Fast Drafting in October - Make that...SHOCKTOBER!

[Thomas Kingsley Troupe (TKT)]

Hey kids!

Welcome to the starting point of what some of us veterans like to call the Fast Drafting thread.  Maybe you're joining the group from previous fast drafting efforts.  Maybe not.

Here's the thing:

The goal here is to pummel out a fast draft of your work within the month of October.  It could be a work that you started and just couldn't pull the trigger on, it could be some brilliant idea you had while looking at this little guy  :cuccoan:, or it could be a book you've written and you want to start over from the ground up.

Bottom line?  It doesn't matter.  What matters is getting that FIRST DRAFT done and feeling like a gosh-darned champion by the end of it all.

So...if you want to join in the fun, buckle up and get ready for Fast Drafting October, or what I like to call SHOCKTOBER!

As in...you'll shock yourself with how much you can get done.

On your marks, get set....

-=Thomas=-  :cuccoan:

[MaudeStephany]

count me in Thomas.... I already have half a dozen projects that have been waiting for me to finish my current WIP to get some badly needed attention...

Maude 

[Petoskey]

Right there with you, Thomas and Maude.  Love the SHOCTOBER.

[susandawn]

Okay...nervously raising hand in the back of the room...

me too!

Note to self:  go re-load Starbuck's card for caffeine induced writing frenzy of SHOCTOBER!

Hope it doesn't end up to be a bunch of Schlock-tober. 

[Stephanie Ruble]

Good Luck Shocktober Fast Drafters!

Thomas, I like the name SHOCKTOBER. Susan, I like SCHLOCK-tober too. Although I'm hoping I won't delve too deep into the schlock category.

[02]

I'm in for my WIP that I couldn't finish in Sept. because I extended the story within the last week. Remind me not to do that this time.

[Aimz]

I'm in.  it's good to have a few days to brace myself.

[AnneN]

As soon as I saw the word "SHOCKTOBER" I knew this was the month I was going to have to emerge from lurkerdom and jump in!  You guys were extremely inspiring in September.

I need to get the current WIP finished and out of my hair so that I can get to the next exciting project....  The glistening pebble in the stream vs. the dry ordinary pebbles one has already carefully collected on the bank, and all that.  Must finish with the dry pebbles so as to get to the next lot of lovely ones.

<faces forward with resolve>

[Christy]

OHHHH, I have to post and say yes. Even if I do finish my goal of 20,000 words for September, my MG won't be finished. So... here I am signing up to hopefully finish the project.

Yes, Susan. Starbucks is definitely a must do for this!

[Jude]

OK - I'm seriously in, after missing August and September with revising, revising, revising....

[Thomas Kingsley Troupe (TKT)]

Awesome!  I'm getting nervous, wondering if I'm going to fall flat on my face.  This'll be the first book where I've thought up the idea and begin writing it a little over a month later.  Usually, my books need time to percolate in my crazy head before I hammer away at my keyboard.

But heck yeah, anyone can join in.  In the words of a famous TV sitcom theme song:
         
Come aboard...we're expecting you....

-=Thomas=-
:cuccoan:       :cuccoan:                                      :cuccoan:         :cuccoan:                                                         :cuccoan:

[Mrs. Jones]

Thomas, you're dating yourself with that song!

I'm in. I haven't done one of these before, but I know it will help to have a concrete goal for October.

Thanks!

Ena

[ecm]

Ha! SHOCKtober--very cool word!  Count me in. I could use another month on the ms I started with the Sept fast draft. You guys are such awesome folks--how could I stay away? Thanks for starting this up, Thomas!

Cheers,
Edna 

[Thomas Kingsley Troupe (TKT)]

Hey, just a heads up...some people have wondered where they can get a snappy little 'progress' widget for their blogs and livejournals.

Check this out: http://www.zokutou.co.uk/wordmeter/

It has a spot for you to plug in your word count, desired word count and it'll calculate how far along you are.  It even gives you a percentage and the HTML code to add it to your site!

If you wanna see what it looks like, check out my dumb ol' blog: http://www.tappitytappity.blogspot.com/  I don't know about you guys, but using that word count bar in conjunction with this community was a nice kick in the pants to get my last fast draft done.

-=Thomas=-

[Michelle DP]

I'm in. September didn't work for me. I let to many things get in the way of my writing (husband, kids, school, life in general). But I need to get back in the habit of writing again. The only thing is...all I am starting with is an idea. I have no idea how long it will be. I'm shooting for about 1500 words a day.

[AnneWritesYA]

Shoctober - I'm in! My goal is 1600 words of writing bliss a day :

[CheezWeezil]

Man... I've been in a writing funk for a week or so, and haven't done diddly.  I've been working so hard on my second revision that I think I got tired of it.  I have another WIP that is about 2/3 done.  I think I need a breath of fresh air, so maybe I'll join in with this other one.

The word is "Discipline"

 : <--- Me at the break room table at work.

[Cate Gardner]

Count me in - I finished my first children's novel in September thanks in part to fast drafting, but my second (started Monday 24th) is only 1,000 words in as I have been seriously procrastinating. Roll on October 1st.

Love the title SHOCKtober, and Thomas thank for the link to the word meter thingy - going to check it out. :

[tulipwars]

Okay--also nervously raising my hand--I'm going to give this a try.  I've been mulling things over and I think I'm ready to start my second novel.  It took me so long to write the first draft of my first one that I think I have to try the hold-your-nose-and-write method as opposed to the agonize-over-every-comma method.  Hoping for the first 20,000 words by the end of the month. 

So...do most of you write every day and do you have day jobs?

[millencake]

So...do most of you write every day and do you have day jobs?

I have a job and the only time I write is for 45 minutes a day, five days a week while on my lunch break.

[Cate Gardner]

So...do most of you write every day and do you have day jobs?

I try to write every day, and mostly succeed (when the demon internet doesn't steal hours from me) and I normally write 3-4 hours a night on weekdays, for about an hour on a Saturday, and about 7 hours on a Sunday; and yes I do have a day job. :EmoticonPhone:

[Thomas Kingsley Troupe (TKT)]

I got a couple o' jobs if you can believe that!

I typically write a couple of hours every night (or at least every other night) and I only do it when my wife and little guy are asleep.  It works out kind of nice.

I keep saying I'd be waaaaay more productive if I didn't have this stupid day job in my way.

-=Thomas=-  :cuccoan:

P.S. Catephoenix, I see you have zombies in your current work in progress.  Now you've got me interested!  My last book is/was chock full o' zombies...

[Cali]

Can hardly wait to join SHOCKTOBER with everyone!  Thanks for starting the thread, Thomas.  I have a PB that has gone amuk (did I spell that right?)  I think that characters need a lot of tough love before they can live and breath and I'm hoping SHOCKTOBER will do the trick, with any luck.   

I can't write during the weekend unless it's after midnight but come to think of it, that CAN be the best time to get run away characters under control.  If you hold your tongue just so! :cuccoan:

[susandawn]

So...do most of you write every day and do you have day jobs?

Day job. Where I try to alleviate the tedium by perusing the blue boards.

The trouble is, I can hardly stand the thought of turning on the computer once I get home at night. But Shocktober! may do it!

[maryrand]

I want to join in...I really, really do.  I need coaxing though.   I've always wanted to write a novel in a month (a novel that hasn't been lingering like the rest, but a novel that says, "hey, just write me already!").  Okay...I'm in. 

A lot of this  : and a lot of  : and a lot of 

Mary

[Petoskey]

I was just going to begin coaxing, Mary, when I saw that you had already jumped in.  Re your emoticons, the best part of FD September for me was just writing and treating myself WITHOUT the head bashing.  Getting it down without second-guessing was great.  That's usually my worst thing.  I drive myself nuts.  We had a great time in September and am sure Shoctober will be even better.

[02]

Looks like I'm going to finish in Sept. After all, so maybe I'd better duck out of Shocktober. Gonna focus on editing/subs and more 'real work' for a while.

Good luck everyone! 

[Cate Gardner]

P.S. Catephoenix, I see you have zombies in your current work in progress.  Now you've got me interested!  My last book is/was chock full o' zombies...

Is that Goodhalo, Thomas? This is my second zombie book, I have written a 140,000 novel for adults (The Maiden Phoenix) that I had/have plans to turn into a trilogy, but I lost my way a little with the beginning of the second book (Dead Girl Rising) but hope to get back into it when I've completed a few childrens novels.  :

Just two more days 

[tulipwars]

Kids, day jobs, writing on lunch hour...I have to say I'm pretty impressed (I have a day job, but it's not full time at the moment).   I was going to tell you that I said 20,000 words due to some really bad math skills on my part and that I'm really going for 12,000--but I've decided to go for it!  I'm hoping that I can write like mad before the editor side of my brain even figures out what's happening. 

[AnneN]

Well, it's the day before the 1st day of SHOCKTOBER, so I'm pulling my wagon up to the starting line.  I need to finish a draft of this WIP, by gum, so that in November I can tackle the new thing (and, yes yes, be revising the old).

I'm at 81633/100K.

Fingers and brain are warming up.

Wagon is full of snacks and warm drinks.

Anticipation!