Help! My ROW80 check-in (On Writing)

 

Hello ROW80ers and others who happen upon this blog,

 

I'm stuck.  Some people call it writer's block.  I hate that term, it make it sound like all your creativity is being held back by a brick wall or something.

 

I feel like it everything else in life that hurting my creativity and writing. I sit there thinking about something else other then the story.

I need to create a 2nd draft somehow pull what I've written for the 2nd draft with what I like about the 1st or rough draft.

 

Anyone have a writing exerciseI can do to get my story moving again?  Anything? Please help.

Lent and ROW80 Check-in

Today is first day of Lent and Mid-Week check-in For ROW80.
This whole round of ROW80 I have been back and forward on my goals changing them or not reaching them.
Writing goals
First it was write 100 words a day then I changed it to write 500 words a day but then I didn't write every day.
So now I've changed it again to simply write everyday.
Since Sunday I wrote on Monday and Tuesday.  I haven't wrote anything today yet.  There still some of today left I hope to write later after the Ash Wednesday service at 6.

I wrote about a family crisis for my MC's new friend, of course this made me realized I still don't have a major event or crisis for my MC to go through. I mean what drive her to do the things she does? I know she wants to find her friend (forever best friend) and this trying to find her friend changes through the book, first it just looking for her in the lunchroom.

Life goals
I have applied for some jobs.
Need to apply for some more.

For Lent I gave up (I hate that we say I gave up for Lent but I can't think of another way to put it) anyway I gave up for Lent: sweets, twitter and facebook.  Will only check and maybe post on twitter and facebook on Sunday.  So all my twitter writing buddies you may only see me on Sundays. I realized this morning that I spent most of the morning of twitter and facebook I think its a good sign I need to give them up for a while.

She's Wants (Character Development), a ROW80 Check-In

It's time for mid-week check in for ROW80 (Around the Words in 80 days.)
I can't believe its Wednesday.  My most busy day of the week and its all in the evening.
First: Healing Prayer Service at my church.
Second: Book Club, also a church gathering, we're reading Francis McNutt's The Power that Heal It's about praying at home with family for healing.
Third and Last: Coffee Club where we discuss God over steaming cup of coffee at the local coffee shop.
And now my ROW80 check-in
On Sunday I realized I didn't know what my heroine wanted. Click this link for the post all about that part of my novel writing journey here titled What Does She Wants, A ROW80 Check-In,

I haven't been writing.  A lot on my mind. Like what do I want to do with my life? What Career? No I'm not a high school student or college student but I'm at that point again in my life where I must make a decision. I was kind of hoping God would just hit me over the head with a brilliant idea for a job and I could go on my merry way down that path.

What I really want to do is write.  Write fiction. I want to be published to see my book on a shelf or even just a e-book with an amazing publisher's name standing behind it.
But I need a job to make money as I write, and as I learn.
Maybe Feathers and Deaf will be pubished in the next few years. Oh wow I could dream that all day. but I need to finish it and I will finish it with the support of my new friends from ROW80 (Thank you guys) and my crazy friends here around me too.

Sorry I got off track but it's what I've been thinking about since last Wednesday.
What does my main character want? She wants to find her friend.  In the first chapter she's in the lunch room trying to find her best friend in the crowd.  In different ways through out the book she'll be looking for her friend.

How are all the rest of the ROW80 writers doing this week?

Annie Laurie

What Does She Want, A ROW80 Check-in

What Does she want?
I've been writing and brainstroming my story turning it into the 2nd draft.  This morning in church I realized something I'd no clue what my heroine whats.  (yes, my mind wondering away during church but just for a moment.)
In the first draft my heroine wanted her two best friends to get along and be best friends with each other.
Well in the second draft I changed the two best friends into one best friend and the new girl at school.
I know what the best freind wants.
I know what the new girl wants.
but what does my heroine want? This happen to me everytime I write even if I know before hand the main want or goal of my heroine.  I get writing and the desire the main goal for my hero or heroine will disappear and I'll realize it.  Or it turn out this not strong enought to make it 200 pages.

Goal before Wednesday is to come up the answer to this question. What does she want?

Annie Laurie

A notebook, a pencil, and ROW 80 Check-in

A notebook, a pencil, and ROW 80 Check-in

As some of you know this is my first Around the words in 80 days or #ROW80 as its called on twitter.
It's been a learning process.  I keep changing my goals since I'm learning about how I write and learning how to write this book "Feathers and Deaf"

When I wrote the first draft I remember writing 500 words a day. What I forgot was that I didn't write every day when writing the first 1/4 part of the book or the intro act of the book. Some days I just brainstormed, or plotted.

And here the the other thing the story flowing better when I sit down with a notebook and pencil vs sitting at my laptop.

All my characters are changing but maybe one who I haven't even wrote into the story yet since he made an appearance into the first draft until later in the plot.
Things that changed:
My heroine is not a cheerleader, she doesn't have two best friends, at least not yet. 
One of the best friends Mallory, turned into the new girl at school, the first day of senior year.
The remaining best Friend Karen, is not starting a new relationship but had a boyfriend since 8th grade.
Oh and least not forget that my heroine is now hard of hearing.
This is all in the first chapter.


Without a doubt this is a Work in Progress!
But I'm having fun, can't see my life without writing. I think I'd write no matter what.

Annie Laurie

ROW80 check-in and FashionBeans

It's that time of the week again, its either the first day of the week or the last day of the week depend on how you see Sunday, and it also the Sunday check-in for Around the Words in 80 days.

On Wednesday I had a happy preppy report for my check-in about what I discovered about my 1st draft of Feathers, now called Feathers and Deaf, at least that how I've saved it on my computer.

I kinda of like it, deaf and death kinda sound alike and it's goes with the plot line.
I have my good days and my bad days as far as writing my (changed) daily goal of 500.  I haven't wrote today yet.  I still have time after supper to write.  I'm going to the Rice Box to get Chinese in a little bit. I'm hoping to have my 2nd draft written in 100 days a total of 50,000 words. A good length for a young adult novel.

Today instead of writing I did a little characters resourcing over at FashionBeans a Men's Fashion website in England. I have three male characters in my story so far and since my heroine know her world more by sight since she's hard of hearing I wanted my guys to have a more individual fashion styles.  When I googled men's fashion that what came up and they had a section called Men's Street Fashions with 1077 photos seem like a good place to start.  (really wish my bbf was here with me to look, I think we'd have a good laugh over some of the street styles they found, you don't see most of these in Alabama. But I did see a few styles that remind me of guys I've seen at the coffee shop my go to place to people watch and write)

I realized yesterday I didn't write a writing prompt this week. 

My editing goal has turned into writing my 2nd draft, trying to decide if I still want to write my memoir about my spiritual journey the last few years.  If so I'm going to have to change my daily goal again.  Maybe 100 words on memoir and 500 words on Feathers and Deaf...
Need to decide, maybe I'll know by next check-in on Wednesday...

Annie Laurie