, I'm now thinking the plot is weak.

[LuciferRising]

It's a fantasy novel. At around 90k.

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

Hi @LuciferRising Welcome! Yah to getting back to it. I think it's perfectly normal to think the writing is crap at some stage. But, hey, that's what editing is for...

@Alcemeg It's a nice feeling to be writing something that you see as useful or helpful to others.

I had a very productive week (but I was off work, so it'll be harder to keep it up next week) and managed to plot out a story and write 6K words. It needs a lot of editing (and the ending is crap) but I'm counting it as a win. I hope to edit it tomorrow, then put it aside and start plotting something new on Sunday. As long as I get some sort of a story on paper I'm happy. I've decided that I'm due a treat if I manage to write 4 stories in 4 weeks. Not sure what the treat should be yet :)

[Alcemeg]

I managed to complete the outline today! So, at last, I know how each scene moves the story along. Now I just have to rewrite it all 🤣

I have a lifetime subscription to Plottr Pro, but although it's fabulous software, I've found myself using all kinds of alternatives to get the outline sorted. I've even used PowerPoint slides to get an overview (reshuffling them in Slide Sorter view), but in the end I always feel most at home with working in Word, using Outline view. I just feel as though I can visualise it all properly when I view it in Word. Probably because I spend nearly every waking hour using it for work!

[Alcemeg]

P.S. Congratulations on your draft story - looks like your username hints at an appropriate treat??!?!?!?!??!?

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

haha! Yes! That might be appropriate alright.

Excellent work on the outline. At least you have a feel for what's ahead of you now.

I try to outline in so many different ways too and none of them are great because I don't really want to outline I think. I'm enjoying Plottr for now. But I know the story will change completely when I rewrite. Still, it got me started...

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

My weekly update:
Week 1 started last Sunday by sifting through old files of ideas I've jotted down over the years.

Popped them into Plottr. Forced myself to make a story (corny and all as it is) out of it. Spent a couple of days planning/character building/scene building. Wrote actual words on Wed, Thurs, Fri.

Edited on Saturday (only managed to edit the first quarter of the story; it will need another full edit or ten because there are so many inconsistencies and sloppy clichés).

Am putting it aside now at the end of the week. Final wordcount: 6.6K words. I hope to come back to it at some stage and edit some more but, for now, I'm going to start something new for week 2.

Pleased with my progress.😊

How did you do @Alcemeg @CrepuscularCritter @LuciferRising ?

[JamSandle]

Here!

[Alcemeg]

I've been fiddling with the outline but finally drew a line under it this morning and have sent it off to a couple of editors (via Reedsy) for comments. (They reviewed Draft 1 of the whole book)

Now, bit by bit, pasting in all the material from Draft 1 to fit this structure and making notes of what needs to be added/changed!

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

Excellent @Alcemeg Proper progress!

Welcome @JamSandle

[Zorrita]

Jumping in!

Finally decided I am going to just write the damn book this year and got a good outtline down of the first act. I always start something then dither and lose momentum thinking my idea is shite. The advice to write it for yourself has given me a new mindset. I'll be looking into Plottr and other software too as I only ever pants it and it hasn't worked for me.

Previously lurked NaNo forums but they seem less busy these days (with too many forum topics) and the other two writing forums I frequented are very dead now, so suggestions of any others are welcome :)

[LuciferRising]

In a bit of a mess. Because I stopped a structural edit half way through many months ago I've lost the plot! So I went back to the beginning and have started to edit from there. But I am finding myself line editing. So I think I'll go through it again, do some form of editing for character, POV etc and then re read and take notes. I need to make progress or I'll get trapped in useless editing attemps.

[GrandMarnierChocolate]

Hi @Zorrita I'm also happy to abandon something when I decide the idea is shite, even things I've worked on for a long time. I like the write-for-yourself idea.

@LuciferRising Oh no! Good luck getting back into it. So hard to resist the detailed line editing, isn't it! I have no answer, sorry. Happens me a lot.

I started casting about for my new short story yesterday and found loads of ideas. Now to try to tame them into one thing and get started...

[Alcemeg]

I'm feeling really pleased with progress so far, but sometimes I wonder if satisfaction with my achievement is the equivalent of this 🤣