#rough draft challenge

[fairytalewitch]

Rough Draft Challenge 12/30

Note to Self: I do not have to write an entire chapter (2,500-ish words) in one day.

[fairytalewitch]

Heart Breathings Rough Draft Challenge Day 11/30

Guess who's back! Back again! (Finally!)

I wasn't idle while I was offline. I did a lot of brainstorming, outlining, and writing by hand. But now I need to get all of that onto a document and get it scheduled to go out.

Currently, I'm starting on the most dramatic chapter of the entire story: Chapter 26. But I have to type in and schedule Chapters 24 & 25.

Now, if I can avoid having actually wield my job title for just a couple of hours...

[fairytalewitch]

Heart Breathings Rough Draft Challenge Day 2/30

It's 3:15 am. Things happened yesterday, leaving me in debilitating pain. I didn't get any more writing done. I can still barely move. I'm going to attempt to finish writing Chapter 23 and get it scheduled on Royal Road by the end of the day, though.

[fairytalewitch]

Heart Breathings Rough Draft Challenge Day 1/30

I'm up early because I have to return this borrowed laptop today, unless I can negotiate to keep it until my new tablet arrives. So I'm tackling the Rough Draft Challenge before most of the other participants are awake let alone at their keyboard with coffee.

I have a 2:30 appointment. Let's see how much of The Book of Questions Chapter 23 I can get done before I have to put on real clothes.

[fairytalewitch]

Rough Draft Challenge 30/30

It's the last day!

Session 1

I've removed "Halloween 1986" from the plan, because it's due September 30. It makes no sense to start work on it on May 3.

I rewrote the remainder of this 12 Week plan in pencil (malleable) with only the June 20 deadline in pen (fixed). It's purely psychological but it un-upset me a lot.

I arranged my tasks into categories and made a colorful chart for the wall.

Self-Care Break

I helped the husband make homemade orange Marmalade. That counts as self-care because adding the honey until it tastes just right is extremely satisfying.

I'm playing Vivaldi on the household sound system while the husband runs errands. I've been listening to a lot of Paganini lately because it's my protagonist's favorite, and I needed a break.

Lily essential oil in my desk diffuser definitely brightens up the sanctum, and I turned the heat on for a little while to knock off the damp-chill of this gray, rainy day.

Session 3

I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening preparing the chapters that I have so far to be printed, punched, and bindered. I'll also be doing a digital backup when I get a new thumb drive.

And now back to your regularly-scheduled program.

[fairytalewitch]

Rough Draft Challenge 27/30

So far:

My sanctum has been tidied

I've learned how I can get a cover design for Royal Road

I have an example image

I've almost finished crafting my Aspirational Vision

Today's plan:

Rewrite the synopsis

Finish my Aspirational Vision

Discuss cover design with the husband

Rough out a short story

I had to walk to the clinic for some blood work (1/2 mile round trip) then I spent time being dragged around by, chasing, and being chased by a three-year-old and a two-year-old. I knackered. It was a glorious day and I'm proud of my recovery so far but oof.

[fairytalewitch]

Rough Draft Challenge 25/30

The husband went to run the usual Saturday Morning errands (post office and pharmacy, with perhaps a stop at the library) and I'm working in my sanctum with the door shut. This Damn Cat is yowling around the house like her gods have abandoned her. It's the one of the most pathetic sounds I've ever heard.

Session 1

Admin. I went through and figured out what I forgot, what is too big to add so oops, and what can be snuck in before it gets published because it can be done in only a couple of sentences. I did the sneaking. I also made a planner of upcoming events that need to happen on particular days so I won't have to do this again.

Session 2

I did it! Chapter 30 is done and scheduled! I don't have to write anything in July if I don't want to, which means I get to spend that month bonding and helping out with The Last Grandgoblin.

Session 3

My reward for completing my Rough Draft Challenge goal was a physical copy of The 12 Week Year for Writers by A. Trevor Thrall, PhD. I've been doing the 12 Week Year system for quite a while but I've always been flummoxed as to how to apply it to my writing. So, now that I'm not frantically scrambling to get TBo? chapters written, I can slow down and work through this.

The first thing I did was smell it. (Yes, I'm a book sniffer.) The second thing I did was apply page flags to the action steps.

I updated my notebook index, which has gotten very messy over the past couple of weeks.

Since I'm already doing the 12 Week Year in my daily life, I'm already in the fifth week of the second round of 2026. I'm not sure how to integrate The 12 Week Year for Writers into that. I'm not running two separate systems, and I'm obviously not starting over.

[fairytalewitch]

Rough Draft Challenge 24/30

I went to sleep early and was having a nightmare until the husband accidentally but thankfully woke me up at 3:40 am. I'm going to do a session of research and planning from my bed and watch the sunrise, then doze until my alarm.

Session 1

30 minutes or so of You Tube research, and just as I was about to go back to sleep every raven on this side of the island started yelling in the parking lot. It was simultaneously glorious and annoying.

Interlude

Drowsing while listening to past episodes of Writing Excuses was extremely pleasant. Then my alarm went off and I made toad-in-the-hole using a little bacon grease, a thick slice of homemade bread, and toppings of sliced avocado -- as well as having my usual morning mocha.

Oh, yes. That was amazing.

Session 2

I got an important plot point done. Or, done enough for the purposes of where the story is right now.

I did realize I forgot to add two things to previous chapters. One I can nip in, add a couple sentences, and move on. The other is a Big Deal that should have happened sooner. I can't go back and fix it. So, my characters forgot and now they're in a world of oops.

Session 3

Finished off breakfast with an unexpected blueberry muffin.

I'm 2/3 done with the chapter. It feels weird to be so close to my goal I can literally see it at the bottom of the page.