The Collective Quarter-Life Crisis

Demeter

Demeter · Aug 10, 2017

This is my eternal project that I've been working on probably like 6-7 years but currently has nearly 80k words so I'm hoping to maybe finish the first draft this year? Or next year?

It's basically a pseudo-medieval chick-lit story about two peasant girls, Saegen and Myriad, that befriend princes and fall for them and eventually probably become princesses. But I feel like more than the romance, it's about the girls' larger-than-life friendship. There's a lot of dresses, royalty, and attractive people (basically my whole jam). And, of course, a boy who's so bad but he does it so well. Definitely nothing very deep but all in good fun.

As I said, it's totally pseudo-historical and everything is made up, but I wouldn't call it a fantasy because there are no fantastical elements. However, I feel like it has a slightly modern vibe also and in that sense I could compare it to Ella Enchanted? (I've only seen the film so I don't know what the book is like in that respect.) So, make of this nonsensical introduction what you will. It's basically everything that I love, and that's all the matters to me at this point

Also, the current working title is Like Flowers, Entwined but it's most likely not going to be the final name because it just doesn't feel right.

This is my eternal project that I've been working on probably like 6-7 years but currently has nearly 80k words so I'm hoping to maybe finish the first draft this year? Or next year?

It's basically a pseudo-medieval chick-lit story about two peasant girls, Saegen and Myriad, that befriend princes and fall for them and eventually probably become princesses. But I feel like more than the romance, it's about the girls' larger-than-life friendship. There's a lot of dresses, royalty, and attractive people (basically my whole jam). And, of course, a boy who's so bad but he does it so well. Definitely nothing very deep but all in good fun.

As I said, it's totally pseudo-historical and everything is made up, but I wouldn't call it a fantasy because there are no fantastical elements. However, I feel like it has a slightly modern vibe also and in that sense I could compare it to Ella Enchanted? (I've only seen the film so I don't know what the book is like in that respect.) So, make of this nonsensical introduction what you will. It's basically everything that I love, and that's all the matters to me at this point ;)

Also, the current working title is [i]Like Flowers, Entwined[/i] but it's most likely not going to be the final name because it just doesn't feel right.

StellaThomas Creator

StellaThomas · Aug 10, 2017

Because she's talking herself down and I enjoy embarrassing her I would like to note that @Demeter 's project is wildly funny and very sweet and also a bit heartbreaking and also it has the greatest characters ever including a bad boy called Tristan with whom I'm currently in love. And also the best names ever.

Just so you're all aware of that.

BluesClues

BluesClues · Aug 10, 2017

@Cadi theoretically I'd love to have you do that, but in reality I know I'd have to at least clean it up a little bit first.

But before that I have to a) finish this draft so I have something to clean up and b) take a nice long break from it so I don't burn out and completely give up on it.

Cadi

Cadi · Aug 10, 2017

Blue - that's fair! I mean it as a general open offer, though, so feel free to grab me in the future. Meanwhile, I hope the rest of this draft goes well!

StellaThomas Creator

StellaThomas · Aug 24, 2017

I have to ask, what are people's writing habits? Do you set time aside? Do you just do it when you have the chance? Can you write anywhere any time or do things have to be just right?

I have a kind of erratic lifestyle. Even though I'm doing a much more 9 to 5 job than I was as an intern, I've been out every night this week and I never have a set routine where I'm like "right, I'll write at x time every day". So I just do it when I have the chance. I think I write best when it's dark and I get to light a candle and fairy lights.

I also made myself a writing spot in my new apartment - we are overlooking Dublin's most famous bridge and I now have an armchair and a table by the window overlooking it and I can light a candle. And the bookshelf is right behind me.

Carlito

Carlito · Aug 24, 2017

About writing habits - I used to be so good at setting time aside every day to write, but now I mostly write when I can. Usually the biggest barrier for me is just opening the file and starting and once I get started I can go for a while. I try to write at my desk because the chair is much more supportive of my back and I have much better posture that way :p Buuuut I tend to write on my couch because couch (<3) and then Neville the bunny can be involved. (Although he usually ends up distracting me...) I prefer writing in the morning on the weekends or in the evenings during the week.

Cadi

Cadi · Aug 25, 2017

These days, I write best when I get a seat on the Tube and bother to get my notebook out - it's only 20 minutes, at most, but there's not much else I can do with the time (until they get proper wifi between stations, at least

), and that kind of forces me to actually get something scribbled. Doesn't always work, of course! But when it does, I feel good about it.

Very occasionally, I'll write sometimes outside of commuting - I managed to get like 10 pages down in a burst of motivation at the weekend - but it's definitely not anything like planned writing time. I would love to write more regularly and consistently, though, I'm just not very good at... actually doing so and sticking to it.

BluesClues

BluesClues · Aug 27, 2017

I've never had a set time to write, partly because I work so much that I'm very jealous of my free time - especially during the school year, when I work two jobs (or go to class, depending on the year). Sometimes on my days off, I'll sit at the kitchen table and write. It's hard to get motivated, though; there's so much else I want to do (and even more that needs doing). Mostly, in the evening, I'll just sit on the couch with Word open on my computer and the TV on - I get a little writing done there, but let's be honest, I'm mostly taking care of emails and Facebook and paperwork and junk.

I write on my breaks and lunch at the grocery job, because that guarantees 30 minutes to an hour of writing 5 days a week. (I don't always take all my breaks, but I can get a good bit of writing done in half an hour.) That works really well because I'm sitting a desk and I'm already prepared to sit at a computer and do work.

When I'm in school, I also write between classes/on breaks during class/when the professor is running late. It's the same as work, where I'm sitting at a desk and in a head space where I'm ready to work anyway, so it's very easy to move from school work to writing.

During NaNoWriMo I'm more likely to put my nose to the grindstone, because I love the thrill of it and having a deadline really helps me. Not always (poor Book Man), but usually.

I've never had a set time to write, partly because I work so much that I'm very jealous of my free time - especially during the school year, when I work two jobs (or go to class, depending on the year). [i]Sometimes[/i] on my days off, I'll sit at the kitchen table and write. It's hard to get motivated, though; there's so much else I want to do (and even more that needs doing). Mostly, in the evening, I'll just sit on the couch with Word open on my computer and the TV on - I get a little writing done there, but let's be honest, I'm mostly taking care of emails and Facebook and paperwork and junk.

I write on my breaks and lunch at the grocery job, because that guarantees 30 minutes to an hour of writing 5 days a week. (I don't always take all my breaks, but I can get a good bit of writing done in half an hour.) That works really well because I'm sitting a desk and I'm already prepared to sit at a computer and do work.

When I'm in school, I also write between classes/on breaks during class/when the professor is running late. It's the same as work, where I'm sitting at a desk and in a head space where I'm ready to work anyway, so it's very easy to move from school work to writing.

During NaNoWriMo I'm more likely to put my nose to the grindstone, because I love the thrill of it and having a deadline really helps me. Not always (poor Book Man), but usually.

Lauren2010

Lauren2010 · Aug 27, 2017

This is one of my favorite topics tbh. We spent a LOT of time thinking and talking about this in grad school (mostly because we all had to write a publishable book in two years).

For me, at least, writing is my job. Like, my actual 9-5 job involves a lot of writing, too. But being a capital W Writer is also my (currently unpaid) job. Thinking about it like that shifts it up the priority list and makes it easier for me to focus on. Which is, of course, a lot easier in theory than in practice.

I used to be super good about scheduling time for myself to write. Before I worked full time, every weekday I didn't work I wrote 9-5 with a break for lunch. At other times, when my schedule was more flexible, I wrote for two hours minimum every morning. Finishing school and starting a full time job threw me off for a while, but right now I mostly aim for 2-3 hours of writing every weekend day and I *try* to spend at least 30 minutes writing in the evenings during the week (that one is harder to accomplish). It REALLY helps me to set timers, like long word wars, to make myself focus exclusively on writing for just a short amount of time. I get the same amount of writing done as I would have if I was distracted, but then I have more time for other activities.

Goals really help. Right now my writing group (<3) is doing weekly "critique" swaps where we send someone in our group a chapter (like 2-4k on average) we wrote that week and give each other (generally positive) feedback. This has helped me get the work done, at least, even if it's all crammed in on the weekend, because I have someone holding me accountable for my goal.

Other times, I've used Pacemaker to set adaptable wordcount goals (usually when I have a good idea of how many words a project will be; for example I used this a lot for the last few drafts of my thesis). You can set it to distribute more words for days you have more time, and give yourself off days, etc. If you go over your daily goal (or fail to hit a daily goal) it auto-adjusts to keep you on target to finish "on time". It's great for NaNo-ish goals that are more/less than 50k or need to happen over/under a month! Highly recommend.

This is one of my favorite topics tbh. We spent a LOT of time thinking and talking about this in grad school (mostly because we all had to write a publishable book in two years).

For me, at least, writing is my job. Like, my actual 9-5 job involves a lot of writing, too. But being a capital W Writer is also my (currently unpaid) job. Thinking about it like that shifts it up the priority list and makes it easier for me to focus on. Which is, of course, a lot easier in theory than in practice.

I used to be super good about scheduling time for myself to write. Before I worked full time, every weekday I didn't work I wrote 9-5 with a break for lunch. At other times, when my schedule was more flexible, I wrote for two hours minimum every morning. Finishing school and starting a full time job threw me off for a while, but right now I mostly aim for 2-3 hours of writing every weekend day and I *try* to spend at least 30 minutes writing in the evenings during the week (that one is harder to accomplish). It REALLY helps me to set timers, like long word wars, to make myself focus exclusively on writing for just a short amount of time. I get the same amount of writing done as I would have if I was distracted, but then I have more time for other activities.

Goals really help. Right now my writing group (<3) is doing weekly "critique" swaps where we send someone in our group a chapter (like 2-4k on average) we wrote that week and give each other (generally positive) feedback. This has helped me get the work done, at least, even if it's all crammed in on the weekend, because I have someone holding me accountable for my goal.

Other times, I've used [url=https://www.pacemaker.press/]Pacemaker[/url] to set adaptable wordcount goals (usually when I have a good idea of how many words a project will be; for example I used this a lot for the last few drafts of my thesis). You can set it to distribute more words for days you have more time, and give yourself off days, etc. If you go over your daily goal (or fail to hit a daily goal) it auto-adjusts to keep you on target to finish "on time". It's great for NaNo-ish goals that are more/less than 50k or need to happen over/under a month! Highly recommend.

Holysocks

Holysocks · Aug 27, 2017

I'm kinda late to the party, but my current work in progress is called Main Cell (it needs a new title >.>) and it's about a gal who used to work for her dad in his sketchy profession- but now she's wading through his sketchy world alone because he's in a coffin in the living room, being used as a coffee table.

Meanwhile, she has wings- but can't fly. And finds someone to teach her to fly. There's also flying cats.

It's so full of holes right now. Still working on the first draft. But I think it's going okay. XD There are so many things I've introduced and just sorta forgotten about that I plan to look into again come the second draft. For instance, the gal has wings, right? Half the book you wouldn't know that because I forgot to mention them getting in the way, etc. So. It's kind of amusing.

Now as for my writing habits, I'm not very good at consistency. Lately I've been writing a fair amount, but still not as much as I'd like to. Word Wars have really been helping me, and that's almost all I use the discord server for these days.

I'm kinda late to the party, but my current work in progress is called [i]Main Cell[/i] (it needs a new title >.>) and it's about a gal who used to work for her dad in his sketchy profession- but now she's wading through his sketchy world alone because he's in a coffin in the living room, being used as a coffee table.

Meanwhile, she has wings- but can't fly. And finds someone to teach her to fly. There's also flying cats.

It's so full of holes right now. Still working on the first draft. But I think it's going okay. XD There are so many things I've introduced and just sorta forgotten about that I plan to look into again come the second draft. For instance, the gal has wings, right? Half the book you wouldn't know that because I forgot to mention them getting in the way, etc. So. It's kind of amusing.

Now as for my writing habits, I'm not very good at consistency. Lately I've been writing a fair amount, but still not as much as I'd like to. Word Wars have really been helping me, and that's almost all I use the discord server for these days.

Cadi

Cadi · Aug 29, 2017

@Lauren2010 - that Pacemaker site looks really handy, thanks for sharing! Also, thinking about writing as a job to move it up the mental priority list makes a whole lot of sense, and I'd never thought of... thinking that way before, if that makes sense. Totally agree that it's harder when working full time, though - my writing has been thrown off ever since I started my current job ><

Also, having a writing group for external accountability sounds super helpful! How did you go about finding one? Is it something that kind of came together because of grad school? Outside of YWS, I'm never sure how to go about finding fellow writers to work alongside!

Lauren2010

Lauren2010 · Aug 29, 2017

@Cadi I have two main groups really! I have a group that started on YWS and I also have a group that came out of my graduate school program that is more IRL.

Finding your community is so important but also so hard. It's easier to find people in cities, but I recommend looking for existing groups in literary places like bookstores, libraries, and writing classes (like, continuing ed rather than associated with a uni). You might also find groups who meet regularly at coffee shops that are open to anyone. I know my city has all of those!

You might have to try a few to find the right fit for where you are as a writer and what your goals are. The Internet is also a great resource! I know NaNo folks form groups and sometimes extend IRL and authors like Maggie Stiefvater organize critique partner match ups from time to time. Plus, YWS is good too!

Cadi

Cadi · Aug 29, 2017

Cool, thanks! I have dipped my toes into a few of those things in the past (NaNo meetups & write-ins), and I'm planning to sign up to a creative writing evening class in the upcoming term, so I guess I'm on the right track, I just need to... go for it and get out there more

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