If We Were Having Coffee… Melting and Writing

~ eclecticalli

Today’s post is a part of the Weekend Coffee Share, graciously hosted by Part Time Monster every weekend. A time for us to come together, share a cup of coffee (or our beverage of choice) to share some of what is going on in our lives.  It’s a lovely check-in!

If we were having coffee I would offer it to you iced.  With apologies that I haven’t had the chance to make my coffee-ice-cubes yet.  This 90 degree weather is throwing me for a loop – I am not a fan of the heat. It makes me melt.

I’m hoping to be pretty productive this weekend, using the heat as an excuse to just sit at my computer and write all day.  If I don’t end up sleeping most of the weekend… that’s a distinct possibility as well — I’ve been so tired lately and the next week at work is one of our busy ones, so I need to be well rested going into it.

I’d tell you that I am excited about the start of Passionate Geeks this week!  I’ve had a lot of people express interest in contributing to it and I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone has to say!

I’m looking forward to the summer (assuming the weather stays in control).  While my work schedule really doesn’t really change, I like to pretend that things are a little slower… and I am taking some time off here and there for various visits, which will be nice.

If we were having coffee I’d tell you that I’m continuing on the novel… slow but steady progress.  I just signed up to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo in July.  My goal is to have the compiled draft of the novel done by the end of June, so that I can spend July editing the entire story — making final determinations on some of the things that are still noted as “need a name” or “I probably should figure out the government structure,” clean up language, deal with character inconsistencies, figure out some messy point-of-view issues, and other such things.  The goal is to send it to its very first reader (a very dear, trusted friend who will be honest, but kind… and perhaps a little snarky/silly) before the summer is up.  I’m both excited and nervous at the idea of putting this story out there, hoping that it is good enough.  Good enough for people to want to read.  Good enough to capture the attention of an agent.  Good enough to be published.

You know, I’d settle even with “good enough for people to want to read.”  I know I have a long road ahead of me still, but it is starting to feel amazing and daunting.  Real.

What have you been up to?

Published by eclecticalli

I am finding my way on the meandering, twisting path of life, constantly surprised by what’s around the next bend. Working to embrace and face the challenges inherent with following your dreams, and writing the journey. A writer and dreamer, historian and theologian, academic and fantasy-world-creator, genealogist and gluten-free baker, crafter and reader, poet and life-long learner, MLIS student constantly questioning and occasionally irreverent. Eclectic Alli is my personal blog, with reflections on writing, life, theology, history, or whatever may catch my thoughts. Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram round out my online presence, and I try to do little bits different with each of them.

23 thoughts on “If We Were Having Coffee… Melting and Writing”

    1. Thank you! I ended up making some great progress on the novel yesterday, so am hopeful that I will be able to reach my goals… As long as I don’t run into some major block (there are some details I need to iron out, some subplots that need more development, things like that) I think I can do this 🙂

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  2. I’m glad you’ve got a doable plan for your novel. You can count me in as a reader if you’d like. My philosophy for reading/critiquing/editing is that I want to make YOUR writing better. I don’t want to make it MY writing. It’s YOUR writing. I’m also good at remember that on page 42 the detail about your main character’s childhood doesn’t match the same detail on page 109 for the same character. Or that in one paragraph yesterday was Sunday but in the next today is Friday! The little stuff like that. I’m good at finding those and pointing them out. Count me in. I’m good at it, enjoy doing it, and I’m free!

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  4. Good luck with your summer writing plans! I agree about the summer, although work schedules don’t necessarily change everything still seems a bit more slow paced and relaxed. Plus the sun is shining!

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    1. That may be a big part of the shift for me — in the winter there were days where I didn’t really get to see the sunlight, start work at 8, end work at 5… if I don’t leave the building during my lunch-break there is no chance for sunlight (no windows in my office). In the summer I get sun when I wake up, sun on the commute both ways.. it’s glorious 🙂

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  5. I’ve never tried Camp NaNoWriMo but participated in NaNo for the first time this past November. My story is still marinating 😀 Hope the weather cools off a bit for you soon.

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    1. The story I’m working on now was a NaNo novel for two years — the first was something like 2006, then I picked it up again this November. Sometimes they need a lot of marination time 🙂

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      1. Yup. I’ve been playing with the same main character in different settings with different characteristics lately. The story is being stubborn. It won’t leave but it’s also not making it very easy on me lol

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  6. Definitely agreed that this weekend calls for coffee ICED. I’m melting a bit too. Currently sitting as still as possible with a fan right next to me and no lights on.

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    1. My room finally realized it’s hot. Double the fans, more ice-things. Still trying to get my brain moving again but I think it just KNOWS that it’s supposed to be too hot to think.
      Hope this isn’t a portent of what the summer is going to be like!

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  7. Hope you’re able to get some rest! I’m headed into another long work week, too, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel now, as the audit starts next week.

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    1. I keep fighting the rest.. thinking “but, I SHOULD be doing x, y and z!” I’ll probably end up getting to the point where I give in to the idea of sleep when my evening plans are supposed to start. Oh well… This week REALLY shouldn’t be too bad.. I hope!

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  9. I was considering doing Camp NaNo this year too. November NaNo is not for me, I’ve done it twice and I always end up being too stressed. I have too many other commitments that time of year. July might be better timing wise. Good luck with the first draft.

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  10. Good luck with your novel! I feel ya on the 90 degree weather… I am in Florida and we are in for that weather for the next couple months. Where is your 90 degree weather? Are you here too?

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