WIP Wednesday #5

My writing comes in waves. I write a ton and then… it trickles. I’ve been like this for years – not counting my year in grad school where I wrote every day because every day I had either a deadline or a goal that I needed to meet if I was to get my thesis done (which I did). But I graduated from The University of Chicago about a year ago, and my writing went back to coming in waves. In last week’s WIP Wednesday posting, I recounted all the progress I made in the previous three weeks – and then that wave of work ended. This past week I’ve been working on only one lonely chapter, and I haven’t made a drop of progress.

I want to get back to being as productive as I was back in grad school. Granted, I don’t have entire days to devote to my work – I have to pay back those grad school loans somehow! – but I know there’s more that I can do, and that’s why I wrote yesterday’s post and created some pretty hefty deadlines for myself. The deadlines make me a bit nervous, but I kind of like it that way. I have distinct goals that I can tick off each week; I can measure my progress. These deadlines – and thereby my nerves – help hold me accountable.

Then again, last night my daily writing consisted of writing the beginning of a story that got stuck in my head on my way to work, and that had nothing to do with my novel… but at least I was writing.

I’ve got a lot to do in the next two weeks – writing and otherwise – so back to it!

As always, happy writing!

If you want to join in on WIP Wednesday, check out Kate's blog here.

Writing Schedule, or Keeping Tabs Tuesday

It's time to hold myself accountable. If I'm going to finish this novel by the end of the year, I have to pick up (and keep up) that pace. That said, below is the consolidated schedule of deadlines for my WIP - lofty goals, I know, but the more I keep you updated, the more motivation I have.

For most (if not all) of you, these deadlines, number of chapters, etc. mean very little - I'm not giving details of the chapters away because you're going to one day read my book - so feel free to skip to the end and leave an encouraging note, or two. =)

By June 30th:
- Finish revising/rewriting chapters 8 through 11
- Do a major rewrite of chapters 12 & 13 (this is where the majority of the rewriting work begins!)
- Research the Champ de Mars massacre & the Catacombs a bit more
- Keep reading Plutarch's Lives
- Update outline and sequence of events timeline - both for 1793 and 2005 - to make sure the novel remains consistent

*BREATHE*

By July 7th:
- Rewrite/revise chapters 14 & 15
- Read more of Marat's writings... this may alter a few key scenes in chapters 14 & 15
- Keep reading Plutarch's Lives

*REMIND MYSELF THAT I CAN DO THIS!*

With each subsequent Tuesday, from July 15th to the 28th, serving as a deadline, I'll revise/rewrite two to three more chapters each week. One week will include adding an entirely new chapter that is desperately needed; let's refer to this, for now, as "Anne's second rebellion."

*TAKE A BREAK; BREATHE*
*AND MAYBE, YA KNOW, ENJOY THE SUMMER WEATHER... well, if it ever comes to Chicago*

I should be moving north to Roscoe Village about this time of the month, which will force me to take a break, for sure. I'll need to get settled into my new place!

But, then back to the keyboard, with deadlines restarting every Tuesday beginning August 11th. Again, rewriting/revising two to three chapters every week (allowing for most weeks to only be two chapters) up until September 8th.

*COLLAPSE IN RELIEF THAT THE DRAFT IS DONE*

So, that's my goal! By September 8th, I'll have an entirely new 1st POV draft of my novel that will hopefully be a huge step closer to being done...

And then PARIS! Well, maybe. Hopefully. The financial situation is not what it needs to be right now for a trip, so I might be living vicariously through Paris blogs for a few months longer. In that case, I'll re-evaluate the novel, plan what I need to do, and then maybe take a break from the manuscript.

No, not maybe. Definitely. I'm making some huge overhauls in the next couple months, and I need to make sure I have a clear head when I come back to this draft, ready to make some final revisions!

Busy Weekend

Since I'm partially using this blog to hold myself accountable to my writing, I figured this is the best place to write down my writing goals for the weekend - and the things that may affect whether I complete them. I've had such a productive writing week, despite being extraordinarily busy, that I think I can complete all of this, even though - to me - it seems like a lot.

Writing Goals:
1. Finish revising Chapters 1, 2, & 3 of WIP.
2. Rewrite Chapter 8 of WIP.
3. Do first revisions of short story, "Loss: Anne's Story."
4. Send out at least three short story submissions to magazines.

What else I have planned this weekend.
1. cleaning the apartment: not looking forward to this
2. doing my taxes: really not looking forward to this
3. working out: indifferent
4. dinner & bowling with CV & LV tonight: really looking forward to this; haven't seen them in forever!
5. lunch with G on Sunday, while she's in town from DC: really looking forward to this, too!

Last night, I was crazy busy, too, but it was a fun busy, and that's always the best kind. I was at the Serpico Shopping Extravaganza, where my little sister works, for a little while. Serpico is a great designer, inspired by architecture. Check out her Spring collection here.

I also had a quick dinner with the boy, and then went to go see I Love You, Man, which was a great comedy about bro-mance, starring Jason Segel (who I, obviously, love from HIMYM), Paul Rudd, and Rashida Jones. It was hilarious! And I think Segel & Rudd played real, believable guys. Definitely worth seeing.

Busy weekend! Better get going...