Philippa East

Well, I’m sure glad for this SloMo month… until the start of this week, I had too many distractions to focus on writing and the lack of progress was just making me increasingly panicked. But for the last three days, I’ve managed my plan of a few hours a day. I feel less panicked now, because I feel sort of ‘back in the familiar groove’ and I can…[Read more]

My SloMo has virtually been NoMo so far. Interrupted sleep patterns and disruption from house repairs, not to mention preparations for puppy, have just left me with little mental energy in the evenings. Nice to hear about and vicariously enjoy other people’s progress though!

My slomo so far has been to draft a Christmas newsletter (rather a Marmite thing, I’ve found, for the recipients), planned a few writing exercises for a group I’m talking to tonight (which I will also be using for NIBS next week), and about 150 words of something I like for Room with a View (although I have no idea where it’s heading or why I’ve…[Read more]

I’ve decided, in light of switching to editing, that I’m to spend 1-2 hours a (writing) day editing, and the rest working on short stories or transcribing. Should help me keep my editing focus, fingers crossed. Did my first two chapters yesterday…

Got my 500 words done. The first 500 words of a new WIP. Had to remind myself several time – Don’t get it right, get it written! Suspect it might show that I loved doing my research a bit much! Tomorrow’s target is the same – 500 words. Then I’m off to London for a big weekend so won’t get anything written until I get back. Hope you’re all doing…[Read more]

All I did today was trim 500 words from a short story so I could submit it to Barren magazine, which has an upper limit of 4000 words. It was worth doing as it tightened the prose a bit, and I spotted a few mistakes as well, which was unsettling as I’d submitted that version a couple of times. I’m pleased I did that much tbh, as it’s been a diffi…[Read more]

So I managed 203 words yesterday. That’s a little too Slo Mo for my liking. I think I need to embrace the theme of this group a little less enthusiastically.

In my defence, it was the day after said music festival, kids had music performance of their own AND husband back in the house after a month away. So not a normal day…

Have to get…[Read more]

Sorry I’m late, but here now for mutual encouragement. I’m working on structural edit of novel, having done one and two-thirds drafts. Have been trying to hone and clarify main story arc and am now trying to work out how and where the subplots intersect/have an impact on the main plot. Like some of you, I am feeling the fear, mainly because it’s…[Read more]

Thanks for setting up this group @raine. A great idea.

I work slowly most of the time so every month is a SloMo. Printing out is definitely required for serious editing, as is reading aloud though that comes nearer the end of whatever section I’m working on. Until the reading out, I live with lots of clunky connections and sentences. And…[Read more]

Very late to this – two days gone already! – but I blame it on an overnight visit to Germany to see friends and celebrate Advent.

SloMo… I jotted a few ideas down for Room with a View, then decided I didn’t like them and another idea popped into my head this morning. Not sure it’ll work, but might play around with it this afternoon. I shan’t…[Read more]

Okay, well today has gone well, I think. I managed about two hours, working on balancing the various twists, climaxes and (false) resolutions in the book. I think I’ve managed to pin down the problem more clearly and sketch out a general solution.
I still have to work out the specific details I’ll need to add into the story MS itself to pull…[Read more]

Goal of 1k words today have mutated into a goal of just getting through the day in one piece. And possibly printing out an MS. I’ve been told I need to trim it back by 10-15k. Which is a little daunting, and like @philippaeast with her more esoteric edits, I need to make sure I am doing this in short enough bursts that I am genuinely paying…[Read more]

Thanks for setting this up @raine, great idea, and inspiring to read about all the gentle but still moving forward targets in here.

I’m in dire need of SloMo December, especially after coming back from a brain-and-soul-rejuvenating music festival in the beautiful middle of nowhere. Which was fabulous on every level but very lacking in sleep…[Read more]

I am loving redaing what you’re all planning to do in December.

Having spent yesterday and today running and manning the local twinning committee’s ‘sell English products to the French’ Christmas stall in between dodging the Gilets Jaunes to take my OH to the airport, my aim tonight is to do enough RL work to free up tomorrow morning for a bit…[Read more]

A good last few days. This weekend I have sorted two probs with my revived MS, the ghost story A Record of Sin.

The first was the paragraph formatting. which was in a mess inherited from the days when I didn’t know how to do it properly. I’ve been through the whole MS and put it right.

The second was a last, rather tricky POV change. Tricky…[Read more]

I’ve been inspired by the goals your guys are setting yourselves. I think I’m going to set myself the SloMo goal of doing (up to) three hours’ editorial work a day (on the days I’m not at work). That, for me, is enough time to get some solid work done, but hopefully not so long that I panic myself with how much I should be achieving. And I plan to…[Read more]