NaNoWriMo 2021 - Weekly Progress

It’s update time! I will be doing a brief update on my work in progress here and you will see an update each week. The title of the science fiction short story collection is called, “A Far-Reaching Thread.”

You can also see my progress at nanowrimo.org.

WRITING PROGRESS*:

Number of Days: 30*

Word Count: 36,201*

Average Words Per Day: 1,167*

Average Writing Speed: 1 word per minute*

*All stats updated as of November 30th

NaNoWriMo 2021 - Writing Progress

Remaining Days (couldn’t fit all on chart):

• Nov 28th - 268 words

• Nov 29th - 438 words

• Nov 30th - 308 words

Now you know where I stand and I got more exciting work to go! How have your WIP’s been going? Are you meeting the goal or going beyond it? Give yourself a pat on the back. You’re awesome! Keep it up!

Falling short? Don’t worry, you’re awesome too! Writing is tough. As you can see, I’ve had my off days as well. Remember, don’t be discouraged if you can’t hit the goal every day. It’s all about the journey. This month is about challenging yourself to start, continue, and/or finish your novel. Remember, you can do it.

I hope you all have an excellent time writing next week and until next time…

Read, Write, Edit, Repeat

- J. J.

National Novel Writing Month - Another Journey Begins

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a pleasant Halloween dressing up, eating candy, and maybe taking in a movie or two (I think this was the first year I did all three!). However, Halloween is done and National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is upon us.

I have participated in this event a few times with varying success, but this year I wanted to try something different. As you all know, I’ve been working on editing my novel along with writing some new, yet to be read, flash/short stories. I’ve really been enjoying the writing process of these stories and I hope to have at least one ready for all you readers this November. Yay!

I’ve been enjoying writing them so much, in fact, that I am planning on creating a connected universe flash fiction/short story collection for NaNoWriMo this year. Creating smaller, loosely connected stories into a collection feels like a fun way to make unique stories. It leaves open room for creativity, takes the pressure of completing a single novel away, and also allows me to tackle the page in a more focused manner.

Each novel poses difficult challenges and can be mentally exhausting. As I edited my own novel, I found myself losing focus and energy for the last few months. It became a slog. Writing short stories re-energized me and helped me gain more focus when jumping back to my novel. Additionally, reading other novels assisted in this as well.

Yet, doing a short story collection for NaNoWriMo isn’t the only thing I’m doing different this year. For the first time, I will be using the NaNoWriMo system to record my progress. I haven’t done it before, but I can imagine it will be helpful in keeping me accountable. I will also be giving a weekly update on my progress as well. Hopefully, after the month, I will do a review of my experience and the system they use. Many of you may be intimately familiar with it, so feel free to share your experience in the comments.

Speaking of sharing experiences, I will be sharing more information on my short story magazine submission progress by the end of the year. I have several more stories written and will be submitting a few still this November.

So, as you can guess, I’m going to have a busy November and I have a lot to deliver. Wish me luck and until next time…

Read, Write, Edit, Repeat

- J. J.

Writing Update - May & Onward

Hello everyone,

It has been a while since I last posted here and some of you may be wondering what happened to me. Radio silence does not equal dead, at least not in this case. In fact, I have been quite busy. I’ve been working on several short stories and editing a novel.

During January and February, I worked on several different flash fiction and short stories. I always enjoyed creating short stories. It was what got me into writing in the first place. Being able to have fun and write whatever popped into my mind is a great way to relax and improve my writing craft.

I know what you’re going to ask: “Hey, that’s great! Can we read them?”

Not yet. I have been going through all of them, one by one, and editing them. I want to deliver better work every time and if I don’t edit, you don’t get the content you deserve. Also, I have been taking some that I really enjoy, and I’ve been attempting to get them published in a few magazines. My mini goal this year was to get at least three short stories sold to a science fiction or fantasy magazine. It’s an ambitious goal, but even if I got just one story published, that would be incredible!

Now, if I don’t get a short story or flash fiction published, what do I do next? The plan is I will do another round of edits and then put them on the website…for free! Not all the short stories, but the ones I enjoyed the most. Some may be quite a bit different than what you are currently accustomed to, but some may feel familiar.

I’m also planning on doing a small information blog about short fiction magazines. There was a ton I learned when researching short stories and I would love to share what I learned with you. Another blog I would also like to share with you is about editing.

Around the middle of January, I was asked to edit a novel. No, this isn’t a big-name author or ghostwriter. It was my brother. He has a story that he’s been eager to tell, and I’ve been helping him go after it. In a later blog, I may go through the process of what I did and what I learned from the experience. However, this experience is still ongoing and I’m sure I’ll learn more as I go along.

I also plan this year to make some additional changes to the website, but when those happen, I’ll let you know.

Until next time, read, write repeat.

-J.J.

Writing Update - What To Expect Next

I’ve been trying to find some sort of work-life balance throughout the last two years and I think I’ve finally found it. Stories, like life, require structure. Without it, the sum of the whole comes crashing down. Striking balance is what makes everything work.

This year has had quite a few ups and downs…okay, mostly downs, but I’m determined not to have it end on a low note. From a writing standpoint, here is what I hope to deliver for those viewing my blog:

• More frequent, consistent blog posts about writing, comics, and great stories in general.

• Start an educational blog series based on writing books.

• And a new short story.

So, let’s start at the top. More blogs. I’ve wanted to do more, and I made too many excuses for not doing them. That won’t be happening anymore.

“Wait, does that mean you are going to blog everyday now?”

No, not every day. But it will be more frequent. However, I would like to know what you all would like to read?

• Do you want posts to be more writing advice focused?

• Do you want me to cover upcoming books and authors?

• Do you want reading suggestions?

I will probably do a combination of the three moving forward, but if there is one you prefer, please let me know in the comments. Please note, I will try to cover all genres of books and comics, but I do tend to gravitate toward sci-fi and fantasy.

Next up, an educational series.

I’ve been working on becoming a writer for awhile and I’ve learned a lot throughout the process and I always feel like I need a refresher while I’m working. As the adage goes, “If you want to learn something, teach it.” I would love to share what I learned (and the books I’ve learned than from) with all of you. This educational series may not start right away, but it is something I wanted to try.

I hope to provide an update on it soon.

The last one, of course, is a new short story! I haven’t done one in awhile and I would love to give you all a free one again. My goal is before the middle of December, but it could be sooner. Who knows?

I do have other writing projects I’m working on and I don’t want to neglect them or put them off any longer. I have a novel that I’m nearing completion on (draft zero) and I want to complete another story this year as well. That “other” story is going to be what I will be working on for National Novel Writing Month. I encourage all of you to participate, even if you don’t have a writing project to work on.

That is my update for all of you. I hope everyone’s writing is going well and please leave a comment on what you would like me to cover on the blog.

Until next time, write, read, repeat.

-J.J.

It's Cold, Send Blankets

It doesn’t usually get this cold in Minnesota, but these next two days are not usual. A high of -14 and a low (with windchill) of -60 or -70 (-51.111 or -56.666 degrees Celsius respectively) at night.

To put that in perspective, that’s nearly as cold as the surface of Mars. Okay, nearly might be a stretch (average temperature on Mars is -80), but I think it’s close. Thankfully, I’m able to work from home the next two days and it will give me to time to catch up on some much needed reading, writing, and other school/work obligations.

With the first month of the New Year nearly in the books, it’s a good time to evaluate your progress on your writing goals. Some of you may have set some on New Years. Others may have just set some now. That’s okay. Better late than never!

My goals, as far as writing is concerned, are simple. I only have two:

1. Write a blog once a month

2. Write at least one page a month

The last goal stings because it feels so low to me. I want to be writing WAY more, but it might not be possible with my current schedule. The light at the end of the tunnel is nearing though and I will be able to write more in a few months.

To those who feel they are underachieving on their writing goals, just keep going and do your best. It might be a sentence, a paragraph, even a page, but whatever you do, don’t stop pushing toward your goals. Tell your story the way you want to tell it and enjoy the ride!

For those affected by winter’s bitter grip, stay warm and hide under as many blankets as you can find. That’s my plan. Stay safe and see ya next month!

-J.J.

Update - National Novel Writing Month

As promised, an update on my writing progress for this month. In a word...disappointing. It has been a struggle to get words on the page, especially good ones. I have been experimenting with different forms to get the content out, but its been mostly a struggle. However, there is good news! 

The last couple of days have been going well! I mean, its not 1,000 words a day, but it's definitely better. 

So, you might be asking, "Why are you struggling to write?" Maybe you aren't asking, but I am going to tell you. I have been juggling quite a few projects, one being a film. A few years ago, I made a film with my brother and a few friends. My brother and I had been doing some promotion, but I really put my brother in charge of it. The movie is called, "Continuity and Other Errors." It's a weird story and the trailer doesn't really do it justice. 

It has only played at one film festival so far and was preselected for the New York Film Festival. We are waiting on responses from other film festivals, but right know, its been pretty slow. 

Now you know a bit about what has been slowing me down this month. I am looking forward to the rest of the month where I hope to completely turn this slump around and meet the 1,000 words a day mark. Maybe even have another free short story! Maybe.

My question for you, "How has your writing been going?"

I hope it's been better than mine. I will provide a final (more comprehensive) writing update at the end of the month or December 1st. 

Until then, keep writing! - J.J.

I am off to meet the writer people...or the wizards...that sounds cooler. Wizards.

Tomorrow I will be attending the 2017 Minnesota Writing Workshop, which I talked about in a previous blog post.

While there, there are three things I want to focus on:

I am here to learn and have a hoot! #horriblepuns

1. How to pitch my work - I have sent out queries before and had some agents interested in reading partials and fulls, but so far nobody will to take the next step. What I hope to gain at the workshop is improving my pitch skills. At the event, I will be given the opportunity to pitch my novel to an agent and get some feedback. My dream is the agent will be blown away and be biting at the bit to sign me. In reality, it will be a learning experience on how to improve my pitch and potentially add the knowledge to my future query attempts. I prefer the dream, but reality ain't too bad either.
2. Meeting cool people - That is one huge benefit I hope to take advantage of: Being around other writers. I could learn a lot and make some new friends. You can never have enough writing buddies.
3. Some basic critiques - I will also be participating in a 10-page critique of my story. Now, I know that might sound weird, considering I'm querying to agents, but I see it as another way to sharpen my work and get an inside look at a professional author/editors idea. The better I can make my story, the more enjoyable it will be for all of you. Win-Win-Win. The third win is for my brother because he wants to win too.

Overall, I am super excited for tomorrow and I hope to learn so much that mind explodes. Obviously not literally or it may take another two or three years for Minnesota to hold another Writer's Digest Writing Workshop.