Discussion: Q1 Volume 38

[Dustin Adams]

Q1: October 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020
Q2: January 1, 2021 - March 31, 2021
Q3: April 1, 2021 - June 30, 2021
Q4: July 1, 2021 - September 30, 2021

Results and link to the winners will post when judging is complete.

[Dustin Adams]

Me? I wrote and sent the first 600 words of Q1 to my writing partner just this morning.
Let's rock!

[C.A. Tedeschi]

I'm nowhere near done on 37 Q4. But it is fun to think ahead, isn't it?

[disgruntledpeony]

I have a few options for Q1, depending on what I get back from where. I like options. Options are good.

[Retropianoplayer]

Dustin, according to the notches on your gun belt, you've an impressive string of victories and have been at this game since 2011.

Nine years, going on 10.

At two times a Finalist, the odds are very much in your favor for a win in either Quarter 3 or Quarter 4.

I hope you're successful.

Best,

Retro

P.S. Do you play a musical instrument?

[Dustin Adams]

Thanks Retro.

I'm not in 3 and I have low hopes for 4, but there's always V.38! I'm going for four.
My biggest issue is infrequent entries. Talk to Wulf about entering every quarter... till ya win.

I don't play an instrument. I'm one non-talented mo-fo. I've learned it's all about the process. Gotta love the process. I don't like the sounds I make while practicing music, so I get frustrated. I like the process of writing and exercising, so I've stuck to those two for the most part. I like working on sentences and finding the exact word. As much as I'd like to call myself a novelist, and was working toward that in the past, I don't think high word count is in the cards for me.

That said, I admire and appreciate the heck out of those who do have talent. I've been admiring talented actors lately. Especially kids. Some of the emotions these kids portray and I'm like, damn, I don't think I've even felt some of them.

[Dustin Adams]

Today: I've got my trusty pen, my trusty notebook, and I'm writing thoughts, ideas, and scenes for my Co-Q1!

[Retropianoplayer]

Dustin, best of luck. My favorite part of writing a story is the research and/or the outline. My unsolicited suggestion, lol, is before you jot down the first word, know how your story ends, see the scenes in your mind. If possible, a double climax, where the MC wins by losing, or loses by winning. Something I find helpful is matching arcs - it's not easy to do this. The arc of the A story as it goes though plot point to Act 2, and plot point to Act 3 matches the arc of the B story (emotional growth) and its inherent plot points to Acts 2 and 3.

I know there are people who are "pantsers" and achieve greatness. For me, I'd be lost without an outline, a road map to guide your story along the way.

Best,
As always,

Your friend, Retro

[DoctorJest]

I'm resting, to let myself take a breath and deal with some life stuff, but I have five story ideas sketched out to select from--I'm not sure if any one would be the stand-out winner, but at least I won't be without a way forwards as October advances.

Also hoping to brainstorm a few more to add to that list before it comes time to choose from them.

[RSchibler]

Hey y'all - I've gotten a few crit requests already! Wow, I love the preparation for this quarter! That being said, I'm going to take a week or so to breathe (I did a LOT of crits last week). If you've sent me your story, it'll take me a little longer than usual turn it around. Good luck drafting all!

[nreavis]

I finished my Q1 draft last week, it is currently making the rounds in my writing group :)

[Shockhawk]

Jeez Louise... you guys are fast.

I got 300 words done so far today and feel great about that!! For me the first 1000 words are always the hardest (lots of fretting over names and places and that first sentence).

[DoctorJest]

Hell, I'm happy to just have written down an idea to think about. I'm not close to writing the first words yet.

[JSHargreaves]

Since I missed the deadline on the last quarter (was hoping to do emergency edits the night of Sept 30 ... bad idea ... ), I am now planning to submit for Q1 Volume 38 two months early. I've got a story completed. It just needs some cleanup and polish before I submit. Goal is to submit by the end of October.
Got some early readers looking at it right now and waiting for their perspectives and critiques. Once I submit though, then I can go full-boar into the story idea for Q2 AND keep chipping away at my "Epic-Novel-Project/Magnum-Opus".

Anyone else tend to submit early in the quarter to just get it done?

[disgruntledpeony]

Since I missed the deadline on the last quarter (was hoping to do emergency edits the night of Sept 30 ... bad idea ... ), I am now planning to submit for Q1 Volume 38 two months early. I've got a story completed. It just needs some cleanup and polish before I submit. Goal is to submit by the end of October.
Got some early readers looking at it right now and waiting for their perspectives and critiques. Once I submit though, then I can go full-boar into the story idea for Q2 AND keep chipping away at my "Epic-Novel-Project/Magnum-Opus".

Anyone else tend to submit early in the quarter to just get it done?

Oof, yeah, emergency last-minute edits are always rough.

I tend to sub early, when I can. (I used to sub the day before the end of most quarters, but that was before the twins were born. Now I just sub as soon as I feel like a story is done.)

[DoctorJest]

My favourite method, when I can do it, is to complete my first draft in the first month, work on something completely different during the second month, and then do final edits in the month ahead of the deadline, as that helps me come at the edits with more objectivity. It doesn't always quite work out that way, though, especially if I hit my edits phase and think "I really need to change some fundamental parts of this story for it to work the way I intended it to".

That's what happened with my last Q4 sub--it got edited, revised, reworked, thrown out, rewritten, revised again, and edited until I was at the point where I had long since lost any real sense of what was working or not working. It has good parts, I know that--whether it's good as a whole, I'm no longer certain.

I'm up to 8 ideas sketched out for the upcoming year, though--some completely new, others older stories. None are straight revisions, though. They're either rewrites if the first version didn't do the idea justice or could perhaps be improved with some key additions, or completely new stories, if the seed for an old story also presents the possibility of a completely different story than the original.

[PenMark]

My favourite method, when I can do it, is to complete my first draft in the first month, work on something completely different during the second month, and then do final edits in the month ahead of the deadline, as that helps me come at the edits with more objectivity.

That's a fantastic idea--I'm going to have to try that. Thanks, DoctorJest!

[disgruntledpeony]

I subbed the story I wrote for the WotF online workshop earlier today. It's well-written, but my expectations are low because I'm not sure if the content is right for WotF (or, really, anywhere). It's not graphic or anything, it's just... not an easy concept to deal with.

[babooher]

Anyone else get a sense of emptiness when you're between stories? Like, what do I obsess about now? Probably what am I going to write about next, but that isn't quite the same.

[Dustin Adams]

Indeed.
I have, for the last few stories (read: year) been writing a ton of notes by hand. It's a new thing, and I love it.
But when there's no active story, there's no notes, and I miss it.

[RSchibler]

I just finished my most recent book. I look forward to taking two days off and then getting anxious and stir-crazy. I was just telling my writing group; before I started writing, I had no such urges, but now if I don’t write something new for a while it’s like I’m boiling and there’s nowhere for the pressure to go.

[Eagerink]

Yes, I feel that too. I don't like it, it makes me feel like I can't come up with a good idea. But then I do....

[babooher]

Eagerink, same here!

[Dragonchef]

Weird how that occurs. It's like creative withdrawal symptoms. There are some neurotransmitters in the brain that triggers that need: dopamine and serotonin.
https://kristinaludwig.wordpress.com/2014/03/06/the-science-behind-creativity-how-brain-chemistry-influences-us/

[Eagerink]

Yeah it's like having a kid go off to college or something... not that I would know what that's like XD
You miss it and you're proud of it.

[chuckt]

Oh dear. The first reminder I should be working on my next entry. And I don't even have an idea yet.

[Dragonchef]

Oh dear. The first reminder I should be working on my next entry. And I don't even have an idea yet.

Heh! Don't fret, Chucky. Like they do in MIB...Read the tabloids. Nothing but good ideas there. Find one on an urban legend come to life, maybe. Take it into space or another realm or dimension.

[chuckt]

Oh dear. The first reminder I should be working on my next entry. And I don't even have an idea yet.

Heh! Don't fret, Chucky. Like they do in MIB...Read the tabloids. Nothing but good ideas there. Find one on an urban legend come to life, maybe. Take it into space or another realm or dimension.

[pdblake]

Submitted yesterday.

[Dustin Adams]

Submitted yesterday.

Sweet!
Two months early. Nice.