Writing Goal for the Day?

Outline? What is this outline you speak of? ;) I have a TON of stories I could do that for, and should, but I'm afraid I'll get too distracted if I do.

I'm not into serious hardcore outlining, but I try to have islands of major plot points planned out, while leaving myself free to build bridges between them organically.

Let's be clear about one thing: if I ever handed my "outline" into my fourth grade teacher, Sister Margaret, I'd only see a sea of red ink when I got it back. It's more a stream of thoughts, key points, and random dialogue, broken into chapter chunks.

I envy people who don't need to do this. I didn't with my current chaptered story. I've had to do some plot gymnastics to get myself out of some tight corners, and the story is worse because of it. With sci-fi/fantasy? I'd say there's a one hundred percent chance of a major, major oversight on my part, and then I'd be doing some sort of, "You see, Jimmy, we all thought XYZ was true, but it turns out that at the vernal equinox, when a fuzzy kitten does the jig while knights chant 'ekki-ekki-ekki-pitang-zoom-boing,' ABC can happen."

Besides, the brain isn't the steel trap it used to be. If I don't write it down now (and I have six chapters done :)) it will be gone before the day ends. :rolleyes:
 
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With sci-fi/fantasy? I'd say there's a one hundred percent chance of a major, major oversight on my part, and then I'd be doing some sort of, "You see, Jimmy, we all thought XYZ was true, but it turns out that at the vernal equinox, when a fuzzy kitten does the jig while knights chant 'ekki-ekki-ekki-pitang-zoom-boing,' ABC can happen."

LOL.

I write fantasy too, and I definitely have to keep a lot of notes about how everything works, for the same reason. I don't use very detailed outlines for plot, but I need stuff in writing for world-building. To avoid the fuzzy kitten jig. :)
 
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Actually, I should outline more. In that anti-Sister-Margaret (for me it was Sr. Laurita) way of just noting down ideas and plot points and characters. I've found a couple of things with outlines.

For one, I often start them about half way through a book, so that I can keep track of what came before as I move to the resolution. For another, when I do have them, it's much easier to write. It's more of filling in and connecting dots than trying to do both while setting up the next dot.

Problem is I'm often not sure what I want to happen, or what will happen, until I get started.

The world needs more fuzzy kittens that can dance jigs.
 
Finished revising my novel.

Now I can focus on catching up on reading some of the great stories by the people on here who actually know what they're doing. :)
 
Short story revised, and now other little things must be done for publication. Still hope to get even a few sentences down on the other stories...
 
Short story revised, and now other little things must be done for publication. Still hope to get even a few sentences down on the other stories...

Nice. I still haven't started the rewrite from your last edit! I've been too busy with RL and then I've got BJ wanting a new story and the pirate story I need to write. soon!
 
Short story revised, and now other little things must be done for publication. Still hope to get even a few sentences down on the other stories...

Congrats on revising the short story. Good luck with the rest!
 
Congrats on revising the short story. Good luck with the rest!

Thanks. Got part of the other stuff done, and did add a couple of sentences to the stories-in-progress, hereafter known as SIP. Every little bit helps.

And it's Friday, yay. Story time at the library for the little one, and keep the older one occupied... but perhaps later more time to work on the SIPs. Really need to attend to house stuff, too, like changing sheets and stuff.

As my dad says: I meant to get rich, I just forgot.
 
Well not so much a goal for today, but a goal that I accomplished.

Today my 50th story posted. My first story was 5/13/2010 and I told myself that I would have 50 by the end of 2011. So I made it with room to spare.
 
Well not so much a goal for today, but a goal that I accomplished.

Today my 50th story posted. My first story was 5/13/2010 and I told myself that I would have 50 by the end of 2011. So I made it with room to spare.

Way to go. :)
 
Well not so much a goal for today, but a goal that I accomplished.

Today my 50th story posted. My first story was 5/13/2010 and I told myself that I would have 50 by the end of 2011. So I made it with room to spare.

Very nice. Good for you!
 
And it's Friday, yay. Story time at the library for the little one, and keep the older one occupied... but perhaps later more time to work on the SIPs. Really need to attend to house stuff, too, like changing sheets and stuff.

Damned Real Life, always getting in the way. :p


As my dad says: I meant to get rich, I just forgot.

I like that. :)
 
It's a Legg Mason tennis tournament day for me.

This evening I hope to start on cleanup on a Christmas book.
 
Congrats, LC.

I outline all the time now. I find it saves me a ton of work and headache to know exactly where the story is going, and I still have plenty of room to improvise and keep myself interested.

As for writing goals, I just hope to get something done today... anything. :)
 
Damned Real Life, always getting in the way. :p

Isn't that the truth. ;) So we made it through story time -- which turned out to be sort of free play time, as the story reader was out sick. So that was fun, then we did lunch at McD's and now we're home. The boy is about to play NHL Slap Shot on the Wii... hope he keeps himself together.

Congrats, LC.

I outline all the time now. I find it saves me a ton of work and headache to know exactly where the story is going, and I still have plenty of room to improvise and keep myself interested.

As for writing goals, I just hope to get something done today... anything. :)

Yes -- anything, that's a great goal, and mine. I agree with the outlines. I like to have them, I'm just not very good at doing them.
 
Yes -- anything, that's a great goal, and mine. I agree with the outlines. I like to have them, I'm just not very good at doing them.

Oh, me neither really. Sometimes my outlines look like:

1) Guy sees things that aren't there
2) ??!?!
3) It's a madhouse!

Needless to say, they take some refining.
 
Oh, me neither really. Sometimes my outlines look like:

1) Guy sees things that aren't there
2) ??!?!
3) It's a madhouse!

Needless to say, they take some refining.

LOL Mine are a wee bit more filled out than that. Although I think I get frustrated/sidetracked b/c mine are more like synopses and I think, well geez if I'm going to do this, I might as well just write the story.
 
LOL Mine are a wee bit more filled out than that. Although I think I get frustrated/sidetracked b/c mine are more like synopses and I think, well geez if I'm going to do this, I might as well just write the story.

I've experimented with outlining in such detail that it's very little removed from writing the story outright, and it's kind of fun. A lot of work, though.
 
1) Guy sees things that aren't there
2) ??!?!
3) It's a madhouse!

Needless to say, they take some refining.

LOL. Awesome. Reminds me of the underpants gnomes.

1.) Steal underpants
2) ????
3) Profit!
 
LOL. Awesome. Reminds me of the underpants gnomes.

I won't lie, that was my key inspiration.

A close friend of mine once described her creative process as a "flowchart" that looked a lot like this:


????? > !!?!? > ?!?!?!???! > ? > ! > ...... > !?!?!?!?!?!

It made me laugh.
 
A close friend of mine once described her creative process as a "flowchart" that looked a lot like this:


????? > !!?!? > ?!?!?!???! > ? > ! > ...... > !?!?!?!?!?!

It made me laugh.

That's pretty good too. :D
 
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