Quote from: Dawn on December 19, 2017, 02:19:48 PM
Wow, Hilly, that is amazing! Well done you. Mine are all still in the bottom drawer - really need to blow the cobwebs away. Any advice on how to keep motoring?

Set yourself a target release date every year for your 'next book' - self-imposed deadlines are a great motivation for those of us who don't have anyone breathing down our necks.

H3K

The outline for my next book.  And the contract for my current one, which is almost as long as the book itself.  And they expect me to print it out!  People these days - they used to just stick it in an envelope, ready to read.

Er...does this come under the category of Nicer Problems to Have?

Quote from: Jo Bannister on December 19, 2017, 07:28:40 PM
Er...does this come under the category of Nicer Problems to Have?

Probably.  Maybe they have one of those alleged 'paperless' offices, where the staff presumably wipe their bum on a Kindle or similar device.

I'm working on beta edits for WIP #1 and trying to finish WIP #2. Every time I think I'm close to finishing WIP #2 another pesky chapter demands to be written. Ghrr!

You've got one of those never-ending stories there, Cathy ;-)  This is how trilogies sometimes introduce themselves to an unsuspecting writer.  Just a little bit more each time until you realise it's too much for one book.

Quote from: Gyppo on December 20, 2017, 09:05:54 AM
You've got one of those never-ending stories there, Cathy ;-)  This is how trilogies sometimes introduce themselves to an unsuspecting writer.  Just a little bit more each time until you realise it's too much for one book.

You hit the nail on the head, Gyppo. I was halfway through WIP#2 when I realised it was going to be a series rather than a standalone.  ;D

Must be a good idea then.  Good ideas have the legs to run the distance.  Even if you cut them off they'll grow another pair and keep on running ;-)

Are we going to be able to read more about your firefighter, Cathy? I loved that first one!

Like Gyppo said, the idea 'sharks' are circling here too. And I have been a slacker for so long (not counting my first ever NaNo win last month, but that's a non-fiction project I'll polish up and self publish for my kids - no plans for a wider audience. But at least I proved to myself that I can get a large writing project actually done in a reasonable length of time  ;D ).

I'm working on setting deadlines for myself to get edits done on my novel. I finished it about a year and a half ago, then life got crazy. I've done mental rewrites, but it's time to buckle down and get back to work.

Good luck with it, Laura.  If you're a betting woman, I'm going to make you a bet - that the first draft is better than you think it is, and that it'll be more fun putting the final polish on it than you think it's going to be.

Let us know how you get on.

Thanks, Jo. On the plus side, since it's been over a year I'll be reading the draft with fresh eyes.

I'm working on smaller writing projects. I have at least five books in various stages of nowhere near completion. I get bored, distracted, overwhelmed. So I've decided to get back into the game by only writing article length pieces.

Whether I market to the magazine-type publishers or start a blog....not sure just yet. Maybe a combination of both. But the one thing I am sure about is that whenever I quit writing for any length of time, my mental health goes bye-bye. And that is never a good thing since she's not all that healthy as it is.  :D

Utilizing lessons learned from the past, it is better for me to write a short article and complete it as opposed to binge writing on the next NYT best seller only to end up burning out or losing focus and never finishing it.

Quote from: Sunny on December 22, 2017, 01:46:40 PM
Are we going to be able to read more about your firefighter, Cathy? I loved that first one!

Nope. That one was intended to be a standalone. Not sure Jo has another story in her. ;D

Quote from: Sunny on December 22, 2017, 01:46:40 PMLike Gyppo said, the idea 'sharks' are circling here too. And I have been a slacker for so long (not counting my first ever NaNo win last month, but that's a non-fiction project I'll polish up and self publish for my kids - no plans for a wider audience. But at least I proved to myself that I can get a large writing project actually done in a reasonable length of time  ;D ).

Congrats on the NaNo win.

Quote from: Cathy C on December 23, 2017, 08:10:49 PM
Nope. That one was intended to be a standalone. Not sure Jo has another story in her. ;D

I did wonder.  Jo's story was a complete package, with no loose ends.  If she wants another outing later she'll let you know ;-)  Or if one of the other characters starts nudging for a tale of his own.  Like the secretive Mr Tumelty?  (Forgive me if I've spelt it wrong.)  Maybe in another standalone.

Gyppo

Quote from: Gyppo on December 23, 2017, 09:37:40 PM

Quote from: Cathy C on December 23, 2017, 08:10:49 PM
Nope. That one was intended to be a standalone. Not sure Jo has another story in her. ;D

I did wonder.  Jo's story was a complete package, with no loose ends.  If she wants another outing later she'll let you know ;-)  Or if one of the other characters starts nudging for a tale of his own.  Like the secretive Mr Tumelty?  (Forgive me if I've spelt it wrong.)  Maybe in another standalone.

Gyppo

Oh, now there's a man who may have another story to tell.  ;D

Darn it. Now that's another character screaming to be heard.