Monday, August 27, 2012

MMWUC - What are you doing?

I'm revising my next novel, SECRETS. I received 492 chapter critiques (and counting) from my good friends on the Internet Writing Workshop (IWW). They'll all get a prize WHEN I sell 10,000 copies of this book, which I intend to do. I revised for 1392 minutes this weekend, according to a counter I didn't know was in MSWord2010 -- let me hide all your favorite shortcuts from MS2003. That's just short of 24 hours this weekend.

So, I want to see, in comments, fifty people tell me what they are currently doing to their current Work-in-Progress (WIP) and when we can expect to see it. Telling us, will help motivate you.

Do it!

P.S. Y'all get to high ground down there where H. Isaac is coming.

P.P.S. I still need more guest bloggers for when I'm on vacation. Email me.

6 comments:

Carole Lane James said...

Well Rick, because of you and a crit you did of the very first piece I ever subbed, I am in the process of re-working that ms. The advice you gave was on target and great. I just had to get my big girl panties on in order to recieve the intent. Which was help. Eyes open, fingers poised--delete! Re-write with tools I've learned from you and others at IWW, and your writing.
Carole

Jeremy Lyn Robins said...

Hi Rick, I'm also a member of IWW, and I was one of the many people who critiqued a chapter or two of your novel, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I don't normally read much of your genre, but I enjoyed what I critiqued enough that I will definitely be keeping an eye out for it once it's published.

I recently started working on a Fantasy novel (hopefully the beginning of a series, but I'm not getting ahead of myself), but though I had general ideas about the story I wanted to tell, I was having an almost impossible time organizing my thoughts. Even my outline seemed to be going off in directions I had no interest in going, so I was getting pretty discouraged.

But then, a couple days ago, I was browsing around on the web, and I found an author named Randy Ingermanson and his "Snowflake Method". For people who have trouble really organizing their thoughts like I was, this method is amazing. Seriously. Google it.

Anyway, I started using the method, and I have accomplished more in the last two days than I had in the entire last month. This has renewed my passion and excitement for my project, and I'm thrilled to be moving the process along (finally)! So now I'm getting a true outline nailed down, and there is a foreseeable light at the end of the tunnel.

If I can stick to the general plan, I should be able to have a completely fleshed out outline, with a full plot synopsis and character synopses in possibly about a month to a month and a half from now. With all of that already nailed out, I could very likely get a first draft finished in a month or less. After that, we'll see, but it's very exciting to finally start seeing my ideas get on paper in some sort of a rational fashion!

Jeremy Lyn Robins

Kw mccabe said...

Man, I have about 3 more chapters before I finish the first rewrites on mine >.< I'm trying to find out what your weakness is so I can bribe you to read it :-P Chocolates?

Paul Lamb said...

My work in progress is actually works in progress; I'm writing a cycle of short stories about three characters, and I bounce around among the stories, enhancing this one, clarifying that one, setting the stage here, fulfilling it there.

I've sent a few out for consideration, but so far no bites. I keep on keeping on. (Kind of nice right now to be free of the shackles of a novel in progress.)

Anonymous said...

which work?

I've got one some folks at IWW think should be published (the idea makes me dizzy) and another I'm trying desperately to find the plot for. And a possible idea brewing for the next first draft.

Kudos to your intense 1392 minute editing.

Michele R.

Rick Bylina said...

Carole...Sorry I'm making you work so hard. You ought to see what Guilie makes me do. Ugh! Even more emotions. I'm turning into a girl. :-)

Jeremy...Yep, the snowflake can help. Seems most popular with the sci-fi and fantasy crowd for some reason. It's so much easier to write my murders from memory.

K.W... Chocolate or smoke salmon, but never together.

Paul...Keep 'em coming.

Michele...One way to get feedback about publishability...send out queries then keep on keeping on with the writing and revising.

Jeremy...Oh by the way, forget I told you about the murder spree.