As part of Ready. Set. WRITE! 2015, Alison, Katy, Erin, Elodie, and I will be giving away writerly care packages throughout the summer. At the end of the summer, to celebrate making it through three months of RSW, we will be rewarding ourselves with what we we're calling “Manicures and Manuscripts.” Stay tuned for more info. We hope you’ll join us for all of the fun!
***We will be tweeting with the hashtag #RSWRITE. Keep an eye out for it!***
I did pretty decently, I think. I didn't quite meet my goal of revising for at least an hour five days this week, but I did revise ONLY ANNIE for more than an hour four out of seven days, so I'm happy with that. It was a busy week, so this isn't shabby.
2. MY GOAL(S) FOR THIS WEEK
• Work on ONLY ANNIE for one hour, five days this week.
• If so inspired, continue revising WATCH OF NIGHT.
3. A FAVOURITE LINE FROM MY STORY OR ONE WORD/PHRASE THAT SUMS UP WHAT I WROTE/REVISED
My MC and the guy she loved and let go are just meeting again after three years. (NB: This is rough/hasn't been revised.)
"It allowed Annie to silently observe this boy who had dominated her thoughts for the past three years. It was striking, really, how much the same he was even while he was so changed. The way he rubbed his ear when he was thinking or nervous, how his eyes nearly disappeared when he really smiled, his unbridled laughter… None of that was altered. In those respects, Went was exactly as Annie remembered.
And that made moving on so much harder."
I was busier than normal with life stuff. Otherwise, the spike in heat made me lethargic.
5. SOMETHING I LOVE ABOUT MY WiP ♥
The switch from present to past tense and from first to third person really suits this story, I think.
HOW I DID:
Monday --» Worked on revising ONLY ANNIE for two hours. (2 chapters revised)
Tuesday --» Worked on revising ONLY ANNIE for two hours. (2.5 chapters revised)
Wednesday --» DAY OFF (It's Canada Day!)
Thursday --» *crickets chirping*
Friday --» Worked on revising ONLY ANNIE for three hours. (Planning to fill in gaps.)
Saturday --»
Sunday --»
Happy Writing/Revising/Planning!
I love that excerpt and agree that the switch in tense suits the story--at least the bit you've shared here. I'm really looking forward to reading the whole thing when it's finished. With all you had going on this week, you did really well to get so much done on writing. I can never function in the heat either, although I'm having the opposite problem here. It's almost July and our house is freezing! Hope you have another productive week! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erin! It's weird how just changing the tense/person makes so much of a difference to me. I mean, it still needs TONS of work, but I like where it's going now, so that's good. Hope I can keep up this momentum! It's cooler and greyer today, so that's making a huge difference in my motivation. I'm not lazing around as much, roasting in the heat. Have a great week!
DeleteI really love that excerpt, it's so poignant, and I agree the change in tense really does work! It sounds like you're making great progress even if you didn't quite meet your goal, especially when it comes to being busy and the heat--such a motivation-killer for everything when it's hot!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with this week, I hope the weather and your schedule both become better-behaved for you. :)
Thank you! :-) There's so much regret in this story, and I really hope I can bring that out in the writing. Today is much cooler and pretty grey, so it's doing wonders for my motivation. Have a great week!
DeleteHope your life busy-ness is good busy-ness :) (--> staring at this sentence and trying to see if it makes sense, I've been in revision/editing mode for too long, lol).
ReplyDeleteLove, love the excerpt! Ohhh Annie and Wen <3
Cheering you on, Jaime!
Mostly good busyness, I guess. Of course, the heat wasn't doing much to make me want to squeeze writing in between the busy bits. Thanks for your comment about my excerpt. :-) I'm really enjoying the changes I'm making to this one. Have a great week!
DeleteThat was a great snip it. Good luck with further revising! I hear you on the heat though I feel I could get a sunburn walking past my window its so hot.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Eve! :-)
DeleteIt's much cooler today, so that's working wonders on my motivation. Have a great week!
I LOVE that excerpt you shared! (and all the little details - SO good!) And I hear you on the heat making you lethargic. That was me all week! It was very tough, VERY TOUGH to get motivated. But sounds like you did great this week and I am so glad that the tense/POV switch is working out so well for you! Hope you have another great week, Jaime!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alison! :-) I'm really enjoying the changes I'm making with this story, so it's making me love it again. As for the temperatures, it's much cooler today, which I'm LOVING. Does wonders for my motivation and productivity. Have a great week!
DeleteI always struggle with finding the right POV, glade your liking the switch.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martha! :-)
DeleteI'm glad the tense/person change is going well -- and I think it really shows in that excerpt. You've totally drawn me in with just those few lines. :)
ReplyDeleteI feel you on the heat thing -- this week it's supposed to get above 30 here! Pretty sure I'm going to melt.
Thanks, Becky! :-) I'm not sure why it never occurred to me before to switch up the tense/person in this WiP. I feel like it's exactly what it needed, and it's making me love this story all over again. Which is good, because I need to finish the thing already. As for the heat, it was above 30 here yesterday, which was just ughhhhhh. Thankfully, today is much cooler. And what a coincidence, my motivation has returned! LOL Have a great week!
DeleteI don't know how it read before, but the tense/person used in this excerpt feels natural for it. Tense/person is always so difficult to get right, and for me, I feel like until I get that (and find the voice in it), the whole story moves at a snail's pace.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on accomplishing what you did last week, and appreciating the effort you did put in as solid, productive effort. It's so easy to look at goals and say, "I didn't do that; I failed." And it's so important to balance stretching for goals and still being proud of and inspired by the work you did do while aiming high. Good luck this next week!
Thanks, Bailey! I'm happy you think so. It's certainly making a difference in how I see this story, so that's a good thing. Getting that tense/person combo right is tough, and I'm just glad I finally figured out what I want for this one. It's only been about three years. LOL Have a great week! :D
DeleteGlad to hear the POV change worked out well! Sounds like you're making great progress. :) Good luck this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Emma! It really makes all the difference for me. Have a great week!
DeleteGreat job with your goals, Jaime! Happy to hear the tense/POV shifts are working well for you. Good luck with your goals for the week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kaitlin! Have a great week! :D
DeleteSounds like you nailed your goals this week. The heat was hard for me too, mostly because I wanted to be outside enjoying it rather than inside at my computer desk.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week, and a happy Canada Day!
I came pretty close, anyway, so I'm happy. :-) I spent all of Saturday outside at the local Highland Games and it was MUCH too much heat for me. Too, too hot. What's wrong with me? I hate the -30 weather and I hate the +30 weather. Why can't it just be perfect??? ;-)
DeleteHave a great week! And Happy Canada Day to you too!
That's a great excerpt, and it looks like 3rd person is really working for that scene. Hope this week is just as productive! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jessica! I think this switch was exactly what this story needed. In any case, it's making me love my story again, so that's definitely a positive. :-) Have a great week!
DeleteTense switches can be such grueling changes! I think the excerpt reads well and the third person is fitting.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stephanie! :-) It's super tedious. LOL But the good thing is that this tense/person change is forcing me to really look at my story in a way that I haven't in a very long time. Going through it line by line means that I'm more likely to fiddle with wording until it sounds better, something that I had gotten kind of lazy about doing.
DeleteHave a great week!
I loved your excerpt! I am really intrigued about your WiP and so excited to see how it shapes up over the summer. You are doing great meeting your goals, but I definitely feel you about the busier than normal with life stuff thing. I am right there, too. Good luck this week, dude!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rebekah! :-) These tense/person changes are making all the difference, and I'm kind of loving this WiP again. That does wonders for my motivation! Have a great week, lady!
DeleteYou can't go wrong with third-person past tense. It's the classic default for a reason, since it works so well for just about every story. I wish more writers these days would use it, since it often seems like many new writers think they have to use first-person present tense and have never written or even read much else.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to write a story in 3rd past, so I'm not sure why it never occurred to me before to switch this one over. I think a lot of YA writers--myself included--write in first-person because it seems to fit really well with a teen narrator. It gives a story a sense of immediacy and gives us a firsthand glimpse inside the MC's head, which again works well for teens. That said, I've read some really great third person YA stories (past tense and present tense), so that just goes to show that either can be effective.
DeleteSwitching tenses and going from 1st and 3rd POV?????? That sounds crazy, but I know you can do it. Good luck. Thanks for sharing. :D
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I think it's exactly what this story needed, and it's causing me to really look at my story, line by line. It had gotten sort of boring to me, but this is breathing new life into it. :-) Have a great week, Leslie Ann!
DeleteIt's interesting how certain books need to be told in a specific way. I think this is one thing that makes writing so fascinating. Based on your excerpt (which I loved BTW), the POV and tense work great. Good luck on your goals this week and here's hoping the summer-melting temperatures don't get in your way!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alicia! :-)
DeleteI'm not sure why it never occurred to me to switch the tense/person in this story before, but now that I have, it's breathing new life into this story. It's tedious making the changes, but it's forcing me to take a closer look at the story, which is what it really needed. Good luck this week!
Not shabby at all, Jaime! And I love the excerpt you shared. I think the 3rd person voice is perfect (only judging by that excerpt, of course).
ReplyDeleteGood luck this week! Here's hoping for somewhat cooler weather (the heat has made me lethargic too)!
Thanks, Alice! :D This switch to 3rd past is making all the difference in the way the thing reads and in how I feel about it. Plus, it's forcing me to take a closer look at it, line by line, as I make the changes.
DeleteHave a great week, and good luck on your writing!
Good job, Jaime! And I love your goal of revising if you feel the urge. Very realistic because life does get in the way. Playing with 1st, 3rd or whatever does make a huge difference. I usually do that once in all my rewrites because it changes the perspective so much. Good luck this next week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tonja! :-) I'm loving these changes I'm making, and it has really given the story a different feel. It's making me like the story all over again, so that's definitely a positive thing. Have a great week!
DeleteOh, I love how that third person makes your narrator sound so dreamy! Good choice!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Valerie! :-) I'm not sure why it took me so long to figure out that third/past words so much better for this story. Glad I finally did, though!
DeleteCongrats on your progress last week! Sounds like you did well despite some challenges. I can relate to the heat. It just makes me want to curl up in front of a fan and take a nap. I LOVE your excerpt! Good luck this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kitty! I'm so happy I made the changes I did with the tense and switching it to third person. It's making me want to work on this story more, so that's a positive. Have a great week! :-)
DeleteSuch a bittersweet excerpt! I'm glad to see you're already getting lots of work done this week! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karyne! This week has been a little tougher on the motivation front, but it's not over yet, so I still have time to redeem myself. Have a great week! :-)
DeleteI adore the excerpt you shared, Jaime! Please, please, please think of me when you're ready for readers. You know I love a good romance, and Annie's description is so aching and nostalgic. Right up my alley. :-) Well done on your goal for the last week, and best of luck this week. Let me know if you want writing company this week. I'm finally up and running again!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Katy! I will definitely send this your way when it's ready to go. Thanks again for offering! :-) I love writing a straight-up romance, and this one is so full of regret, which is such a great emotion to write. I'm loving it, anyway. Good luck with your goals this week. I'll definitely pop onto Twitter and see what you're up to!
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