Monday, February 23, 2015

March Madness is Coming!!!



And I don't mean the basketball thing. I mean MARCH is a month for PICKING A PROJECT in your writing and GETTING IT DONE!!! Unlike WriMos, this can be editing or finishing something that was started earlier, or whatever else it is that has been hanging over your head.

The discussion and cheering for this usually happens at BuNoWriMo on Facebook. I know not everyone is on Facebook, but I am no webmaster, so unless someone wants to volunteer to form a discussion forum, there it is...


Now to pick a project...

My first two months of 2015 have been pretty much a wash, all lost in insecurity and as close as I think I've ever been to depression (which I know is not actually all that close to real depression, so no pity needed... just a deep funk), so there are plenty to choose from.


Kahlotus Disposal Site: I've been tinkering and have started here, but my ideas for a really major rewrite are finally coming together. I've been reading some ghosty YA and thinking about real life hot-button issues. Plus my MC. Helen is still my challenge. Balancing what drives her forward with what holds her back. This may be the one.

Next Ale Tale: I have been wondering if figuring out how to fix What Ales Me might be hidden in writing another—figuring out the voice I want with something fresh...

Undoing: I have a trilogy that is 2/9 done... maybe I want to work on THIS... I feel like this may be my best bet for getting back to loving writing because it is its own thing, not trying to fit something else...

A Shot in the Light: The Screenplay: I've thought this would make a great TV series... no clue how I would go about this, but maybe learning a new skill is exactly what I need right now...


I am leaning toward with Kahlotus (because it is SO CLOSE to done) or Undoing (because it seems to be the SORT of story I have not had my confidence shaken on... Mystery and YA are hating on me at the mo....


So anybody else have a project for March?

12 comments:

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Gosh, yes. I've got a book that I started months ago that now *needs* to be done. I don't know if a project has ever taken me this long, but it ends in March!! Thanks for the inspiration.

I think you've got great approaches for these projects, Hart! And I think you also hit the nail on the head...to really rekindle your love of writing, step away from some of the commercial analyses of it or trying to force yourself to write a particular genre or voice.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I have a book I began last year that I still need to finish.

Andrew Leon said...

2/9?
2/9?
How would you even go about knowing that you're 2/9 of the way through something?
Maybe it's just too early for these kinds of questions. Then, again, I have been up since 4:00am (damn cat!).

Hart Johnson said...

HA! Andrew--I am doing three books in three acts each... I've written 2. So I am 2/3 done with the first...

Arlee Bird said...

I've been on the ledge dangling my feet over the edge of the chasm of depression since before Christmas. I get some nudges now and then but so far I haven't fallen. Still I haven't been getting as much done as I should be doing.

I remember that "Kahlotus Disposal Site" idea and I thought it was a great sounding idea. Go for it!

Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sorry those genres are hating you. I actually hope to be done with all writing projects by the time March begins.

Unknown said...

I'm in! For the first time in a few years I don't have anything new to show for the previous years. Instead I've been mired in a lot of revision, which is good, but I'm started to feel stuck and stagnant. March is going to be for finishing a brand new something I just started. And I'm trying something else new for me: plotting instead of pantsing. Not a lot of plotting, but more than I've ever done before.

H. R. Sinclair said...

I do. I do! Did you know Janice Hardy is doing a month (March) and editing? She tackling tips to get it all done by the end of the month.
(http://blog.janicehardy.com/)

Helena said...

As you know, I'm now happy about writing again purely because I'm NOT thinking about the publishing end! I'm slowly writing my screenplay, which is now speeding up because I've been figuring out motives, emotions, and the subplot.

I definitely think you should at least try writing a screenplay, and I bet you'd be very good at it. Screenplays are so different and streamlined compared to novel writing that I find myself asking hard questions much earlier, like what is the story about and why things happen.

Sarah Ahiers said...

I'm in HARDCORE for this. I need to write my entire sequel before the summer AND 80-120 pages of my MG fantasy for school by summer as well. THESE TASKS MUST BE COMPLETED

dolorah said...

Oh man, that is a lot of projects to pick from.

G. B. Miller said...

I have a the beginnings of a novella that I've been itching to get back to, simply because I'm going through a lot of stuff at work and I need some kind of outlet to decompress.

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