#WriteMotivation Continues!

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So my writing goal has basically flown out the window. I’ve been working on revising, and right now that’s more “find what’s broken” than “write what’s new.”

I’ve just started lesson two of How to Revise Your Novel. I cannot recommend Holly Lisle’s classes enough!

In other news, I’ve got an idea on how to cover books I read this year besides individual book reviews. Hopefully I can get it up and running soon!

Good luck to everyone else on your January goals, and I’ll see you on Twitter!

2012 Resolutions

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Hello again! Sorry for bailing, but between work and school and having no idea what to post…

But as part of K.T. Hanna’s #WriteMotivation, I’m going to try to get back on track. So here are my goals:

  1. Write at least 250 words a day. (Classes are starting soon, so I’m aiming low!)
  2. Blog at least once a week. (Kind of fell off the blogging wagon.)
  3. Keep up with GoogleReader.

And of course, I’m off to a poor start. I wrote nothing yesterday, and only 46 words today. I’m off to try to get more words on the page.

What are your goals for the year?

The Plan to End All Plans

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Okay, not really. But I’ve decided to take a leaf out of Holly Lisle’s book and make a Master Checklist. It includes my plan to get published, my plan to improve my craft, and there’s even a checkbox for when I finally get my Masters. Take a look:

First off, we have the Narrator task force. I’ve included all the main tasks I need to complete: rewriting, sending out to beta readers, revising, and querying (broken down into query, synopsis, perfecting the first 10 pages, and agent research).

Second, I have the Holly Lisle classes I need to finish / take: How to Think Sideways and How to Write a Series. I’m extremely pleased with HTTS, and I want to take another course. The series one sounds perfect, considering all the series ideas I get.

Third, I have space for writing a second novel. Notice I didn’t put the name – I’m going to go back through HTTS to plan my next project, whether it’s Shadows, Echoes, and Reflections, Gatekeepers, or Sight.

This checklist should help me keep an eye on the Big Picture. Hopefully when I dive into Narrator I won’t get downtrodden by Endless Revision Syndrome. The light – and tally mark – are just ahead!

So there you have it. My master plan to be awesome. What’s on your master checklist?

So Many Updates

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NaNoWriMo: Yesterday was the halfway point, and I was 5k down. I’m going to get further behind this weekend since I’ll be out of town (see below), but hopefully I can catch up and surpass my 50,000 words after that!

Holly Lisle lessons: I’m a little behind, but at least I’m not skipping any!

Grad School: The semester is almost over, thankfully. Just one assignment and one final.

Anime USA: I’m going to be at AUSA this weekend, working on staff as a blogger. If you’re going, let me know, and we can meet up!

ROW80 – Check In #2

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Whoops! Forgot the check in is on Sunday! Well, here it is now, plus some extra stuff.

Writing: Not good, I’m afraid. I’ve been writing 750 words a day, but it’s not so much narrative as planning. Or essay writing. Or free writing. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that last week I became bummed over everything I was writing. I need to figure out how to snap out of it – some of you suggested taking a break. Hopefully I won’t have to, or I can find a way to take a break from what’s giving me trouble but still keep writing.

Work: Today is my one year anniversary at my job! I’m so excited! You can tell by all the exclamation points! ;)

School: So busy! But my copyright class is almost over, thank goodness! Not my favorite, to tell the truth, even though it is super useful.

Fun: What’s that? Kidding (mostly). My brother is up for the weekend, which rocks. And we celebrated his upcoming birthday (20 holy crap). And my friends and I had a Disney marathon. Don’t scoff, Disney movies are fantastic, especially if you haven’t seen them in a while. Or make up relationships between characters. Or “recognize” Chien Po from Mulan hundreds of years later in Lilo and Stitch.

So that’s what’s new with me. How about you?

When Do You Quit?

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How to do you know when to quit? I’m not talking about being stuck, or writing a whole manuscript of crap and just tossing it (I’ve done that before). I mean, how do you know when to quit a project you love?

I’m halfway through my revision of Narrator, and I’m starting to realize I don’t have the chops to write it yet. (Meta is hard. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.) I would try to write my most complicated idea first.

I’m still in love with Narrator, no doubt about it. But I’ve decided to put it on hold for now until I get a bit more experience.

As to my next project, I think I’ll work on Shadows, Echoes, and Reflections. I’m using it for the exercises for my writing courses. Shouldn’t be too hard to take the extra leap and do the rest!

Any projects you’ve been forced to quit?

Last Week

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Oops! Didn’t notice until now I forgot to put up a post on Friday! I was so busy at WriteOnCon and Ladies Who Critique. To say I was obsessed is a bit of an understatement.

WriteOnCon is an online conference for writers (obviously). Authors, agents, and editors wrote articles, held panels, and critiqued writing. There were even ninja agents who would hop around the forums and leave comments on queries, synopses, first 250 words, and first five pages. If they really liked something, they would PM you to request pages!

So of course, I had to get into gear! I pulled out my query from Lynnette Labelle’s edits and wrote a few more drafts. With the help of my friend Kailer, we got into some workable order and sent it off to the Ladies to critique more.

Thanks to the Ladies and the writers at WriteOnCon, my query is the best it’s ever been! I didn’t get any comments from agents, but that’s okay! It’s progress.

I’ve also signed up for Holly Lisle’s How to Think Sideways course. I’ll let you know how it goes!

LoNoFriPo 2

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Update:
Day: 12
Word Count: 30,288 and counting

I’ve almost reached the half-way point! Hopefully I can claim that goalpost by the end of the weekend. Of course, the first half is bound to be easier than the second half, since I’m not changing as much.

Today I would like to push the awesomeness that is solitaire. I’m sure most people play it and go brain-dead – but to a writer, what a great tool!

I’ve spent the last few months floundering with Arianna’s new storyline. I have the basic arc, but in terms of scenes? It was all awash.

But yesterday, during my commute, I pulled out my ipod to play solitaire and let my brain figure out what scenes to do. I thought of three – all with sweet, sweet conflict.

This sort of technique works with repetitive tasks too, but I have a special fondness for solitaire’s ability to break creative blocks.

Too bad my Mac doesn’t have it.

Writing Marathon

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I finally managed to have a legit writing weekend. I didn’t write as much as I would have liked, but I certainly got a lot done! (Don’t believe me? Check how much the progress meter on Narrator has jumped!

In other news, I took advantage of Borders’ failure to buy some new books! One was Supernaturally, by the amazing Kiersten White, which I couldn’t have gotten early if Borders hadn’t needed to sell it! And it was a fantastic sequel.

Another was Falling for Hamlet, a modern re-telling of Shakespeare’s classic. I love Hamlet. He’s the best.

The other two were Shadowcry and Lost Voices, new books I’ve been wanting to read since I saw them on the shelves a few weeks ago. Expect reviews soon(ish)!

Needless to say, my weekend has been lovely and book-filled. Did you do anything exciting with your weekend?

Apologies

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I’ve been sick for a week now, and with real life being as crazy as it is, haven’t had the energy to write a real blog post. But it has given me a chance to read more.

I just started reading Robin McKinley’s Beauty and if you remember one of my complaints from a different Beauty and the Beast adaptation:

“Don’t squander a good premise. Belle says she’s not pretty, that her name is a contradiction. Keep it that way, see how it changes everything! Don’t go back on it and make her pretty anyway.”

That’s exactly what McKinley did! Beauty is not pretty! I’m excited to see where this goes. Hopefully I’ll be up to speed by Monday.

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  • Welcome

    new haircut

    Hi, I'm Jenn, new grad student and old YA fantasy writer. I've long dreamed of being a novelist, and I bet you have too. I hope you find my blog helpful, inspiring, and maybe just a little bit fun. (But not too much fun. Writing is serious business, you know.)

    You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or email me at:
    jennifer.a.johnson7 at gmail dot com

  • Official Progress


    4/21 segments

    A narrator hijacks a cliche fantasy story, much to the chagrin of its characters.

    Status: Second revision



    1,639/70,000 words
    A young noblewoman with strange powers must choose: her king or her soul.

    Status: First draft



    1,087/70,000 words
    When a girl's heart is stolen, she's plunged into a world of magic and shadows - but can she get her heart back before she loses it completely?

    Status: First draft





  • All writing, unless otherwise specified, is the property of
    Jennifer Johnson © 2010