Tam

Baby has strep so we are all scrambling a bit. Got to spend today with the other kids and it was a good day even if I haven’t gotten to write yet. :) though I do wonder why my bubble has all the household chores in it! And I’m doomed when the sugar cookies run out.

This was my path too. Haven’t quite hit freeform yet, I need my “no plan” mess to have rules to anchor it. But WoDu has been my rock (settling point?) and I’m happy with it.

Definitely a balancing act; I’ve started doing really elaborate ones with instructions to cherry pick for the purpose. But still definitely not 266 worth!

This was only half a joke, it’s sweetwater and a really good mug.

Goodness. I’m facing 36 total and stalling. Go you!!!

Spirit Summoning for Cairn by SOTrekNomad Shamanic Magic for Cairn 2E

My friend @sotreknomad.bsky.social
Finished a supplement about spirits for Cairn, have a look: sotreknomad.itch.io/spirit-summo...

I got myself a mug that says “love you” on it for Valentines Day. It’s not always strictly true but I am trying.

You did it!!! I found challenges like that always taught me a lot, too, about surges and sustainable pace.

Awww. Well, people better not snooze or they’ll miss out then!!!

Yeah! Plenty of ZQ projects do a bit of overlap. One year people were starting like two days before the end of the month.

Wait, it’s only been a few—oh dear. We say “ages since” but goodness, I guess it has been a while!

Congratulations!!! I had the same realization about how motivating watching that word count go up is. Surprisingly so!

Oh, which was your favorite? I would say Curse but it’s so “left turn” I feel obligated to warn people, haha.

Watch Die Hard ten times? I can do this! Joking aside I might. I’m also reading a fun book on dialogue!

Oh goodness. You’re right. I was telling a friend yesterday I needed a re-read on Curse of the Giant Hogweed (don’t read this first in the series!). How funny.

I’m just cranky. I muted a few more accounts and figured out how to filter better. Now I’m going to answer all the questions even the rhetorical ones.

I’ve always enjoyed dialogue but since noticing I tend to focus on action I’ve begun making a conscious effort to do a lot more of it.

I wrote the same scene to cap a plot thread twice in the same book. Both logical places for it, both equally weighty and with great banter! Still haven’t picked one.

Feels like nobody is actually chatting on here. It’s all selling. Or it’s basic tips phrased in the most generic way possible or life coach nonsense, spamming six posts an hour until I finally hit mute on them. Am I missing a tag? #writingcommunity

My motherboard died due to stealth bios-reboot-update-itis and I’m finding it miserable to be unable to open my beloved and too fraught for half a decade of development projects I am going to finish this year (surely!) so I can ignore them while playing games. Had some good ideas to work on too.

reminder that this is happening! thank you @amandalee.bsky.social!

The Cat in the Castle by gothHoblin A solo journalling game

Waiting for your one true love this Valentine's Day? 👨‍❤️‍👨

How about yearning while cursed to wander an ever-changing fae castle in the form of a cat? 😻

The Cat in the Castle is a solo journalling game inspired by a 17th century fairytale - PWYW over on itch 💘

gothhoblin.itch.io/the-cat-in-t...

My goal is two rough drafts a year. Forcing it is bad and burnout is real. I did four in three or four months, and then one last year. This year, two. Maybe this year I’ll also polish one up. Maybe self-pub or query. Maybe I won’t. I’ll keep showing up for my writing anyway.

This is not accounting for months of letting an idea bake in the back of my mind. Or the “maybe next time” files that don’t gel. Or the decade of practice in a related hobby. Can’t do that last bit for you, wouldn’t if I could (I’d want to though). But you can practice with each draft, right now.

I do no more than a week of prep, so I have what I need to minimize dead ends and false starts in the draft. Play with structures and build context. Shelving it if it’s not flowing yet is still low investment here. And regardless, I’m only committed to a month of it once I start drafting.

I write each first draft in thirty days. Kinda (not). 30 days is misery, unsustainable, but doable. I read somewhere King said drafts should take three months. So I commit to 30, aim for 60 and am happy with 90. If you look at it that way, it’s one month’s work spread across three. Easy. #amwriting

Woke up uninterested in the current project (irrelevant, finish the outline anyway). Everyone’s posting about sci-fi (you can brainstorm one at 50% in this project’s draft). But this genre doesn’t allow sex scenes (halfway point!). Those are all excuses not to do the hard stuff. #amwriting

I feel seen! My only goal this year is to get those projects out the door in as good a shape as they’ll ever be. Won’t make a ripple in the puddle but I’ll know they’re done.

Things done today. Ate glow in the dark sour patch hearts. Hit 33% in the cozy mystery plot structure. Too much social media. Wrote up a new soloing oracle. Eked out 5% more. More candy. Changed fonts and then back. Realized I still don’t have an actual mystery. #amwriting or just #vacuumingthecat

Oh goodness. Instant flashbacks to my set on seeing those!