NaNo Diaries: Day Seven

Sunset At Saline This Evening

Morning Pages Wake Up Call: 6.24
Word Count: 1000 (Total 14097) 
Treats: I'm just sipping on a spritzy G&T 
Exercise: In the garden, all day
Word of the Day: MAUKA  Adverb. 1. Hawaii. toward the mountains; inland.





Just come in from a day in the garden. First job was to erect some pea netting. Always involves a of blue air. Don't know why it's so difficult, just is. Not helped by Naughty Nell and chooks digging up the peas I had sown! Grrr.
Then we had to prune the Goji berry bushes. Another hateful job. They are full of spikes and my arms look like a pin cushion. Wouldn't mind if I liked the fruit but I don't. The Italians love them and they are quite expensive to buy - no wonder, they are letal!  And then of course there was the obligatory bonfire.
Finally we weeded a fairly large herb patch into which I'd thrown some wild flower seeds into at the beginning of the year. Shan't do that again.

We've just some in and as you can see the sun has begun to set. I'm too tired for a second NaNo session today, but I'm ahead of the game, so I don't feel so bad. I really enjoyed my morning prompt though and being in the garden has freed my mind and I have lots of juicy ideas. Just need to remember them!

Ciao for Now

Writing Goals - On Target?

Well, as we start to enter a new month, I thought it was time to review my writing goals. These were written three months ago, long before life got in the way, but that's the world we writers live in. I only posted these on the blog about 6 weeks ago, but I think if you have goals you need to assess where you are at least monthly, so running behind on those terms...

1.      To write at least 5000 words per week, towards any project (a bit behind on this one for various reasons) I'm not sure - I'm rewriting the Dukes Shadow at the moment so I am writing new stuff but not recording it as such. I've restarted my morning journalling which means I probably write about 750 words at least 5 days per week. I'm not sure if a wordcount is the right way to assess progress, but how else can one do it

2.      To edit 'The Dukes Shadow' (my 2011 Nano project)

a.       First edit by Feb 29^th

b.      Second by March 31st Well I'm only at stage a. with this one but I've made the start and really enjoying it. Have posted first edits to WA with some great feedback and just joined an Historical critique club for the second edit... so progress is being made.

c.       Third by April 30th

3.    To revisit 'The Morning Gift' (Historical novel set in Saxon times, written 2011) and devise plan for editing. I'm going to print this off and read like a reader, then start the re-writing process.

4.      To revise at least one Penny and George story per month, with a view to completing series by the end of the year – December 2012 I've started to edit my fourth chapter, I had to take time out to re-visit it as I haven't actually worked on it for some time, but it's a fun project.

5      To participate in the 100k in 100 days challenge for 'Wolf Moon' (fantasy story started as Monday Muse – Xanthe submissions) but will start Feb 1^st. This hasn't happened. I have penned around 13k and need to get it onto Scrivener to assess where I am.

6      To research options for Nano 2012 and make decision by June 2012 I have plenty of ideas, so hoping something will pop out.

7.      To submit short stories to the Telegraph book club on monthly basis Mmm not happening - I managed it in January but I'm shelving short stories because I don't have the time with the other projects ongoing... decided I can only split myself so many ways... and already feel like I have multi personalaties!

8.      To submit at least two Monday Muses a month on Writers Abroad I have reached this target this month but would like to increase it as it's good writing practice.


So off centre but not way off beam. Let's hope April is as productive, if not more. So key tasks are

• Continue rewrite of The Dukes Shadow , at least one chapter per week and seek feedback.
• Maintain Morning Journal which includes writing the Monday Muses and hopefully complete one
• of those per month
• To read The Morning Gift through once as reader and then identify gaps
• To Scrivener Wolf Moon and plan for completion of first novella (30k)
• To continue marking progress on this Blog, at least weekly if not more (I can hear the yawns now!)

Until Later.....