On Monday, I talked a bit about my goals for the next round. Today, I want to simply say my primary ROW80 goal will be to write, participate in the virtual and F2F writing community, and to be as precise as possible in developing measurable goals -- starting July 7.
Indefatigable Kait Nolan has inspired us for yet another round of writing, but the list of sponsors for Round 3 is still so short. Only 5 of us so far. If you are reading and commenting for even 2-3 other ROW80 participants each Mon and Weds, you could be a sponsor, a voice of encouragement. Why not try it for this round? You can volunteer right HERE.
And if you haven't read this post yet, Alberta Ross wrote an entrancing behind-the-scenes look about why she chose self-publishing HERE. Bravo, Alberta!
Now for today's update (for me, Weds are update days):
Writing: Started work on Reaching (DH's Viet Nam war novel). Want to borrow Ruth Nestvoldt's idea of writing a novella as a break between larger projects. Of course, her resulting short (a lovely fantasy adventure, written over the weekend as an experiment) has been yanked, but Ruth lists 27 books on amazon with several being collections of short stories at a very accessible price to entice readers.
So I shall write The Narwhal Cup, one of those historical fiction tales with a touch of the paranormal. My commitment? To publish by the end of August. Now, how long is a novella? 20K to 50K? That should have my keyboard humming!
Reading: Finished reading Of Dreams and Shadow (YA paranormal) by D. S. McKnight, now ready to write review. Bone Girl by Annette Drake is up next.
Community: I really appreciate the thoughtfulness ROW80 writers bring to their posts. I learn from every single post. The fluid structure of ROW80 satisfies the bean counter in me (measurable and accountable) as well as the intuitive (commitment to flexible goals).
This week, I've been thinking about Lisa's "Index Card Terror: Identity, Masks, and Music." Not only does Lisa revamp Julia Cameron's 'morning pages' in a way that energizes her daily writing, but she talks about how an idea from another blogger helped her to look behind the mask of her key character with music. She very neatly identifies a key song that sets the mood for her main character for each section. Really a wonderful post, well worth reading again.
When I work with other writers, I come away with new ideas or issues to think about. Last night's F2F meeting led to this week's post on my writing blog about the connection between body language and what characters say, "Writers: Raise Your Eyebrows!" There's much in the psychology of body language that helps me "see" my characters a little differently and reminds me to sharpen my observation of others. And maybe will lead to more unique descriptions, well past "She smiled" or "He nodded."
And that's all, folks. May the coming break before Round 3 be very good for you. Do something very different. Roll in the back yard with a child. Stay up late to watch the rising of the moon. Make a memory of something magical and wonderful.
Today's photo comes from Ines Seidel on Flickr, a part of her self portrait project.
Kudos for stepping up to be a sponsor again. It's always enjoyable seeing how others progress over a round. I would sign up again myself but I've made the hard choice to kill my blog and focus on my writing for the time being. For me, blogging took too much time away from the writing I want to do. *shrugs* I'd say you had a pretty successful round and it looks like you've got the next one planned already. Great job, Beth. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteRyan, I agree that blogging takes a lot of time away from writing as well. But for me, I know that if I am suffering a major brain-freeze, I can still write something by writing on my blog. And I know that it is something that someone somewhere will read.
DeleteRyan, I have enjoyed your visits and comments very much. Maybe taking the long view, you could say that even blogging occasionally would help you build that platform. I'd add your readers care about your writing and would love to stop in now and then to see what you are doing. But I totally respect your decision to plunge wholeheartedly into the writing. Just maybe keep the ROW80 folks updated now and then??? Maybe? But if nothing else, start an e-mail list so you can blast us with your publishing successes. Best, Beth
DeleteThanks for stepping up to sponsor the next round of ROW80, Beth. It's such a great community for writers.
ReplyDeleteI hope this round of ROW80 treated you well. Enjoy the break!
Thank you, Denise. Despite my best efforts to simply, my list for the next Round may be far too long!
DeleteSo, Beth, do you think that I really have time to be a sponsor? It sounds like fun, but do I really need another commitment right now?
ReplyDeleteChris, You may have already made your decision, but here is why I would say you need to decide for yourself. I know from visiting your blog that you have a full range of commitments. Now, do you read 6-10 ROW participants each week? Are you willing to write one inspirational article for ROW80? If you can say yes to these two questions, I think you'd be a wonderful sponsor. Yes!
DeleteGlad you had a great round and learned some new things. I too have learned a bit on my second Round and am preparing accordingly. I love being a part of a community and that is what AROW80 feels like to me. I am part of the theatre community in the Twin Tiers and now the writing community of A Round of Words.
ReplyDeleteHave a great break and see you around the interwebs!
BTW, the Narwhal Cup sounds intriguing. :-)
Hi, Cindy. Thanks for commenting! Yes, I did take the challenge to write a novella (that's The Narwhal Cup, based on some research I've done on French tapestries, royalty, and narwhals). This should make the next round challenging and maybe give me some text to share on WIPpet Weds. Have a nice break and I'll look forward to seeing you virtually on Round 3.
DeleteI'm not quite sure which novella of mine you're referring to, Beth, but I know I never wrote a novella in a weekend! *g* Short story maybe. :)
ReplyDeleteYour novella sounds like fun! I think that's the main thing when we get stuck on one project -- find something that is just plain fun to work on for a while!