Good News, Bad News

I'll start with the positive. I interacted on Twitter every day this week. I also managed to set aside at least a half an hour to write every day this week. Most days it was at least an hour. So I wrote...and deleted...and wrote some more...and deleted some more.

...and I'm starting to identify with Sisyphus.

Obviously, it did not go well. But it went, so that's something, right?

The problem is I'm stuck on chapter 18 of Cracked revisions. Not plot-wise because that's pretty set. No matter what I did, the writing itself just came out so forced and clunky. Since my friendly neighborhood pharmacy was fresh out of magic potions that make one's writing not suck, I just kept trying. It did not get better. Eventually, I switched to a different story and worked on it for awhile before returning to Cracked. That didn't help either.

So now I'm staring with some trepidation at "chapter 18." I just rewrote the entire first paragraph again, but it's really the middle of the chapter where the writing goes kaput. (Please excuse the interruption because I suddenly wondered where we got the word "kaput" and feel compelled to look up its etymology immediately.)

Okay, I'm back. It's German. I should've guessed that.

Maybe the problem is my attention span...

Anyway, stuck on chapter 18. I'm going to give it one more try before I just move on to chapter 19. I can always come back to it later. 

Stats & Goals Update (It's about time.)

Stats for the Day

Chapters Revised: Technically 1, but I revised a few of the same sections more than once, so it feels like more.
Conferences Attended: 1
Number of Times Chris Crutcher made me LOL: Yeah...I lost count

Goals Update

Wow, I kind of suck at this goals thing. I set first quarter goals for 2013 back in December of 2012. I didn't completely forget about (most of) my goals, but I never blogged an update in March. Or at all since December.

So here's the update:

Goal 1. Get halfway though major revisions of my MG fantasy novel currently titled Reflection.

I met this goal, though I can't remember whether or not I met it by March. It's September, but since I'm currently on chapter 18 of 28 chapters, I'm giving myself credit--or maybe half-credit.

2. Find a snappier title for Reflection.

Goal accomplished pretty soon after I made it. I'm going with Cracked for now.

3. Polish the first two or three revised chapters by February, in time to submit for critique at my SCBWI region's March conference.

The polishing was done by February, but I wasn't able to go to the March conference because I was on a plane to Puerto Rico that day. I know. I felt bad for me too.

4. Write a daggone synopsis to submit along with the first two or three chapters, again in time to submit for the March conference.

Goal sort of accomplished. I put together a two paragraph synopsis for a query letter. I'm almost happy with it. I haven't started revising the longer synopsis, though. Maybe 2/11 credit for this one. (It's kind of like Who's Line. The points make no sense because they don't really matter.)

5. Write a rough draft of a query letter and post it to the Blueboards for critique.

I only wrote and posted the synopsis from goal four. I'll pick a random fraction's worth of credit to give myself later. Maybe.

6. Update the blog more regularly--at least once every two weeks.

I think I have to give myself negative points for this one.

New Goals for the Last Quarter of 2013

1. Finish revising Cracked

2. Write a complete query letter

3. Spend at least 20 minutes three times a week interacting in the writing world on Twitter

4. Update this blog at least every other week. Really this time.