Finish a novel 2024 accountability thread

[OctoblocksAssemble]

Hey, I was on one of these a couple of years ago and got the first draft of my novel pinned down in a year. Working on the sequel now so I thought I'd start another one.

So, my project. Book 2 of a trilogy, the first book is 2 drafts in, but I'd like to get 2 and 3 at the rough draft stage before I take the first any further. I want to have a good handle on the whole plot
It's a YA fantasy.

[ThisIsntThe80sPat]

This is a good idea, op. Good luck on your sequel!

I'd like to join. I have two books in progress, both historical fiction. One is around 350 pages and is a mess and needs heavily edited and finished. The other is at around 80 pages. I will need to pick one to concentrate on this year! Will likely choose the second.
I have been trying to finish them for years but master studies and adding two children to the mix in the last 3 and a half years has slowed it all down and been the cause of long breaks. Determined to get one finished this year.

[OctoblocksAssemble]

Hi @ThisIsntThe80sPat , thanks for joining 😊
Hopefully we can both achieve our goals this year. Writing with small kids is hard, best of luck. Is the masters finished now? I'm doing a diploma at the moment (which I have zero confidence in, but there we go).
I find I can write best little and often, whereas study I need a big chunck of time to focus, so in theory the two won't clash.

[Myrtella]

Can I join too?

I used to write when I was a teenager, with two friends who also wrote. Then life got in the way (for about 30 years!) and I kept thinking about starting to write again but never got round to it. Last summer, completely out of the blue, a small group of characters appeared in my head and wouldn't go away so I started writing about them. I've got about 85k words of a disorganised and unfinished fantasy novel so far. I want to get the first draft finished and ideally make some substantial progress on the second draft.

I work long hours so time is a bit limited but I try to work on it 5-6 days a week for an hour each time. I'm utterly gobsmacked by how much I've written so far and I don't really know where it's all come from.

Good luck with the writing everyone!

[sunshinesupermum]

I'd also like to join please! I have have two and a half books written but gave up the third during the pandemic as my brain was fried. I began a new project at the end of last summer. Due to family problems I let it slide but plan to take it up again now.

[OctoblocksAssemble]

Welcome @Myrtella and @sunshinesupermum 😊
Sounds like everyone has a good starting point to get a project finished this year.

Managed to get down a rough plan last night, which in turn raised some questions for me to think about.
With book 1 the first draft was mostly about trying to establish the main characters, and then the second restructured and added to the plot. Ideally I'd like to get the plot mostly nailed in the first draft this time, but it's hurting my brain, lol.

[Itsjustbeach]

May I please join? I'm writing a 7 book series but they are only novelettes, so altogether would add up to a novel in terms of word-count.

For transparency, I'm on the last chapter of book 1, hoping to finish it this week but my goal for 2024 is to get the full series written, edited and self-published.

[SmugglersHaunt]

I'd like to join too please! Currently rewriting a novel - am just doing the second part of act 2. I have mapped out all the scenes using a template which seems to be helping a lot

[OctoblocksAssemble]

Welcome @Itsjustbeach , good luck getting it all finished and published! Have you self published before?

Welcome @SmugglersHaunt , I've never used templates, how do they work?

[Novelby55]

I’m in just adjusting to alcohol free so conquering that the next couple of weeks then plan to write! ✍️

I am taking a year off work (self employed) so I don’t have any excuses this year.

[Itsjustbeach]

@OctoblocksAssemble I've never self-published any books before, but I have self-published my own pieces on medium.com, been curated, and earned money from them, so that gave me the confidence to get into writing properly.

[SmugglersHaunt]

@OctoblocksAssemble

Welcome @Itsjustbeach , good luck getting it all finished and published! Have you self published before?

Welcome @SmugglersHaunt , I've never used templates, how do they work?

So I used the one from this article which has really helped: https://www.livewritethrive.com/2016/02/01/using-a-scene-template-to-craft-perfect-scenes/#comment-174262

[Ciderisrosier]

I’d love to join too. I started writing again last year after a long break of doing not much. I’m 52k words in so far.

[Peasnbeans]

Ok, I'm in too.

[BusyMummyWrites01]

Can I join? Mature student/mum of teens. Just done an MA in CW and would like to finish the novel I started for my final project; also now doing a PhD by practice… ie i have to write a full length novel by summer 2025!! Cacking myself though as my teens - eldest esp - is a bit of a handful and I allow myself to procrastinate rather than just push on. Oh, and it was my birthday today and I am reminded of the fact that another year has passed without achieving my writing goals…

[OctoblocksAssemble]

Welcome @Ciderisrosier and @Peasnbeans , and happy birthday @BusyMummyWrites01!
Thanks for sharing the template @SmugglersHaunt , I will definitely have a play with those.

Nothing happening here as dd1 came down with a vomiting bug just as school finally went back. She's fully recovered now, fingers crossed the younger one doesn't come down with it...

[GhostImposter]

I'd like to join in as well, please. I had started a novel for nanowrimo and was going great for the first couple of weeks but couldn't keep it up as my DS got sick, then I got sick and I had deadlines for other things I couldn't put off. I'm back on it now, just over 40k in and hoping to speed run through my first draft. I'm currently doing an MA and writing the novel through it but I really want to have the whole thing worked out more before I go too much further as I've learned that the more of the full story I have written. The better I'm able to really craft my characters and scenes.

I'm oddly motivated by things like the charts and graphs during Nano, so I've set up a goal on MyWriteClub.com If anyone else is the same and wants to set up a graph and share as accountability buddies, that would be great. I seem to be the only person on my course who is in the first draft stage. Everyone else is either winging it or already has a completed first draft. So I'd love some company on this part of the journey.

[Ciderisrosier]

I did nanowrimo last July it’s the only reason I’ve written so much. It gave me focus. I’ve only written a few thousand words since. Roll on July again 🤣

[TellMeAboutItStud]

Ooh can I join? I'm plotting a novel at the moment to distract myself whilst my other novel is out on sub, and I'm determined to have a full first draft by June... I'm toying with the idea of joining the 5am writers club because by the time evening comes around (kids in bed/day job done/house only in semi-wreckage state) I'm just too exhausted to sit down and write anything decent.

[heldinadream]

Yes please! Just parking my bum on this thread will add some details later/soon, so much going on at the moment but I'm up for this, thanks OP!

[sunshinesupermum]

Have been slow to take up the challenge but will start tomorrow. My WIP is a retelling of a novel originally set in the 1930s and I'm rewriting it set in the 1970s.

[heldinadream]

@sunshinesupermum

Have been slow to take up the challenge but will start tomorrow. My WIP is a retelling of a novel originally set in the 1930s and I'm rewriting it set in the 1970s.

That's an interesting idea. How much have you done?
I'm going to do some writing today (hopefully).
We are in the middle of trying to sell our house and move. Massive declutter etc in hand. Also I house-sit, so I'm often travelling and setting myself up to write in new places every few weeks.
Current WIP a novel (vaguely literary) I've been writing since about August, I've got 176 pp/ 61,000 words.
My big problem is I'm extremely self-critical, hate reading my own stuff and re-writing, and never finish anything, I get so far, lose the thread, then find myself starting something new. I just want to finish something novel length! That alone would be a massive step forward.
I just got home yesterday from a house-sit in which I feel I made progress. Now want to build on that.
We've got people coming to view the house this week so I've got to stay on top of housework! Also I'm off on another sit in less than 4 weeks. It's so easy to get caught up in doing other stuff (I know, for everyone).
So today my DH is out tramping the hills and I WILL start writing soon and I'll report later.
Love to see more detail of where everyone else is on this journey!
@SmugglersHaunt I'll have a look at that template today too, thanks for posting that.

[sunshinesupermum]

heldinadream you sound as if you lead a very busy life! It is difficult to reach the end and I've found that having a rough plan and an idea of the ending helps me get there.
Like you I am very self critical and slow myself down by editing as I go. I cannot seem to break this habit. I have only written a few thousand words of this WIP so a long way to go.

[Myrtella]

Hello everyone! I'm happy there are so many other people here, I hope it will help keep me motivated.

I didn't start with an outline so as the story gets longer and bigger I'm getting lost with what happens when. My aim for this week is to make a summary of all the scenes I've got so far (like an outline, which maybe I should have done first) and then I can see where I am and where I'm going.

[OctoblocksAssemble]

Hello to all the new joiners! I've done absolutely nothing since my last update, sigh. Hopefully I can get something done this week.

@heldinadream happy to share some more details. Current WIP is book 2 of a trilogy. Book 1 is currently parked on the second draft. I'm pretty happy with it plotwise but the world building is sketchy and it needs a lot of polish. So, book 2. I currently have a rough idea of the main beats, but no clue how they'll fit together, and also a few scenes written out, but barely off the ground on the actual beginning.

[Costacoffeeplease]

Can I join? I have self published two memoirs and am now tackling fiction for the first time. I’m 11,500 words in and trying to write at least 400-500 a day, so it will be a fairly slow process