Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Writing Update: October Goals | Awesome Giveaway


Happy Wednesday! Since there is a fifth Wednesday this month, there will be no new blog post until October 7's IWSG post.

My goals from last month are going pretty well. I'm still writing every day, which surprises me. Using a timer has really helped my productivity. Like Pavlov's dog salivating at a bell's ring, as soon as I press "start" on the timer, I'm ready to write. I've been averaging 980 words in forty minutes between three projects: Forged (novel, The Fate Challenges), The Mission (novella, The Gaia Project #1.1), and the short story "Folds in Life and Death." Yesterday, I finished the final proofread and formatted Mayhem in the Air, which will be out this October. The UR anthology is up on Goodreads now.

I still have a friend's novel to edit as soon as she gets the manuscript to me.

Here are my October goals:
Primary Goal = Write 25-30 minutes a day. Forged is in this spot.
Secondary Goal = Write 12-15 minutes a day. The Mission will be my secondary project until I finish this novella, but I will slide "On Day 168" into this spot afterwards.
Finish writing, edit, and submit "Folds in Life and Death."
Edit Marked (The Fate Challenges #1.5).
Publish Mayhem in the Air.

I need to do some outlining soon. When I finish "On Day 168," I'll have the secondary goal ready for a new project, and right now I'm considering putting into that slot the rewrite of Virtuoso (The Cassandra Project #1), which is about a college student/violin virtuoso who develops telekinetic abilities after a car accident and the government man who's after her. But in order to be ready to rewrite Virtuoso, then I need to read through the very crappy first draft and make a new outline. But that'll be on the side and is not important yet to add to my goals.

2015 Stats (1/1/15-9/22/15): 77,241 words written and 1295 pages edited

TBMs giveaway 2 

Welcome to the kickoff for September's giveaway. All of the books are fab and the authors are amazing. Seriously you don't want to miss out. Here's the link to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. And here are the books.

  September Giveaway Covers

36 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Wow, you write fast! Maybe I should try the timer thing. Although I don't think it would force my fingers to move about my 350 words an hour average. Not without a lot of mistakes.

Nicola said...

What a great week you've had. Well done, Cherie! The best skill I learned in school was to touch type so I can hammer out the words quite quickly too. If only my brain would work at the same speed..... just think of the amount of novels I could write in a year....dream..dream.. Enjoy the rest of your week. All the best.

Christine Rains said...

You're doing fantastically! I'm always amazed how you can efficiently handle multiple projects. I'm lucky if I remember the laundry if I put it in while I'm writing! The bulk of the work is done on Mayhem now, so you'll have more time for yourself. :)

Natalie Aguirre said...

Wow! I'm impressed with all your writing. I have heard of the timer idea, but never tried it. Maybe I should.

Heather R. Holden said...

980 words in forty minutes?! Whoa! It would take me hours upon hours to write that much back when I was a novelist. (Guess it's a good thing I'm not a novelist anymore, LOL.) Best of luck with all your October goals! :)

Crystal Collier said...

You're making tracks! Wish I could join you in that regard. Seasons, eh?

M.J. Fifield said...

980 words in 40 minutes? Perhaps I should use a timer.

Best of luck with your October goals. I'm impressed by how ambitious you are!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Those are good Pavlovian results! I need to get a timer.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I need your writing dedication. A couple extra hours wouldn't hurt, either.

Anonymous said...

Awesome work! Can you see a little bit of the productivity my way? Any time after 5pm will be helpful. ;)

M Pax said...

Wow, amazing! You go, woman! I need a timer. And I need to edit. Siiigh.

Loni Townsend said...

You're doing an awesome job! Keep up the good productivity! That's great. :)

Murees Dupè said...

Good for you! It's awesome that you are working on different projects at the same time and managing your time so well. You go girl!

Sandra Cox said...

Writing nearly 1K in less than an hr is huge. Your muse must be positively singing.

Catherine Stine said...

You are doing better than I am with word count! I wonder if a timer would work for me?!

Sandra Cox said...

I trust you're still writing up a storm.....write on.

Cathy Keaton said...

Is Virtuoso that story of yours that I beta-read once? Although, I don't remember the MC having any supernatural abilities. I thought it was a YA contemporary novel. Has the premise changed since then?

Mark said...

That's so cool that you're writing every day...and that you've literally given yourself some Pavlovian training:) Keep up the good work!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Wow! I love that you are using a timer. I used to do that and I need to get back to it. I also love that you have different times for different projects. (You've given me two goals to stick to my board for the next month - thank you!)

Thanks for the inspiration and see you for IWSG!

Cathrina Constantine said...

Cherie, you amaze me!!! My goal is to get a few new words written on my WIP!!!

Anonymous said...

That's wonderful how much you can write in 40 minutes. I believe I can write that much as long as I've outlined and am in the mood to write. Good luck on your goals. You're doing great.

Sandra Cox said...

Happy weekend, Cherie;)

Nas said...

Its so great to read that you write so fast! Go you!

cleemckenzie said...

I don't think I could do that time thing. But, you know what? I may just give is a whirl to see what happens. Here's to goals! And here's to making them.

DMS said...

I think I need to try the timer. I am way behind on my writing and I need to do something. If only my day job didn't take so much time! :) But, I guess I do need the money. Awesome for you that you are getting so much writing done. Yeah!
~Jess

Sandra Cox said...

I like the sound of Virtuoso. Very intriguing.
Hope your writing is still smoking.

Sandra Cox said...

I like timers! They help you reach your goals.
Have a pleasant evening, Cherie:)

alexia said...

Oooh, that's super fast! I can hit speeds like that from time to time, but on average I'm a bit slower. I'm about to start drafting a new book, so definitely need some new goals in place.

Yanting Gueh said...

That sounds like a very productive schedule!

Anonymous said...

Lots of goals! Hope they go well for you :)

And congrats about finishing up Mayhem in the Air!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Maybe I should try this timer thing. My writing has been thrown for the loop with a new day job and my two volunteer jobs exponentially increasing in time. I need to figure something out soon! Good job on your writing accomplishments! And good luck with your continued goals.

New Release Books said...

Sounds really good and productive.

Misha Gerrick said...

Aaaaaaargh! Virtuoso! That just made me so excited. (I loved reading it way back then.) ;-)

Michelle Wallace said...

Wow! You are a writing machine!
Congrats on the productivity!
(By the way, I read and enjoyed your collection... posted reviews on Goodreads & Amazon)

Sherry Ellis said...

That's a good idea to set a timer. Then you're forced to write until the timer goes off.

Kelly Steel said...

You're doing an awesome job! Keep up the good productivity! That's great!