Even with broken keys, I still did it!

I would now like to direct everyone to look at the right side of the page. To the far right. See that word count bar? 100% complete!

Guys, I completed my first draft! I cannot describe how amazing it feels to have a complete novel! Not that it is ready to be seen by human eyes other than mine - it still has a long way to go!

I was somewhat hindered this week by the loss of my keyboard keys (See picture) so I was really upset by that. My laptop is only a year old, which in technology world is more like a decade, and it hasn't suffered any injuries until now. To be honest, it was sort of, kind of my fault...

See, I was curious as to how a key fit onto the laptop so I removed the 'J' key to take a look. Unfortunately, I couldn't put it back on so I took off the 'K' to try and copy how that went back on. The 'K' went on but I still couldn't do the 'J' so I took off the 'H'. Somehow, in the process, the 'G' and 'K' came off too. Guys, please don't laugh at me, but I never realised until now how much I use 'H'. *sad face* Okay, you can laugh now.

Aside from that self-induced disaster, I managed to complete my WIP! On Monday and Tuesday, I wrote 4586 words and by Tuesday 10:15 pm, I had completed my story. What really amazes me is how much I actually wrote for this round of ROW80:

49215 words

My productivity was at its highest and I actually know why. It's because I wrote chapter outlines. Once I started outlining chapters ahead of time, it kept me on a path. Sometimes I changed things up but, for the majority of it, chapter outlines truly helped me churn out 2000-3500 words a day.

I also have to thank all the lovely ROW80 participants this round! You guys kept encouraging me and were so kind even when I had a bad week. I couldn't have done it without you! A special thank you to Nadja Notariani who said something to me in October which made me want to join up for this round of ROW. I can't remember exactly what she said but if she hadn't, I wouldn't have a complete manuscript today. Also, I must mention my friend, Michelle Flick, who has been so supportive of me throughout this entire process. I hope all of you have someone you can go to when you begin doubting yourself.

I will begin revisions after the holiday season so if any of you have any advice for me, please share!

Finally, here is Part Three of a writer's attribute which I found in THE AUTHOR'S CRAFT by Arnold Bennett. If you didn't see my previous posts, here is Part One and Part Two.

"...The other one important attribute in the equipment of the novelist - the attribute indeed which indeed by itself practically suffices, and whose absence renders futile all the rest - is fitness of mind. A great novelist must have great qualities of mind. His mind must be sympathetic, quickly responsive, courageous, honest, humorous, tender, just, merciful. He must be able to conceive the ideal without losing sight of the fact that it is a human world we live in. Above all, his mind must be permeated and controlled by common sense. His mind, in a word, must have the quality of being noble. Unless his mind is all this, he will never, at the ultimate bar, be reckoned supreme."

Second last check in for ROW80& Writing Advice Part II

Last week I talked about the first attribute of a writer that is taken for granted, as mentioned in THE AUTHOR'S CRAFT by Arnold Bennett. Part One was about the sense of beauty that writer's see in their work and how we wouldn't write something we are repelled by. This week, I take a look at the second attribute.

"The other attribute which may be taken for granted in the novelist, as in every artist, is passionate intensity of vision. Unless the vision is passionately intense the artist will not be moved to transmit it. He will not be inconvenienced by it; and the motive to pass it on will thus not exist. Every fine emotion produced in the reader has been, and must have been, previously felt by the writer, but in a far greater degree."

I believe that last line is an incredibly important one. As writers, we must emote with every scene that we write and every character that we give life to because if we don't, then how can we expect our readers to do the same? If a scene isn't working, if a character doesn't feel right, we need to realise that it will not work for the reader either.

Wednesday will be my final update for ROW and I will post Part III of  a writer's attribute. It's hard to believe ROW ends in three days. I didn't do too well with my goals this week. A week ago, if you had asked me, I would've told you that my story would be done by this Sunday. Unfortunately, I was very busy this week and didn't manage to get it done.

Monday - 1465

Tuesday - 1400

Wednesday - 837

Thursday - 0

Friday - 0

Saturday - 0

Sunday - 571

Total - 4273

I really want to get the story done by the Wednesday check in. I only have a chapter and a half to write so I really hope I can push through and finish my first draft!

Good luck to everyone for the next few days!

ROW80 Update & Some Writing Advice

Since I am drawing closer to the end of my WIP, I have started to read books on writing. I guess, instead of reading in the genre that I write in, I want to read books that I can relate to as a writer.

As I find advice in these books, I'm going to post it up for everyone to see. Maybe you will find something that inspires or helps you. This week I will be quoting from THE AUTHOR'S CRAFT by Arnold Bennett. The passage below defines the first attribute of a writer.

"In considering the equipment of the novelist there are two attributes which may always be taken for granted. The first is the sense of beauty - indispensable to the creative artist. Every creative artist has it, in his degree. He is an artist because he has it. An artist works under the stress of instinct. No man's instincts can draw him towards material which repels him - the fact is obvious. Obviously, whatever kind of life the novelist writes about, he has been charmed and seduced by it, he is under its spell - that is, he has seen beauty in it. He could have no other reason for writing about it."

It's funny how I never looked at it that way, but I can completely relate to what he is saying. I will post Part Two next week.

I have been working hard on my story this week. I'm finding it a lot easier to write  2000 words in a day which is great for me because I am so impatient to finish this novel. I think my characters are impatient too!

Monday - 672
Tuesday - 0
Wednesday - 2183
Thursday - 375
Friday - 0
Saturday - 1073
Sunday - 2263

Total - 6566
Catch up - 2856

I can't believe ROW is almost at an end. I would really love to get my story finished by then. I only have three chapters left to write. I really want to get them done this week, but we'll see how I go.

Hope everyone has a great week!

ROW80 Check in for Sunday

Hey everyone! Hope you're all well. This is going to be a short, uneventful post from me. I've been feeling unwell this past week and don't have much energy.

The weather has been so horrible in Sydney this week, it's hard to believe that it's summer here, but it's great reading weather. I love curling up on the sofa under a blanket with a book.

This week, I manged to write over 3000 words in one day again! I kind of wish I'd kept up the momentum though. I was so busy towards the end of the week that I didn't get as much done as I'd wanted, but I'm not disappointed. I need to tackle the final 10 000 words of my manuscript and then...bring on revisions!

Here is a breakdown of my words for the week:

Monday - 273
Tuesday - 1055
Wednesday - 3409
Thursday - 572
Friday - 0
Saturday - 0
Sunday - 0

Total - 5309
Catch up - 5422

I really wished I had pushed myself over the weekend but it's silly to regret that now. I really want to push through and get 7000 words done this week, but I'll be happy even if I get 4000 words done.

I hope everyone has a great week!

ROW80 Update!

Oh. My. Gosh. Guys, I did it! *jumps up and down ecstatically* I managed to write 2000 words today!

But, you know what's even better?

I didn't stop at 2000. I kept going and I got to 3145. I wrote over THREE THOUSAND words today!

You know what else?

I actually enjoyed it! I didn't feel like it was a chore. I was loving my plot and my characters, and I had fun! I kept writing because I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't want to stop.

I think it's moments like these that are really important. Writing because you love to. No other reason.

Sorry for the lack of coherent post. I was actually going to post something interesting along with my ROW post but I was too darn excited.

So, here's a breakdown of my goals. You can see that I didn't have a great start to the week but Saturday and Sunday I really stepped it up.

Monday - 834
Tuesday - 198
Wednesday - 748
Thursday - 283
Friday - 0
Saturday - 1602
Sunday - 3145

Total - 6810
Catch up - 6731

My goal for the week is to write 4000 words and to catch up on the words that I'm behind on.

I hope everyone had a great week! Happy writing!

New ROW80 Goals and Spring Cleaning!

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a productive week! I managed to get a lot done this week not only in my writing world, but also in the real world too. There was a lot of spring cleaning and I finally managed to organise my books better. I'm so happy with my new bookshelves! I go into my study just to sit and stare at them, which is a little creepy, but you will understand why I'm so obsessed with them in a second.

Aren't they amazing! I put all my books in alphabetical order, because I'm weird like that. My books didn't all fit, so I have to get another shelf but...I'm in love!

Now, onto ROW80. I changed my goals mid-week because I'm nearing the end of my story - I'm so close, I can taste it! I'm aiming to write about 4000 words a week now, and the reason for this is because I want to spend more time working out the end of my story, and I want to spend more time reading. I'm an avid reader and I've been reading less and less as I write more and more.

Another new goal I have is to write 2000 words in one day. Those of you who follow my blog, know that I've been trying to do this for the last two weeks. Will this be my week...? We'll just have to wait and see.

Also, well done to fellow ROWer, Marji Laine for finishing her WIP! She wrote an insane amount this week and really worked hard to finish her first draft. Great job!

This week, I achieved my 4000 words, so I'm really happy about that. Here are a breakdown of my words, for those interested:

Monday - 1257

Tuesday - 617

Wednesday - 0

Thursday - 393

Friday - 0

Saturday - 305

Sunday - 1564

Total - 4136

Catch up - 9541

I also did a post on character journeys and the such. You can find it here.

Hope everyone had a productive week! How are all the NaNo participants going?

Is it weird that I'm head banging to a Britney Spears song as I write this?

Er hem...*clears throat*

In somewhat keeping to the theme of this blog post, I have a question for all the writers. Does music help you write? Does it give you ideas, or inspire you? Do you listen to music as you write, or do you listen to music prior to writing scenes? Please share!

Personally, I tend to get distracted if there's music on while I'm writing but I do have a playlist of songs that I like to listen to while I'm outlining or plotting scenes. What I love the most about music is if I can find something in particular that really goes with the tone of my story...I get very excited and this is when I get great ideas.

(Song changes to E.T. by Katy Perry. Gosh, what's up with my shuffle today? Ok, so maybe I secretly have a crush on this song. Yes, I have crushes on songs)

This week I managed to write 2950 words which is alright, but I really need to step it up and focus on hitting my goals each week. My word debt is building up....eek!

How did everyone else go this week?

Story Teaser and Check In

The smell of rotting fish and eggs filled my nostrils. Something damp and sticky clung to my arms and legs as I pushed through the piles of mounted junk. After thirty minutes of enduring the stench of decaying sardines I was kind of starting to hope that some kind soul out there had thrown out a bottle of perfume. Or at least cheese. I liked cheese. But that wasn’t what I wanted - it wasn't what I had risked everything for. I was here for one thing, the one thing that could save my life.

*Blushes* That's the first paragraph of chapter one of my WIP, Runaway Mortal. This is my first draft guys so it's horrible, messy and needs lot of fixing up but I'm putting it out there to get some feedback. Last week, I used a quote by Tolstoy to illustrate the importance of placing your character in a position that makes your reader want to know more. Go check out the post here. Be brave, guys, post a teaser from the first chapter of your WIP to get some feedback. It can be one sentence or one paragraph and doesn't have to be polished.

Now, onto my accomplishments for this week. I wrote 1836 words this week and didn't reach my goals but it was a hectic week for me so I'm not going to give myself a hard time about it. This was my final week at work  as I have decided to focus on getting my health back on track. Work was sort of adding to all the stress and I decided this was the best decision for me in the long run. I still have school though, but that finishes up in a month so I will have the summer to focus on my writing.

I hope everyone else did well with their goals this week! Don't forget to post or link your teaser in the comments. :)

ROW80 Late Check In for Sunday

“Drama, instead of telling us the whole of a man's life, must place him in such a situation, tie such a knot, that when it is untied, the whole man is visible.” - Leo Tolstoy

If you read a lot of agent blogs, then you’ll notice that they tell you to start your story, not at the beginning, but just before a major event or change is about to take place in your characters’ lives.

I think it is an essential part of every story, even Tolstoy’s, to follow this rule because it shows and does a lot of different things. It gives your reader an idea of what is to come, or what your character is like, or how your character deals with whatever comes.

It also keeps things interesting because, as a reader, I wouldn’t be too thrilled if I were reading mundane, everyday tasks a character did. I want to get right into the action. I want to see how the characters deal with conflict in their lives.

You don’t need to say, “My character is smart, kind and deals well under pressure.” This needs to be shown throughout your book based on how your character reacts to conflict which will show the reader what they are really like.

So, my question for all the ROW80 participants is: Does the first chapter of your story place your character in a position that makes the reader want to know more?

Next week, I will post the first paragraph from chapter 1 of my story for feedback. I would love, love, love it if next week you guys also posted a teaser from the first chapter of your WIP. It doesn’t have to be very long or very polished but it just gives you a chance to get feedback from other ROW80 participants. Remember, that’s next week so you still have time!

Now, onto my accomplishments for the week:

Monday - 0

Tuesday - 1715

Wednesday - 1613

Thursday - 0

Friday - 302

Saturday - 401

Sunday - 1799

Total - 5830

As strange as it sounds, it didn’t feel like I wrote so much this week but I’m really glad I did. My goals for the new week are the same: 5400 plus the 3663 words I want to catch up on, bringing my goals to 9063 for the week.

Also, good luck to everyone taking part in NaNo this year. I’m not brave enough to do it but I’ll be cheering you all on!

Better Late than Never - Sunday Check In

“If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don’t remove it - I might be writing in my dreams.” - Terry Guillemets

This quote is so great; I think it might become one of my favourites! However, for the modern author it would be something along the lines of: “If I fall asleep with my head on my keyboard…”

So, does anyone actually do this? Do you find yourself so immersed in the world and characters that you’ve created that you take them into your dreams? I’ve never actually had a dream about my characters but last night I couldn’t get to sleep because I kept thinking about my story. My mind would not stop working and all I wanted to do was write. That can only be a good thing.

Sometimes I wish I could write in my dreams because life can get very hectic when you least expect it. For me, I had a bustling week filled with school, work and doctors - I had to see three different doctors and next week I have to see more. *sad face*

So, due to my busy week, I did not reach my goals. I didn’t even get close which really bothers me because it makes me feel unaccomplished and doubt my abilities as a writer. I mean, shouldn’t I be able to push through the tiredness and write? Don’t plenty of other writers have busy lives, work, school and children and they still manage to write? I really need to push myself more.

I aimed to write 5400 words a week and about 770 words a day. Here is a breakdown of what I wrote this week:

Monday - 263

Tuesday - 0

Wednesday - 0

Thursday - 203

Friday - 161

Saturday - 528

Sunday - 152

Total - 1307

So 5400 minus 1307 is 4093 words that I didn’t write. I’m going to add that to my goal for this week, so 5400 plus 4093, and you get my writing goal for this week: 9493 words. It’s a big task but I’m determined to make it!

(Also, I’ve had a slow start to the week so I’ll be visiting fellow ROW80 participants’ blogs for the Wednesday check in.)

Also, tell me how relevant you think the above quote is to you. I’m curious about everyone’s writing process.

Hope everyone else had a good week!

ROW80 Sunday Check In

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” - George Orwell

I think most writers can relate to this quote, and if this is what an amazing writer like George Orwell thinks about writing, then it makes me feel substantially better.

There is no doubt in my mind that writing is a lonely and arduous job but I think that it would be exponentially worse if, we, writers did not go through the struggle.

Having writer’s block is an illness that we never want to get but then there are the voices in our heads, of people who we want to meet and get to know better and of stories we need to tell, that is the driving force behind a writer and I think it’s moments like these when you can capture those conversations and stories into words that the struggle becomes worth it.

In saying that, I did struggle a little this week but I managed to write consistently. As a reminder, I aimed to write 770 words a day and about 5400 words for the week. Here is a breakdown of what I achieved this week:

Monday - 1680

Tuesday - 750

Wednesday - 894

Thursday - 0

Friday - 870

Saturday - 0

Sunday - 1418

Total - 5612

I actually went over my goal by 200 words so I’m hoping to keep up the pace this week with with the same goals. Hope everyone else reached their goals for the week!

I would also like to know what drives you to write and achieve your goals.

Joining up ROW80 and my Goals!

Hello, everyone! I’m joining up for ROW80 in this check in. I joined up for ROW80 the last round but due to my illness I wasn’t feeling too well and went into a writing slump as I was preoccupied with doctors and hospitals - the latter being something I don’t enjoy very much.

Anyway, I initially thought that my goals for this round would be something quite vague - write something, anything - but I thought I could do much better than that. Recently, I’ve been writing a lot more so I decided to challenge myself.

I’ve written about 30, 000 words for my YA WIP Runaway Mortal and I need to write about 40, 000 more words to complete it. So I decided that I would attempt to complete the 40, 000 words by November 30. So that would mean I need to write about 770 words a day and 5400 words a week. (I’m just rounding up all the numbers)

This is a big goal for me but I know with everyone’s support I can get it done! I will be checking in every Sunday with my efforts and also with what I’ve learnt that week about writing.

I look forward to getting to know the participants this round. Good luck to everyone!

Where have I been?

Well, I've been tearing my WIP apart and fixing up plots and character connections...it really isn't easy being a writer but I love it!

Also, ROW80 has finished and I counted up how many words I have written for the entire challenge:

16281


Although not even close to what I wanted to achieve, that's still a lot of words! ROW80 is great and I've met a lot of supportive people and made great friends along the way. The next round of ROW80 begins on July 4th which I'll definitely be joining.

Don't forget to sign up everyone!

ROW80 Sunday Check In #6

My progress for this week: 0 words

That is all.

...

Ok, so that's not all. What's wrong with me? Why can't I write?

I love my story, I love my characters and I get great support and advice from friends and family and from my wonderful crit partner, Michelle, who is awesome!

So why can't I actually sit down and work on my story? Does anyone have any advice or thoughts on this? Or any stories on what you did to motivate yourself to write?

I've also decided to change my ROW80 goals. My new goal is to write something, anything. Let's say 1000 words a week...that should be alright.

I hope everyone was more successful than I was this week.

ROW80 Sunday Check In #5 and a Shout Out!

This week my life got in the way again but I don't have a good ending to the story this time. I will admit, though, I did enjoy my week. I actually "relaxed" which is a first for me despite having family gatherings, birthdays, work and writing.

The point is I did write. I wrote 1500 words but that's not even close to my usual goals. So let's add 2700 to 7000 and that's 9700 words that I am behind on my overall ROW goals. But you know what? I don't feel too bad about it. I feel like I WILL catch up on those words. I don't know how, but I will!

Hope everyone did better with their goals!

Now, a shout out to my fiance who's celebrating his birthday today! Happy birthday!

And finally, check back for my interview with the awesome Jennifer Armentrout - you won't want to miss it!

ROW80 Sunday Check In #4

This week, I sabotaged myself.

My saboteur announced, “Two weeks of not writing has been a lot of fun so this week I am going to put my feet up and not write again.” So that’s what I did. I used any excuse I could find so that I wouldn't have to write. I surfed the net, I went out, I watched TV and, in a last ditch effort to waste more time, I even cleaned.

You know that saying: "You are your own worst enemy"? That’s what I had become. I was the only one stopping myself from writing because I didn’t want to focus. I didn’t want to sit down and “work”.

Then the weekend came around and something inside of me snapped. I felt like my Sunday check in for ROW80 was my deadline. I had 4200 words to achieve and, on top of that, I had 7100 words to catch up on. So I told my saboteur to get lost and began writing like there was no tomorrow.

And write I did. Guys, I wrote 4300 words this week! I surpassed my weekly goal by 100 words. Seriously, if I can do it I know all you awesome ROW80 participants can do it too. Never give up, guys!

Now, please bear with me as I go through some technicalities. My goals for the new week will be the same - 4200 words - and to catch up on the 7100 words that I am behind on. However, the number has slightly decreased to 7000 words now.

Good luck with your goals everyone!

ROW80 Sunday Check In #2

As you may recall, last week I went swimmingly with my goals and exceeded them by 1000 words. As a reminder, my weekly target is 4200 words and this week I managed to write a miserable 891 words *tear*

Well, what can I say? Life got in the way. It's a very cold autumn in Sydney so, of course, I caught a cold and being at work the whole week didn't help at all.

I have a two week holiday now and I am well on my way to recovery so my goal for this week is to write my usual 4200 + 3100 so that I can make up for last week. All together my goal for this week is: 7300 words. Wish me luck everyone!

You can visit all the other wonderful ROW80 participants here. Show them some love!

How is everyone going with their goals?

Row80 Sunday Check In

Hello, fellow Round of Words participants and aspiring writers! This is my first check-in for ROW80 as I have decided to check-in once a week on Sundays since I don't think I will have much to share on the Wednesday check-ins.

My ROW80 challenge didn't start off very well. My daily goal was to write at least 600 words and for the first 3 days I wrote a grand total of ZERO words. However, I pulled up my socks and began writing furiously and now I have surpassed my weekly goal of 4200 words by a 1000!

I am back on track now and laugh in the face of writing 48000 words! Fear my wrath WIP *WIP shakes in boots*

Fellow ROW80 participants, stop by and say hi and good luck to everyone with their goals.

(P.S. For some of the lovely people who are following me, please comment and link me to your profiles as I would love to follow you back.)

A Round of Words in 80 Days!

So guys, I have been thinking about joining up for a while ever since Gabrielle Bisset did a post about it on her blog. I think it will be great motivation for me to really plough on with my story. A Round of Words begins on April 4 and ends on June 23 (which is ironically my 5 year anniversary). There are regular check-ins which you make so everyone knows how you're progressing on your story and so that you can support one another.

My goal: I am currently working on the first book in the KAT LYRILLE series and have completed 12,000 words. I aim to reach 60,000 words in 80 days and plan on writing at least 600 words a day.

Depending on how consistent I am about this I may increase or decrease my end goal. I would love to have a complete first draft after 80 days but I'm not sure if I'd be able to do it.

Wish me luck!