Ready. Set. WRITE! is a summer writing intensive that encourages goal-setting and accountability, and provides an opportunity for us to cheer each other on wherever we’re at in our writing—planning, drafting, revising, or polishing. This year, your RSW hosts are Alison Miller, Jaime Morrow, Erin Funk, and Katy Upperman.
I was holding out on typing this post until I finished chapter 17, hence how late in the day this comes.
How I did on last week’s goals:
See last week’s post for why I didn’t set myself any rigid goals for this week. Some progress in the general scheme of things:
1. CampWriMo – nearing my end, both for time and for wordcount.
2. Finish at least one of the books I started reading this year. I’m about two-thirds through reading The Iron Wyrm Affair. On the other hand, I finished reading novella Encante. I need to think about not starting anything new until I’ve finished the books I’ve picked up so far.
3. WTCB… Completely reshaped the query and with a better focus on the romance goal for both Aidelle and Phillip and how much they ought to be together. Dropped the New Adult category, but I might still press it with industry professionals in the telos, who know their stuff better than I. I can argue both ways anyway.
4. As much as I’d love to start it, I’m going to drop Under The Carrington from my summer write list. I will pop in when I get the need to write once ‘H’ is done, but, at the moment, my head is too far into the fantasy bubble to attempt a contemporary.
(Those are probably the most prominent progresses I’ve made to any of my overarching goals.)
My goals for this week:
1. Reach at least the 50K mark for CampNaNoWriMo. I’m currently aiming to finish today with at least 42, so I only need (preferably 10-thousand words).
2. More July WTCB work.
A favourite line from my project:
As Cathy tries to return to England, she meets many people who have reasons for staying exactly where they are, including a former maid and this character:
“Certainly,” her voice churned the Italian lace into English stiffness, “I miss my daughters, but my husband… Let us leave at the thought that he was cruel. Controlling. Here, I am something more. I can hunt with the men, where I better belong. My body is not needed for child-bearing, and I have no obligation to sew, when my fingers are no match for the needle.”
Cathy tilted her head and gazed at the woman. She had kept her hair pinned out of her face, but strands of it tufted above her ears and towards a bald patch behind her right temple. Her leather-weaved trousers complimented the band in her hair and that stung well against the shards of heavy white metal she used as hairpins.
The biggest challenge I faced this week:
Starting. It’s more general hesitance than procrastination, but I’m having trouble focusing my mind on writing chronologically, and instead keep jumping about from beginning of chapter to end and back.
Something I love about my WiP:
I can feel my character evolving, as she gains strengths from being thrown into bizarre and oft-uncomfortable situations. Once again, the theme of class has not escaped one of my novels, and I have a couple of characters leaning towards equality. Which is weird. I don’t want any lectures, characters. Plot’s getting into focus, too. I hope.
Alexandrina Brant 
I love that mudhut picture! Also, starting is ALWAYS an issue with me. I’m like most people, once I get started I’m fine. It’s just the initial thing of opening up the doc. I just tell myself that any words are better than no words. That usually gets me going.
Good luck this week on your goals! You can do it!