Breakthrough! And then...

It's so funny how much I've been realizing the truth of my own words! After hitting a long lull, I finally got a burst of inspiration (on a cross-country flight, oddly enough). That was all it took for me to gain momentum. After over a week of 0 word days, I was busting out almost 2k a day! I caught up to my September progress goals! I was going to do awesome this month!

And then technical difficulties. I was unable to access my Google docs where my work was saved. (I have other copies, but not on the computer I had available for working.) A whole week of being stymied by these issues, and so then when I did have the time and resources this weekend to work...no momentum. Totally gone. Another string of 0's for days on end. Totally stalled.

So finally today I am ready to go. Really feeling good, have a few ideas to implement...and I realize I don't have my rough draft to work from! It's enough to make me beat my head against the wall. Still, I didn't let my inspiration go to waste, and I knocked out the rest of my structural work. Now I have an entirely completed outline to work to! Looking at 18 chapters, 69 scenes total. (Currently on Chapter 4, Scene 3...) Once I hit about Chapter 9, I expect the pace to pick up a lot more, because the second half was written this year (as opposed to the first half, written in high school!), and needs much less re-writing. And no added scenes past Chapter 8! (In contrast, of the 14 scenes completed in this draft, 4 of them are new.)

Anyway, hopefully I can get some words down tonight when notepads and files are re-united!

Scribblefolio

On my rather extensive "Blog" tab of my iGoogle homepage, I follow the blog from Scribophile. I find that having a reminder to write while I'm wasting time reading blogs is probably a good idea! It certainly has motivated me to shut down and pull up Word on more than one occasion. So I was probably one of the first to see their blog touting a new service--Scribblefolio. The point was made, and I absolutely agree, that it is hard for amateur writers (and even more seasoned ones) to showcase their writing. I would never link to this blog, for example, as a writing sample. (Would I really want potential clients to read about my struggles with deadlines and writer's block??) And while I am somewhat tech savvy enough to make my own website, I would be better off spending that time tackling some of those deadlines. So I was happy to sign up!

I was pretty happy with what I got. First, it was free. Yay! Of course, like most free services, you can upgrade for a price. But the basic package definitely works. My one complaint about the plain version is that you can't include any formatting in your writing samples. Poor people can't use italics now? Thanks. On the plus side, the upgrade is pretty cheap, so it would be worth it if you were really going to use this as your writer's website.

Second, it was extremely easy to use. The buttons were simple and big, the fields were clearly delineated. My only complaint here was that it was almost too easy, like my intelligence was being somewhat insulted. But like I said, I am somewhat internet savvy, so I can imagine this would be really helpful for people who have no experience. (Although one has to wonder how they even find out about the website, in that case.)

That's really all there is to Scribblefolio. But that's not a bad thing! It's a site designed to give you a simple, clean showcase for you and your writing. Not overloaded with bells and whistles (imagine a potential employer stumbling across a MySpace like barrage of color and sound--no thanks!), and very quick and easy to set up. Basic package is serviceable, with extra themes, writing sample space, and formatting for "Fancy Pants" users. I would highly recommend any writer without a professional webpage to take advantage of this service.

Scribblefolio: http://scribblefolio.com/

My Scribblefolio: http://nora-hill.scribblefolio.com/

August 2010 Wrap-Up

Another month gone! Hard to know where the time goes, as it certainly isn't going into writing. Sigh. Yes, still going through my rough patch. Realized with a shock today that I hadn't written in a week. And, worst of all, that didn't galvanize me to the word processor. Frustrating!

Words written: 9,812

That's not an awful amount, all things considered (going through some personal stuff that shouldn't impact my writing, but unfortunately, it does).

September's goal is 24,000! Should put me at about 1/3 done with my second draft. Of course, I'm already a day behind, but never say never!