Image Copyright © Tracy Mangold aka @InkyTwig. Thanks, Tracy!
WELCOME TO ALL those plucky writers who are participating this week!
This is the place to post your check-ins for Wed, May 23 and/or Saturday, May 26.
To learn more about this event, mouse over 10K Days in the blog menu above.
If you’re participating from overseas, feel free to start according to your own time zone. This check-in page is posted the evening before the event so you can. 🙂
DON’T FORGET TO TAKE REGULAR BREAKS!
You’ll regret it later (when you’re feeling fried) if you don’t take regular breaks. Even if you’re on fire with your writing, take your scheduled breaks.
Every two hours is recommended. Breaks are also for posting check-ins.
WHAT SHOULD YOU POST FOR YOUR CHECK-INS?
TIP: If you don’t see your comment right away after posting, try refreshing your screen.
1. You can mention your word count if you want to. If you’d rather not, please comment about your progress thus far.
2. You can also describe what you’re working on.
3. Feel free to mention how you’re feeling and how the day is going for you.
4. It’s always fun to hear what people are drinking, snacking on or listening to.
DON’T FORGET TO log out of forums, Facebook, Twitter, email, etc.
Go gettum, Tigers! – Milli
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RELATED TOPICS
Event Info & Suggested Prep (mouse over 10K Days in the menu above)
Twitter: dream_mancer
Hello everyone!
Starting early, as usual, since my bedtime isn’t until 1:30/2:00 am anyway. Since I finished my book-finally-thought I would give that a rest and just work on random projects that have been sitting neglected on my computer. This seems to work since I’ve added on words to two unfinished stories that haven’t been touched in a year.
Word count is at 1,070. Good luck, everyone!
-Laura
Twitter: fearofwriting
Laura, congrats on the 1,070 and adding to two pre-existing stories. Sounds like you’re off to a great start! See you when you wake up. 🙂
Hi,
Just completed the outline of chapter 20.
888 words. Taking a break to have a bath and recharge.
TheIrishman
Twitter: jmmerchant86
Hi-De-Hi Writers,
Spent the morning getting some stuff sorted out so hopefully can concentrate until I have to go to work in a few hours.
Plan for today is to get at least one Milliver’s Travels post written before work, then to zero draft some more of the novel.
Kick word-arse guys!
x
Twitter: fearofwriting
Good morningarvo, Jo 😀
Saw the submission in my inbox; ta muchly, looking forward to reading it tomorrow.
Hope things are going smoothly for you still so you can get more writing done before work. And I hope it’s fun!
xo
Happy writing everyone, hope you all have an amazing day!
Twitter: fearofwriting
Thank you, little lovely one, for popping in with your greetings and encouragement. Wish you could write with us today . . . but since you can’t, it’s wonderful to have you with us in spirit.
Thanks, Milli 🙂
I got home around 10pm last night… Funny how things have this way of piling up overnight and then I can barely catch a breath the next day while running around to cake care of everything.
Twitter: fearofwriting
Good Morning, Laura, Liam & Jo (plus anyone coming a little later)
Hi Estrella! Thanks for the Hellos.
Cappuccino in one hand, my journal in the other, I’m about to kick this laptop off the desk and get started with some journaling. It’s a cool morning here (hope the temp stays down) and there’s a cute but pesky chipmunk chittering loudly outside my window. 😀
Poking my nose in. I told Milli I wouldn’t be participating today, too much going on here but want to send thoughts of encouragement and lots of sparkles!
I may find time to write a few words but no where near 10K. But Saturday look out ‘cuz I’ll be ready to kick some word arces!
Good luck everyone!
Twitter: jmmerchant86
Thanks for the sparkles Marilyn 😀 And best of luck for Saturday.
x
Twitter: fearofwriting
Thanks, Peache! Good to know you’re over there sending us neighs and sparkles. Hope you get to scribble a few words later. But if not, see you on Saturday!
Hi to everyone. Thanks for the encouragement.
Still haven’t got round to the bath ;-(
(All my luck, turned out that my son has a day off school, so he is here with me. Way to go to get some work done, eh?)
Anyhow, after getting him some lunch I got caught up in finishing of chapter 11 (best laid plans!)
So, got that one done, and another 1,643 words done. Total is now 2531. So I am half way to target, and I still have at least another 3 or 4 hours of productive work!
Finaly ran the bath, so I’ll be off for a nice relax hour.
Best of luck to everyone.
Cheers
TheIrishman
Twitter: fearofwriting
Liam, awesome on the outline of Chapter 20 and total of 2531 words. Half-way to your goal already?! How are we supposed to hang out with you when you’re so speedy??
Just kidding. 😀
It’s fun to have you here with us and I’m glad your bath will prolong things and keep you with us a little longer. Hope it was relaxing! (Though with kidneys home from school we know how these things can go. ;))
Twitter: fearofwriting
980 words of journaling and my belly is protesting loudly about writing while I’m hungry. I’m off to make over-easy eggs on blueberry toaster waffles with a dribble of maple syrup (my latest speciality) and then get stuck into the first project from my 10K list.
Twitter: cjtreggett
Wow, almost 1,000 words already, Milli, that’s great!
My stomach just growled as I read your yummy description for brekkie. Guess I’d better get something too (but it won’t be as delish as yours):)
Twitter: cjtreggett
Good Morning, Everyone!
I’m here, but only for part of the day this month.Going to start now and do at least a few hours of journaling and working on another project I have started recently;I’m super keen to dive in!
Hope you all have a fantastic,prolific writing day.
Twitter: fearofwriting
Super Keen Mean Machine. Yeah!
I can feel your good vibes coming across and I’m having the same over here. So much good stuff to dive into! With breakfast out of the way I’m planning to chomp some words. LOL!
Twitter: runningonheavy
YAY! You made it!! Happy you are here 🙂
Twitter: runningonheavy
WHEW! I finally made it! Hope everyone’s writing is off to a great start this morning 🙂
Twitter: fearofwriting
Hi Valeka! Great to see you! Happy writing!
Twitter: runningonheavy
Thank you!! I’m off to a slow start but I’m anxious to get going 🙂
Twitter: cjtreggett
Hiya Valeka!
Glad to see ya too 🙂 Hope you have a great writing day today!
Twitter: fearofwriting
Wrote a short book review that took me 1427. I’m off to have a shower and get dressed in my comfiest and coolest writing clothes. The day’s warming up and these PJs are starting to sweat me out. Eww. 😀
Hi Milli! Thank you so much for personally tweeting me about the 10k! Talk about perfect timing. As you know, it’s been a long year and I’m ready to get back into writing the novel I dream about nearly every night. The music will be cranked and I’ll do my best to write at least 5k today. Let’s get writing!
Big hugs to you for your continued support Milli. Seriously. I needed this push because after the long road to medical recovery…well I’m getting a bit deep here but you reminded me that I can’t fear what may or not be. I just need to go for it. Thanks again.
Crystal
Also check me out on my facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crystal-Chameleo-Writer/136453626462215
Twitter: fearofwriting
Hi Crystal! I’m glad my personal tweet to you about the 10K Day came at the right time. I’m never sure when to ping people and when to hold off, so I’m always happy to know when I got it right. 🙂
I love your spirited way of diving back into the writing, and I can almost hear and see all that dreaming you’ve been doing! I’ve been SO curious about your novel ever since you tweeted about visiting the town it’s based in. (Still hoping someday you’ll share that secret. :D)
Heaps of love and support to you for reviving your novel after the medical issues. Can you hear us all cheering? 🙂
~ Milli
P.S. I’ll check out your FB page soon, after the 10K Day is over.
I forgot about that trip. Maybe that’s what I need because after staring at a blinking cursor for about 10 minutes I decided to work on the outline a bit. At least it’s something! Now I admit to procrastinating on the outline since I love the writing part so much. However, because of that procrastinating my novel is still fragmented. What I have are quite a few puzzle pieces but they are starting to fit together.
For now, I’m not going to focus on the word count but just write. It seems I get distracted easily today if I think too much about writing a certain amount. Back to the book in progress!
Twitter: fearofwriting
Crystal, if you need any extra inspiration, you could pretend you’re telling me about the town and how it’s the right setting for your characters. Just type conversationally and it should flow. (You don’t have to show me what you wrote, just use me as the sounding board – a curious reader!)
Break time Milli and I’ll start sharing the secret (that struck me as so funny since I didn’t mean to be so secretive) of the town. It’s a made up town based on a real town on the Mississippi River. It’s Midwest through and through. During my trip, I visited a cemetery overlooking the river and some nearby Indian Mounds. Yes, all within a few minutes of each other! Okay, I’m going to stop there so maybe I’m being somewhat secretive but I can’t give the story away yet. I hope to share the novel though, trust me. Thanks for your continued interest in my novel. It’s YA suspense/mystery with a female protagonist.
You’ve led me to wonder something about our writing. When is it the right time to share our story (at least high level summary, say a book cover backing) with others? How secretive should we be prior to any hope for publishing?
Twitter: fearofwriting
Amazing, Crystal! I also have a town on a river in Mississippi (which is a state I lived in for about 2 years) that I’m saving for a future story. I even have an old book from a museum in that town that gave me the idea for the story.
Thanks for sharing a little about your fictional town. I TOTALLY understand why you don’t want to reveal too much! Your question about how secretive to be during the writing process feels so perfect because I’m in the exact same place. I’m in the early phases of a new book that I’m not planning to talk about in public until the time feels right for me.
If it appeals to you, you could think about doing a guest blog post for FoW on the topic of secrecy during a first draft. As a way to help clarify what’s right for you, as well as giving our readers a chance to say how they like to handle this particular aspect of writing.
Twitter: cjtreggett
Hi Crystal,
Milli is THAT special that she can indeed hear us all cheering 🙂
So great you’re working on your dream novel today. You’re giving me incentive to dive into my work now with renewed excitement. Thanks!
Hi Carole, Thanks for the support as well and glad I could help! Sometimes we need that extra push from someone else to get going. By the way, I followed you on Twitter.
Twitter: fearofwriting
More journaling. Worked out a dilemma about an ebook I’m planning to write. I’m on 2267 and feel like I’m moving at tortoise pace compared to what my brain wants to pour out! Heehee. It will just have to deal.
I’m off to make another cappuccino and then start the next item on my list.
Twitter: danapittman
I’m starting soooo late. 🙁
WORD COUNT: 0/10K
Twitter: runningonheavy
But you are HERE! That’s what matters 🙂
Twitter: cjtreggett
Hey Dana, glad to see you here and I concur with Valeka :)Happy writing!
Twitter: fearofwriting
There she is! Yay!!! You’ll soon find your groove.
xoxo
Twitter: cjtreggett
I’m doing my official check-in now as I’m about to go and do a workout and then have some work obligations to get done this afternoon (WAH, go figure – I just got into the writing groove at approx. 1,800 words). I’m really hoping things go well and I can come back to my writing towards the end of the day…
Big fortifying hugs to all.
Twitter: fearofwriting
Carole, good luck and I hope you can return later today. (I often find that if I use my own writing as a carrot to get through my To-Dos it makes me find faster ways to get through it.)
Yippee for the 1800 words!
Twitter: dream_mancer
Hello all!
Getting started late today and I’m about to take another break to have lunch with a friend. I’m hoping to use the refresher to get my brain back in writing mode. I’m at 1,482!
-Laura
Twitter: fearofwriting
Hi Laura, great to have you back for Phase 2. Yay for 1482 and lunch with a friend!
Hi everyone,
Had a very nice bath! And then got down to completing Chptr 19. Almost finished it, and got down another 1805 words. So thats a total so far of 4336.
Have to take my little tyke down the park (And it SO hot! I am going to need another bath by the time I get back.
But maybe then he will stop nagging me for a while, and I can try to push for a further 2k. (the 888 words of the outline will NOT count towards the final word count, ’cause as I write the outline gets deleted. I do write them, but they are not part of the book. Is this maybe why I can’t ever get over 5k?)
But I am still hoping to get the final count up to 5k, and I still have a few hours this evening to try to get it done.
Oh, and I went to have a nice cup of tea. And there is NO milk! I am so sad (In Belgiumn you can only get fresh milk on 3 or 3 days of the week, and this is not one of them!) no tea for me :-O
TheIrishman
Twitter: fearofwriting
Liam, bummer about no milk for tea. 🙁
The bath and the park visit with your son both sound great!
And, hey, you can totally count those 888 words for the chapter outline. All of us here have all written stuff that we’ve chopped words out of later (as part of editing) but we still count those words, whether some get deleted later or not. Your outline is a valid part of your writing process. Count it in!
Meanwhile, congrats on 4336. Awesome! (esp. while battling a hot day and keeping your son entertained)
Hi,
I always count only what is actually done (I.e. part of the book itself). Sure, once I am finished I will still need to go back for a final edit, and that WILL alter the word count but that is OK. But when writing the book, proper, it is only the words that remain that I count. For example, the original chapter 2 was written immediately after chapter one. And is was terrible. I mean utterly horrid. Until I got up to 120 pages I was very worried that I would never hit my target of 140 pages. Then at 120 pages I found that I was only a third of the way through the outline! (The book is now at 385 pages, and will end up 450 to 500). Equally the words written in my Journal and Timeline and character summary logs, are also not counted in my daily words.
So, not with out a great sense of relief, the whole of chapter 2 went in the bin. It will not be missed.
So I don’t count the words written for that chapter in my rolling total.
I know it is different for everyone, but each time I start of a good writing day I try to plan the plot outline. For easy ones that are clear and linear I will probably not do more than jot a few key words or phrases, but this pair of chapters are really rather complex, so I put down quite a bit of detail (and then of course went of the rails and had to dump most of it -)
Anyhow. I have to aim for my target, which is 20 pages or 5k words of final text.
I still want to get there.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you. I would never have thought of this kind of idea, and it sure does make you focus.
Will definitely be doing the Saturday event as well.
Thank you.
TheIrishman
Twitter: fearofwriting
Awesome that you’ll still be able to do Saturday with us! It’s a heap o’ fun having you here. 🙂
~ Milli
Thanks for all the support.
I have found myself failing far to often in the last few months, and I do so hate to fail!
I try to set myself goals, and when I do, I can only ever ‘accept’ defeat, if I truly feel that I have tried.
Yes, my finger tips are numb (again) and my wrists are close to seized, but I got the figure that I wanted. I managed a ‘true’ 5k. I wanted more, but that is not important. I aimed for 5k and managed it. Ok, I was a little bit late, but I can live with ‘a little bit late’ is ‘better late than never’.
Once again, tank you, for giving me the opportunity to test myself.
Congrats on all who tried this endeavour. Win or loose, it is effectively the same: It is always better to have tried and failed than to have never attempted greatness!
And, you are all great, in my eyes.
Like I said to my son, it is far better to have aimed for the stars, and only achieved orbit, than to have aimed for the gutter and fully achieved your dreams (of utter failure).
So, may your God go with, you and all your dreams be free!
Slantie
TheIrishman
Twitter: cjtreggett
Hi Liam,
I love what you told your son! Wow, 5,000 words. Seriously, kudos. I’m really impressed how much you got accomplished with your little guy being home and all. Really enjoyed your thoughtful updates as well.
Hope to ‘see’ you here again next month 🙂
Hey Carole,
Thanks for kind words.
But, you do know that no good dead ever goes unpunished! I have had to agree that *if* he passes his exams (16 year), then we will build a rocket together. Amazingly, his scores have gone through the roof (rocketed, if you will). Ah what a little motivation can do for a child.
But now, I am going to have to spend the summer hacking about with fiberglas, and aluminium and all sorts of nasty chemicals.
Foot, meet mouth!
BTW, they are not the same boys. I have three sons! So, right now I am working on a go kart project, an small robot, and now, in few months, a bleeding rocket!
I must be mad!
Sadly, once my book is finished (next week, I hope) I plan to take a break for two weeks and try (very hard) to not write anything.
Then once the book is part forgotten I shall go back for the final edit, and then try to get it published.
So, I think that for the next month I won’t be doing too much fiction writing.
Work and my courses also need to get back on track.
So, while I do hope to be back in two months time, I think I am going to miss the next one.
But don’t let that stop you 😉
And the very best of luck to all those who do go for it.
Cheers
TheIrishman
I’m here late and with little time to write. I walked and weight trained for about two hours this morning, as I’ve been doing every morning (not always with the weight training), and that cut into my time. I still have a shower to take, too! I’ll do as much as I can between now and 2:20, then it’s off to do other things. I can’t write as much as I used to, but every little bit helps. 🙂
About to have a salad (spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, watermelon, black olives, diced ham, walnuts, croutons, and lite Asian dressing. Yummy! And Ozarka water to wash it down.
Might fix a Cinnamon Stick tea later for a pick-me-up.
No music. I need to concentrate!
~L
Twitter: runningonheavy
Glad you made it! Sounds like you have had a busy day so far! And your salad sounds delicious! You’ve inspired me to take a lunch break and fix one for myself 🙂 Happy writing, Lois!
Have yet to start. Just finished checking my e-mail, and am now about to get that salad! 🙂
Happy writing to you, too, Valeka! 😀
~L
Welcome, O Mascot! 😀
Wowza, your eating and exercise regimen sounds seriously healthy. I’m impressed! (And it sounds like a new guest post for the Healthy Writers series in the making, if you feel moved to write about it for FoW at some point.)
Good luck getting lots written today while you can!
xo
Another great idea. Thanks, Milli! I’ll definitely think about it! 😀 I don’t have nearly as much time to write as I used to, but that only means that the time I do have is that much more precious to me. 🙂
Well, I’ve managed to write all of 700 words, but I’m hoping to write a little more tonight. Right now, I’ve got to go take that shower!
~L
Twitter: fearofwriting
I’ll be interested to hear why you have less time to write these days (besides that 2-hour daily exercise regimen!). Have you blogged about it so I can go see without pestering you with my questions? 😀
Only a little. I decided to spend my mornings doing “homey” stuff, whether it’s just doing stuff around the house, cooking breakfast for a few days’ worth, managing the aquariums (we have three set up), or something else. But a lot of the time is spent working out. I try to get in at least an hour and a half every day, and sometimes it’s even been longer than two. My knees are sure feeling it, but I’m not pushing them too hard!
Once I get on the computer, I usually have a ton of e-mails to check. I’m thinking of getting rid of my LiveJournal, because I just can’t keep up. The problem is, I’ve got some friends on there I want to keep following. I may just have to do a friends cut or figure something else out. :/
And I role play with a friend on DreamWidth, but that’s only for about an hour before dinner (a bit longer on Fridays and Sundays). This helps me get a handle on some of my characters (like Lucky Raven and Dakota McCabe, as they’re part of the role play).
The evenings I spend with the Hubbs just hanging out and relaxing.
And that’s about it! It sounds like a boring life, but it’s the one I’ve got! 😛
~L
Twitter: fearofwriting
It doesn’t sound boring, Lois! I don’t have enough hobbies myself (besides writing, which is my career as well, so kind of on overkill) and sometimes I wish I was interested in things like crocheting or some other form of craft. I only sometimes feel inspired by cooking and we don’t have any pets right now. I do ride my bike but that’s nothing like your daily work-out! Anyway, I think it’s cool the way you’ve got it all figured out into a variety of activities. Sounds fulfilling!
Whereas I have too many hobbies! 😛
And it is fulfilling–except that I don’t have nearly as much time to write. But I’d rather not let life pass me by. I can manage a few hundred words a day and be happy. It’s writing 0 words that’s intolerable. 😉
~L
Twitter: fearofwriting
I agree. 0 words would be intolerable.
And I don’t know if you read my most recent “boring” update, but it’s just below. 😉
Twitter: fearofwriting
Convenient title. LOL! I’ll check it out after 10K Day is over. Thanks!
Haha! I’ll have to update again. I think it’s been over two weeks! O_O
You’re welcome. 🙂
~L
Twitter: runningonheavy
Just thought I would take a minute to check in! I’m not really sure what my word count is because I’m writing without a counter. The good thing is that the words are finally flowing. Took a little while! Hope everyone is doing great 🙂
Twitter: fearofwriting
Excellent check-in! For my journaling I counted three pages worth of handwriting and then took an average, which I found to be 140 words. With differences in handwriting sizes, yours would probably be a different count. Be feel free to use 140 per page for now and then count your pages and multiply by 140 just so you can have the satisfaction of posting a count. 🙂
Twitter: runningonheavy
That’s an excellent idea! I will do that 🙂 I’m about to break for lunch and then I will meet you all back here!
Twitter: cjtreggett
Hmm, I think I’m reluctantly thanking you for posting this method of approximating word count for journal pages written, Milli 😀
I’ve always been calculating it to be 180 or so…but the line spacing is quite tiny in this one I’m writing in. But I’ll use your standard of measure so (wait for the pun) we’re all on the same page! lol Revised word count so far: 1400
Twitter: fearofwriting
Don’t take mine as anything but a temporary method. Depending on journal sizes and handwriting styles, everyone probably has a different result. 🙂 I decided to count mine last night so that task wouldn’t cut into my 10K Day – and bcuz I knew I’d be doing lots of journaling today.
Twitter: danapittman
I’m think I’m warming up…WORD COUNT: 909/10K
Twitter: fearofwriting
Yeah, you’re looking warm from here, baby!! 😀
Twitter: runningonheavy
Nice job, Dana!! You are quick!
Twitter: danapittman
Thanks!!!
Twitter: fearofwriting
I’m on 4021 and taking a break for lunch and sunshine. The writing flow is feeling good! Had to tear myself away to take a break.
Twitter: fearofwriting
The sunshine felt beautiful and I would have liked to stay longer but it was so noisy out there. It must be the 10K Day because the neighbors on all three sides of us have decided today was THE day to mow the lawn! They all took different shifts and it’s been pretty much an all-day affair so far. Grrrr.
Well, back to my headphones and ocean sounds…
Real quick update before I go take that shower:
Salad was yummy. Never had tea. Writing was fun, but not nearly as much as I wanted to write (only about 700 words), but I plan to return to it after dinner.
And now I’m off to clean up!
~L
Twitter: fearofwriting
See you after dinner, Lois. (And 700 words doesn’t suck! Especially after all that exercise!)
Thanks, Milli! 🙂
I’m calling it quits for today. Hopefully, I can come back on Saturday for a little while, though.
Twitter: fearofwriting
Hope to see you on Saturday, Lois! Enjoy the rest of your week – and all those hobbies. 😉
Thanks, Milli! 😀
Hi,
I hope everyone else is enjoying this as much as I am.
Just completed chapter 19. And another 1321 words done and dusted.
So the total is now 5657, though when I take off the 888 I am still a few shy of the 5k I promised. So my effective total is now 4769.
Sadly, my characters didn’t like my plot outline, so well over half of it is wipped clear (!) but the good news is that the characters have come up with a much better and more credible set of events than I had.
I must be honest, I have been putting this chapter off for a long time (Even today, when I started I found myself finishing of chapter 11 i.s.o. starting on 19.
It is a very dark place in the book, and I was not sure that I could come up with a believable scenario.
Well, what came out is really rather good, and I like the position it leaves all the character in. In the end it wasn’t even that hard to get thorough, as the characters are now well enough developed to take on a life of their own and guide me on what they would do and how they would react. So I am really happy.
OK, I still haven’t even started chapter 20 which I wanted to complete today, but I now have a very clear view of what will happen, which is not something I could have said this morning.
I will soon take my usual 2 mile hike (got to try to stay health 😉 and then maybe try to get a few pages of the next chapter started. Try to get over that magic 5k 😉
One final point, doing this just gives me an even greater respect for anyone that can actually lay down 10k. That is just awesome.
Sorry if I have written a bit too much here about the whole process, but I though somebody might be interested.
Best of luck to everyone else on this day.
Cheers
TheIrishman
Twitter: fearofwriting
Liam, no need to apologize. I found it totally fascinating! Plus I’m really happy for you that not only did you get through the dark chapter but it wasn’t as hard as you’d been dreading. And that your characters kicked you out of the way so they could be themselves. LOL!
You really are a stickler, though. I agree you’ll never reach 10K if you don’t allow yourself to count all the words you’ve written, even if some do have to be deleted later (or even if your characters didn’t like the outline :D). In my books you’ve already busted 5K . . . but, hey, the need to come back and feel you’ve done your proper 5K means we’ll get to spend more time with you. 😉
Enjoy your hike!
P.S. I’m totally having as much fun as you are! Doesn’t it feel great? By the way, you fit right in around here and I hope you’ll join us again in the future.
Twitter: danapittman
WORD COUNT: 4300/10k I’m making a dent in my planning today. But I have a long way to go.
Twitter: fearofwriting
She rockin’ all over the woooooorld!
xo
Twitter: danapittman
LOL!
Twitter: runningonheavy
Okee dokee – my word count currently sits at 4937. I took a few sunshine breaks here and there. I’m now going to start my guest blog for Milliver’s Travels about my camping trip/writing retreat! I’m writing much slower today but I like this relaxed pace. It feels right for me today and that is what matters to me most of all 🙂 Hope everyone else is having a productive day of writing!!
Twitter: fearofwriting
4937 is awesome!! And so is setting the pace that feels right for you.
Excited to hear you’re about to work on the camping story for my travel blog. I didn’t realize it was also a writing retreat, not just a camping trip. Even more exciting!
Twitter: runningonheavy
It was SUPPOSED to be just a camping trip but I took my writing gear and ended up getting some ideas out while my brain was relaxed. It was very exciting!
Twitter: fearofwriting
That sounds totally exciting! And how awesome that you lucked onto a writing retreat without planning to!
Which leads me to a new idea. Can you separate the writing retreat part into a blog post for FoW? Since we’re charting the magic here on FoW as far as writing retreats go, I’d love to have a post from you about your own unexpected magic.
(If the two feel tangled together for you into one story, just go with wherever it leads you and I can help you separate them later. If you like this idea, that is. :))
Twitter: runningonheavy
I am pretty sure I can separate it into two different blogs! Of course, if I get stuck, I will let you know 🙂 Now I’m excited about getting to do TWO posts for you! YAY!!!
Twitter: lorigg
Some journaling done this morning followed by four shorter articles estimated word count (I write long hand) is around 2.4K. Done with an afternoon break and heading back to the pen and paper.
Twitter: fearofwriting
Hi Lori!
So pleased you could join us and congrats on the 2.4K and the progress you’ve been making, especially with this being your first 10K Day. 🙂
By the way, do you have a Twitter ID so we can follow you? I’m having trouble accessing your website from the link on your comment.
~ Milli
Twitter: runningonheavy
Lori, you are doing great! And congratulations on participating in your first 10K Day! Lots of great people here to motivate and inspire you 🙂
Twitter: fearofwriting
I’m on 7,135 and flowing like a river. But need to take a break so I don’t burn out early.
Must check on the dinner chef. Brian always cooks on the 10K Day and he’s supposed to be out there making spaghetti bolognese. 😀
Twitter: runningonheavy
I am going to take a break myself. I will probably take the girls for a walk, have some dinner and then start up again! Your dinner sounds delicious, Milli!
Twitter: danapittman
Yeah!
Twitter: jmmerchant86
Righty right. I finished work 2 and a half hours ago, I’ve eaten, I’ve cooked a big batch of Milli’s bean salad (or ‘not chilli’ as my housemate keeps calling it!), and I’ve procrasinated. Again. It’s what I do best.
So it’s 23:30 here, and I’m not allowed to go to bed until I’ve written my 2nd MT article (first one came to 430 words), and zero draft at least one scene from the novel. So I’m looking at maybe 2k target for today total.
Hope everyone is still going strong.
x
Twitter: fearofwriting
Awesome, Jo. Glad you made it back and you’ve got enough “not chili” (LOL) to keep you going for 2K of Millivering and zero drafts.
(I do live under a rock and I must be the last one to know this, but I have no clue what a zero draft is. o_O)
Rock on with the writing!
Twitter: jmmerchant86
Ah yes, the zero draft approach is that beat the internal editor thing I sort of queried to you a couple of months back, but I’m still testing it to see if I can get the momentum going using it. Hopefully will have more details for you soon.
x
Twitter: fearofwriting
This could be sounding to me suspiciously like it needs to be a guest post for FoW. . . .
When the time feels right, of course. 😀
Ok, so it is WAY past midnight.
But I did not actualy start until about 11:00 in the morning.
Anyhow. I am done.
Total word count for my effort is, wait for it: 5795.
That is an record breaking (for me) 23 pages in one day. And I have finished one of the most difficult chapters that I had been forced to face.
I feel good.
Now all I need is to get a little sleep, and I will be back for more.
Every day, in every way, ~I get alittle bit closer to completion.
Feeling good.
Once again, Thanks Milli, for giving this to us.
Slantie
TheIrishman
(See y’all again, on Saturday)
Twitter: fearofwriting
5795!!!!!
AWEsome!!!
Beat your own record. And more than lived up to what you said you’d do today. (Even with those 880 words deleted. ;))
Slantie. Is that a nickname of yours? Or an Irish word? I’m thinking it’s Irish and it means cheers when you’re toasting. Am I close?
You can tell me on Saturday. We’ll see you then!
P.S. Thanks for finding my site and striking up a conversation. It’s been a pleasure knowing you so far. 🙂
Twitter: runningonheavy
I’m baaaaaccckkk!!! I took a much needed break and now I’m ready to crank out some more words. How is everyone doing this evening?
Twitter: fearofwriting
Valeka,
Glad you got to have your much-needed break! And you still sound rarin’ to go. Goody! So am I! I had dinner (was yummy, thanks to Brian) and then went for a bike ride and ever since I got back I’ve been plowing into it and having a great time.
Glad you got my message about “two stories for the price of one” (I love saying that, LOL) and you like the idea and feel you can do it. Can’t wait to see how that turns out!
OK, back to dancing with words. 🙂
Twitter: jmmerchant86
Just a fly-by check in really. It’s not 02:30, and I’m starting to doze off. Managed to write two articles for Milli-herself totalling 1440, which is more than I’ve managed in a while so not disappointed even though I didn’t hit my target. Felling it’s just too late to start on the novel stuff now, so will try and do a couple of scenes tomorrow around work instead.
Congrats to everyone on all your great work today, and good luck to those of you still going.
Good night!
x
Twitter: jmmerchant86
*Now 02:30 even, I did say I was dozing off didn’t I?
Twitter: fearofwriting
LOL! Who said dozing off?? What??
Just kidding.
I think I like being called Milli Herself. Maybe I should get that for Twitter. @MilliHerself. Hee hee.
I’m pleased to hear you’re happy with the writing you got done today. Thanks for Millivering – always much appreciated!
Good luck with your novel tomorrow. xo
P.S. Looks like a new blog post. “Hear Me Universe!” Compelling title! Can’t wait to have a read of that tomorrow.
Twitter: cjtreggett
Women alive, you lot were on FIRE today, I tell ya, Fiii-ya 😀
I bow in deep reverence to your writing prowess and stamina!
I didn’t get to do any more of my own writing other than the work I did earlier. Had to do a lot of client work. Hmm, come to think of it, I can add to my word count for today since I wrote a short blog post for one client (240 words).
Night, night.
Twitter: cjtreggett
Oops, and Man alive too 🙂
Twitter: fearofwriting
Thanks, Carole. With all that Fiii-ya I hope my blog doesn’t go up in flames. LOL!
Goodonya for finding an extra 240 words to add to your count. And thanks for writing with us today even though you had those other commitments to take care of. 🙂
xo!
Twitter: danapittman
WORD COUNT: 6030/10k
I’m calling it a night. I was pulling teeth for this word count since most of it was planning (i.e., blog calendar, project plans, course outline). I also took a “break” and rewrote my About page–which took FOREVER!
Anyway, today was a major success. 4k shy of the goal but I exceeded my expectations.
Twitter: fearofwriting
Exceeding your own expectations feels so goooood!
Sorry you had to pull some teeth there . . . but sometimes the nitty-gritty stuff is worth slogging through.
Congrats on rewriting your ABOUT page. I’ll check that out when I visit your blog tomorrow to read about Passion.
Good nite, lovely one. Sleep like a baby (who just wrote 6030 words, LOL!)
xoxo
Twitter: runningonheavy
WHEW! I’m pretty worn out now! I’m closing my day at 6197. What a great day I’ve had! I’m looking forward to writing on Saturday, too!
Great job writing today, everyone!
Hugs to all!
Valeka
Twitter: fearofwriting
Whoo hoo on the 6197! So pleased you had a great day!
Can’t wait to write with you again on Saturday. 🙂
Nighty-night 🙂
Twitter: fearofwriting
Ended on 9490. Very happy with all the writing fun I had today, plus the breakthroughs I had.
See (some of) you on Saturday!
~ Milli
Twitter: dream_mancer
Sliding in with about fifteen minutes to spare. Had a crazy day work, crazy day when I left work, and about a million other things to do so I didn’t get as much writing as I wanted to get done, but I had fresh ideas and it as nice to work on something different for a change. All in all, 6,784 words done!
I won’t be here Saturday (out of town trip), but good luck to those who will be!
-Laura
Twitter: fearofwriting
Wow, Laura, you’re an amazingly fast writer! Thanks for coming back to do your check-in, even though your day was so crazy-busy. Have fun on that out-of-town trip!
P.S. Glad you got to have fun working on some fresh ideas. 🙂
Hey everyone.
This is the second time I am trying to write this!
Ah the joys of “bad” web browsers!
Anyhow. Once again, and this time, with feeling!
It appears, from Carole’s comment, that I might just be the only person here with a Y chromosome!?!
Man (or maybe I should say, women), that is *so* cool!
And the really amazing thing is that no one but Carole noticed. (Sorry Carole, if that sound bad. It isn’t meant to be.)
Anyhow, if this is true, then you guys (gals?) ROCK!
So, anyhow, I tried to keep up the momentum after Wednesday. Didn’t do to badly, and managed to wrap up a fairly credible 14 pages on Thursday, and another 15 yesterday.
So Chapter 21 is now done and dusted.
Now, all I have left to do is, finish Chapter 22, and complete 23 and 24!
Hey, how hard can that be? Yeah, right, just about 30 pages, or 7 to 8k words!
Ok, so I am not going to try for that, much as I wish I could. But, my goal is still to get another 5k done.
If I do that, then I am, at most, 3k from the completion of my book! Yeah-hah!
And, I promise myself this, if I do mange the 5k today, then I WILL do at least 3k on Sunday.
So, if I can keep it up (?!?) then by Monday morning the book will be complete (excepting the final edit, of course ;-).
Milli, you were 100% correct about ‘slantie’. It is Irish Gaelic, and means ‘health’. It is used mostly as a salutation when drinking (having travelled a bit I seem to know how to say ‘cheers’ in rather a large number of languages 😉
And, for those plucky travellers that ever do decide to visit the shores of the emerald isle, a little warning for you all. 😉
In Irish Gaelic the word for woman is ‘mna’ (from the original latin word for ‘mother’) and the word for man is ‘fear’ (from the original latin word for ‘father’). So, have a think about what letters they put on the doors of public toilets!
Ah, fun and games were had by all! Not!
Anyhow, may lady luck be always at your side. And may your God go with you!
On a truly personal note, may I take this opportunity to thank you *all*, from the bottom of my heart. You have been both an inspiration and a joy to work with. You have made it so easy to excel, and yet so hard to fail! And so my words could not express the feeling that you have given me!
Cheers
TheIrishman (Keep it up! And ‘Slaintie!’ to you all!)
Twitter: fearofwriting
Liam,
Thanks for this fabulous and fascinating update! I’m excited to hear you’ve been making progress and that finishing the book is within your sights!
Yes, we usually do have less of the Y chromosome joining us. I’ve found that women outnumber men in most writing environments, for some reason. But we are always glad to have a man show up and write with us! (In one writing group I know of, they refer to the lone male member as their Rooster. :D) And never before have we had the pleasure of having an Irishman join us, so that’s a first.
Too bad you’re far away in Belgium now and can’t take some photos of those gender-specific signs on the public restrooms in Ireland. That would make a perfect post for the Funky Signs category on my travel blog. 😀
(Milliver’s Travels: http://milliverstravels.com)
As for “Slantie”: I was on a writing retreat in Australia back in 2002 when an Irishwoman (published poet and short story writer) who was at the retreat center with us taught me the word. (This came about due to the red wine we took pains to consume each night in the library, as part of the “writing life.” ;)) In her thick brogue it sounded to me like “slahnshay” … so it took me a minute to recognize the word when I saw it spelled out by you on the other 10K page where we first conversed.
(My first thought was that it might be your nickname. Slantie, pronounced as in one who slants. A bit like an Aussie I know who’s nickname is Scratchy, because of the way he scratches the ground with his foot when he’s about to bowl in a game of cricket. LOL!)
Thank you for the all appreciation you’ve expressed for our group here; I hope the others get to see what you said. And I thank you in return for having the courage and stamina to come write with us and to beat your own record.
Best of luck making progress with your second 10K Day. (See? You’re already a veteran!)
~ Milli
Twitter: cjtreggett
LOL Liam,
I’m not offended in the slightest;I’m glad you enjoyed my observation and hope you feel suitably distinguished by your distinction 😀
Seriously, so delighted you’re here, and I’ve been mightily encouraged by your wonderful comments/sharing.
Good morning all. I’m ready to rock and roll. I will be working a several things. Now I have to decide which one first.
I must get through some email and blogging. Well guess that’s where I began today.
Good luck, 10K here I come. Peache
Hi everyone.
I woke up with terrible indigestion! Oh, boy does it hurt. No idea why! But such is life. Got nothing done this morning, while I tried to get my stomach under control. So a realy bad start to the day.
Well, I finaly got going about an hour ago.
So far a pittiful 684 words.
And just to help matters, the weather here is like a suana. 30 degree C, and the humidity fells like it must be over 70%!
Still, I shall oress on for another few hours, before taking a break.
Good luck to everyone else.
Cheers
TheIrishman
Twitter: fearofwriting
Liam, sorry to hear about the indigestion. And the hot day. I’m with Marilyn in sending you lots of sympathy and I hope things smooth out for you along the way. But if you don’t make your target word count today, don’t be hard on yourself. Everybody here has had days where they just couldn’t pull it together; where it seems the universe is putting a spanner in every works. That could even be a symptom of self-sabotage (which we writers have in abundance, usually buried deep within). It might have gotten triggered by all your writing successes of late. If that’s the case, don’t try to fight it. Be gentle on yourself, maybe try some daydreaming or other passive creative pursuit and then come back gently to the writing when you feel a bit better.
Twitter: fearofwriting
‘Morning All,
I’ve got my cappuccino and will dive into some warm-up journaling without further ado. Got lots to write today!
~ Milli
Sorry Irishman you are having such a bad day. You’ve got me beat so far, I’m only at 553. Poooo. I’ve only had about as many distractions as one can possible have. Hubby actually getting ready for a weekend trip with his son and grandson. Soon as they leave I’ll be able to concentrate better and bang out the numbers and ideas. Yeppppp! Oops, am I supposed to be sad? Not. Should be soon now! And if I don’t make 10K in this 24 hour period, I’ll work the rest of the weekend. So there.
Twitter: fearofwriting
You are so funny!! Loved this update so much I had to read it three times.
😀
*waves* Good morning, everyone! I’m here, but I haven’t started yet (just find out about the challenge moments ago!)
0/10,000
I’m eager to get started, though, and get rolling with my WIP!! 😀
Twitter: fearofwriting
Welcome, Jenn! Thanks for joining us. I love your icon of the bookshelf full of colorful books. Have fun rolling with that WIP!
Twitter: fearofwriting
Madly scribbled creative ideas and symbolic stuff in my journal for eight pages and that came out to 1120 words so far. All that handwriting has got me starved so I’m going to break now and make/eat brunch with Brian. Our usual weekend brunch of scrambled eggs, sausage and fresh-baked biscuits with jam or honey.
Twitter: fearofwriting
Brunch is over. Dishes thrown in the sink for later. Eager to get back to it!
Hi again.
Thank you all for your kind words of support. The tummy is behaving a bit better now. Got to tell it who’s boss 😉
My son just asked me who ate the last sausage roll. Yep, that was me. Snacking late last night as I finished Chapter 21. Then he pointed at the sell by date on the empty packet. Oh yeah, so that’s why I felt so good this morning! I have only myself to blame!
Anyhow, getting a bit of traction now.
Whacked down another 2176 word for a tally so far of 2860. Half way there, but with the morning ruined, it is going to be hard to get there.
Does anyone think that eating that roll was some kind of self sabotage?
I never would have thought of that.
Especially as the book is flowing so smoothly.
I am now down to the last two chapters, I have written the last paragraph of the book, so i know how it end, and all I have to do is fill in those last chapters. i even have them fairly well plotted.
Anyhow, best of luck to everyone.
And that brunch sounds tasty. But I think I’ll be skip any food for now 😉
Time, instead, for a nice hot bath! I’ll be back later on!
Cheers
TheIrishman
Twitter: fearofwriting
Liam, glad you’re feeling better. Sausage rolls and self-sabotage? LOL! Not sure that’s why you ate the sausage roll … but I sure am impressed with how you picked up that word count. 2860. Awesome!
Enjoy your hot bath. You must be addicted to those, wanting to have one even on a hot day. 😀
Twitter: fearofwriting
Everybody must be deep into their writing with no time to make updates. Cool stuff. :0
I’ve gotten to 2460, all handwritten, and feeling a bit drained. Going to take a break and make some coffee.
Hi all, my usual goal is to write 5000 by noon and with a shaky start I felt doomed. But here we are and I’m at 5104. Just eked over the edge. I must say it’s nice not to feel the pressure of hubby lurking about wanting this or that. Or just my picking up on his energy hovering. I have worked on a piece for an ebook about horses. My title is, “Do you get zits from your horse kissing your cheek?” “Never wear lip gloss when kissing your horse”. It’s really about a process that I am currently involved in called Friendship Training. And there are several Forums of like minded folks that I have been posting to as well today.
Mill, I thought last night we could call ourselves Millets. What do you think? Goodonya for the hand writing. You’re so organic.
Irishman, sounds like your tummy ailments haven’t hindered you too much. Hang in there.
I’m taking a pause for the cause and I’ll be back after lunch and a little finger exercise.
Twitter: fearofwriting
Awesome word count, Peache! You’re totally beating my butt today, you little horsewoman, you. 😀
The Millets sounds like a grainy proposition. LOL! My nicknames are
Meems (from childhood)
Milliver (travel blog)
Milli Willi (my French brother-in-law christened me that)
Millikins
All of which might sound embarrassing on Twitter. Hey, wanna come join the Milli Willis at the 10K Day? I’m sure they’d be fleeing in droves. LOL!
(You should hear my BIL pronounce Milli Willi in his French accent. Too funny.)
Hi eyeryone.
Still going at it.
Just finished Chapter 22, so going to take a little break, as the wrists are hurting.
Word count is now up to 3511.
Still not there, but now I have to grovel over the bits of chapter 23 that I have already written, and try to re integrate them into the flow from Chapter 21.
That is likely to slow productivity down a bit. So I don’t think the word count is going to rise much over the next few hours.
Bath time is my meditation, my Chi time. I just cannot go through a day without it!
BTW, Milli, do you do all your writing longhand, then type them up? Is there an advantage to that?
I do know I can write by hand much faster than typing, but I always thought that haveing to do it twice would loose any advantage. Plus, for me, when I write fast, it is almost unreadable. I did write my first short stroy that way, but I only had an old selectric type writer, so no way would I want to type direct on that thing 😉
Anyhow, best of luck to all. Milli, great to see that word count.
Cheers
TheIrishman
Twitter: fearofwriting
Liam, you’re doing great. 🙂 3511 is good stuff. I’m still below 3K so you can feel good in knowing you’re ahead of the lady who’s been running the 10Ks since 2009. 😀
(Not that we’re competitive around here. Except in a fun way that we use to light a fire under our butts whenever we see someone like Peache pulling out ahead. Hehe.)
To answer your question: Normally on the 10K Day I start out with maybe 45 minutes of journaling using a pen and hard-cover journal. And then I move onto the computer, where I can generate words a lot faster. But lately I’ve been doing a lot of pre-writing for my next book and it absolutely begs to be done by hand.
These are not the kind of words I’ll need to type up later – more like material that will feed the book … but I’ve got to connect with it emotionally first. So fortunately I won’t have that problem of double writing: first by hand and then typed up later. Meanwhile, all this “organic” writing has slowed me waaay the heck down. But it’s like the way you need your bath everyday for your chi time. It’s very contemplative and perfect for where I’m at right now with my writing.
OK, back to pen and paper. And ink blobs. And coffee. 🙂
Twitter: fearofwriting
Whoops. Peache is Marilyn. Shouldn’t expect you to read my mind. Or to know everybody’s nicknames yet. 😀
Back from lunch break and a snack for the horses. Mill, I was going to finish my Chapter assignment and I’ve forgotten how to sign in. Out of sight out of mind right.
No, we underlings are Millets. You like like the Chicklets. You the Mill and we’re the Millets. Or could be Millits, or Millitts.
Brain going into uncharted territory of grey matter.
Need some chi. Oh, can put some in my coffee! Never mind, that’s Chia but gives you good chi. No I haven’t started cocktail hour yet.
I’ll continue with my horse kisses for now.