the-wip-project

[the-wip-project]

So annoying that, honestly. Why won't the book just write itself? I have the same problem, the siren call of the fanfics is strong, I have to be stronger.

Planning all the plans!

It's the last day of the month and we're planning our next writing month. What are plans all about? Plans are flexible, fun little things, they want to get tweaked and twitched and fiddled with. Not hitting a goal is not a failure, it just means the plan wasn't quite right.

Hello writerly friends! How was your month?

I had a good month, writing wise, not so much with reading. My plan for August is to continue my Crunch Time (I'll make a post about that in a bit) to get my shit done before September. There's a book here that needs to be written and also so much fanfic!

How about you? What do you want to achieve this month?

What are your plans for August?

[the-wip-project]

Sooo... I've been thinking.

Always dangerous.

Point one: I want to get a book done this year, and possibly publish it, or at least get it into the editing phase.

Point two: The story I'm 60k in... kind of lost its appeal. I fear that the subject is too delicate and I'm pulling my punches on the one hand, and on the other, it's too close to being a Dragon Age fic.

Which means, for August Crunch Time, I'm going back to a story I've put on the backburner, and I really really have to crunch it.

If anyone wants to participate, I'm not sure what is most helpful? Daily accountability posts? Writing sprints on the discord? Twitch write along videos?

Anyway, I'm here, on our discord, on bluesky, on Threads, you can reblog/reskeet/rethread me in any way you like.

[the-wip-project]

Yeah, fuck the last months, I'm so with you. My current mindset is to grab time and opportunites by the horns if they come, because some shit is just gonna keep happening and you never know when and what.

I say, polish those stories and submit them. What do you have to lose?

Planning all the plans!

It's the last day of the month and we're planning our next writing month. What are plans all about? Plans are flexible, fun little things, they want to get tweaked and twitched and fiddled with. Not hitting a goal is not a failure, it just means the plan wasn't quite right.

Hello writerly friends! How was your month?

I had a good month, writing wise, not so much with reading. My plan for August is to continue my Crunch Time (I'll make a post about that in a bit) to get my shit done before September. There's a book here that needs to be written and also so much fanfic!

How about you? What do you want to achieve this month?

What are your plans for August?

[the-wip-project]

My brain always tries to tell me that I'm not doing enough and have nothing to show for. That's why I started to add up weekly wordcounts in a spreadsheet. It makes it not so stressful to having to make a wordcount every day, but at the end of the week, I have something to show to my yelling brain.

So tell your yelling brain that you did well!

Planning all the plans!

It's the last day of the month and we're planning our next writing month. What are plans all about? Plans are flexible, fun little things, they want to get tweaked and twitched and fiddled with. Not hitting a goal is not a failure, it just means the plan wasn't quite right.

Hello writerly friends! How was your month?

I had a good month, writing wise, not so much with reading. My plan for August is to continue my Crunch Time (I'll make a post about that in a bit) to get my shit done before September. There's a book here that needs to be written and also so much fanfic!

How about you? What do you want to achieve this month?

What are your plans for August?

[the-wip-project]

Planning all the plans!

It's the last day of the month and we're planning our next writing month. What are plans all about? Plans are flexible, fun little things, they want to get tweaked and twitched and fiddled with. Not hitting a goal is not a failure, it just means the plan wasn't quite right.

Hello writerly friends! How was your month?

I had a good month, writing wise, not so much with reading. My plan for August is to continue my Crunch Time (I'll make a post about that in a bit) to get my shit done before September. There's a book here that needs to be written and also so much fanfic!

How about you? What do you want to achieve this month?

What are your plans for August?

[the-wip-project]

Planning all the plans!

It's the last day of the month and we're planning our next writing month. What are plans all about? Plans are flexible, fun little things, they want to get tweaked and twitched and fiddled with. Not hitting a goal is not a failure, it just means the plan wasn't quite right.

Hello writerly friends! How was your month?

I had a good month, writing wise, not so much with reading. My plan for August is to continue my Crunch Time (I'll make a post about that in a bit) to get my shit done before September. There's a book here that needs to be written and also so much fanfic!

How about you? What do you want to achieve this month?

What are your plans for August?

[the-wip-project]

Something possessed me yesterday and I sat down and wrote some 2900 words.

What do we learn from this?

The doing is in the doing. Unless I actually sit down and write, nothing is going to happen. It's the butt in chair, every time.

A dedicated writing place is the greatest thing ever, even though a little insect has crawled into my monitor and died in the middle of the screen. Still, writing happened.

Only about 300 words from that number above were for the orgfic, which tells me that I need to be more obsessed with my OCs. I'm clearly obsessed enough with the fanfic guys.

To return to point 1: Manifesting only does so much, butt in chair, hands on keyboard, that's where the magic happens.

[the-wip-project]

I manifested some 1100 words over three documents yesterday and one of them was even the original fiction! So, I'm calling this a successful manifestation.

Manifesting!

That's the new fangled thing now, right? How to trick your brain into doing the fun stuff that is also difficult — manifesting!

I'm manifesting effective crunch time for today!

Have to take a shower first though, hang on...

[the-wip-project]

Manifesting!

That's the new fangled thing now, right? How to trick your brain into doing the fun stuff that is also difficult — manifesting!

I'm manifesting effective crunch time for today!

Have to take a shower first though, hang on...

[the-wip-project]

well, I did crunch time yesterday, but I cheated on the orgfic with the fanfic. It's just so much more compelling! At least I can imagine that a few people actually want to read it, but with original fiction... I just see myself, starting a new book and losing interest in the first few pages because what is this weird new world I know nothing about and these foreign characters?

I find it so hard to read new things, and of course I assume everyone else feels the same.

Anyway. Focus time did result in 680 words, so that's something, at least.

[the-wip-project]

Writing Accountability - 7/15/2025

Practically back-to-back posts again... I've found on my days off the main job, I tend to write more in the evening whereas when I work, I write when I get home in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes they bleed together - I do a post in the evening for one day, then another post a few hours later for the next day (because I still stay up late).

Anyhoo, I wrote 457 words for today, still on that Resident Evil thing. I think I've done as much as I can for the chapter I've been working on, though, because the ideas are gone and the muses are (mostly) silent. I have some ideas for other chapter & might flesh them out just to get them down so I don't forget about them when the time comes to actually focus on that story.

Writing that pinch hit has made me really want to get back into my ME fanfics, but honestly, I just do what the muses want; right now it's Leon, Chris, and a couple of bad guys yelling in my brain. Hopefully, once I get them quieted down, Allie and Kaidan will chime in and let me keep writing for them. Though Allie is going to hate what I have in store for her...

[the-wip-project]

Friends, I can't avoid the facts. I have to do some serious crunch time on the orgfic. Not sure how to do this yet, but I really have to raise up that wordcount.

If you also need to do some crunch time, I'm always here (mention the blog if you make a post) and on the discord to cheer at wordcount numbers.

Crunch crunch crunch.

[the-wip-project]

Kay's Progress Report- From June 30th to July 9th

Continuing what I started in @the-wip-project's Reach for the Stars event [see this post for context]. Adjusting the goal to still 2,000 a week, but focusing on aiming more for >9,000 in a month.

It's been a busy holiday week at work. Well, not really the holiday itself, but just everything else going on has had me drained. Meant to make a report last Wednesday but ended up forgetting until I was about to go to bed and just decided to wait until today. Where I almost forgot again, lol. Anyway, continuing from where I last left off:

June 30th: 1,280 Total for June 2025: 20,358 July 1st: 72 July 2nd: 347 July 3rd: 467 July 4th: 25 July 5th: 421 July 6th: 1,098 July 7th: 60 July 8th: 902 July 9th: 362 So far for July 2025: 3,754

Not where I've wanted to be some days and certainly making slower progress than I was before. But hey, I'm still at least writing something every day, even if it's just a small amount of notes before bed when I didn't have the energy to do any other writing in the day.

[the-wip-project]

I’m Doing the 3-Day Novel Contest—and I’d love for you to join me!

Last year I have the privilege of interviewing Pat Dobie, a two-time winner of the 3-Day Novel Contest and no stranger to the shortlist either. It was from talking to her that I became convinced I had to try the challenge myself this year.

If you’ve never heard of it before, the 3-Day Novel Contest is an international (anyone can register!) contest that takes place over Labour day long weekend (August 30-September 1). You can write about anything you want as long as the writing starts no sooner than 12:01 a.m. on August 30th and ends no later than 11:59 p.m. on September 1st (read the other rules here). Which means you have three days to write your heart out and see what comes out on the other side.

The thing that Pat said to me that really convinced me I had to do it was that it was “an exercise in getting out of your own way.” She said that there was no time to doubt yourself or hum or haw over plotlines and characters or edit as you go—you just keep going. As the site says:

[The contest] has become a unique contribution to world literary history and a put-your-keyboard-where-your-mouth-is rite of passage for hundreds of writers each year.

From what I’ve heard from other writers who have taken part in the challenge is that it’s an utter whirlwind of unleashed creativity and so, so much fun. Plus, even if you don't win, you get a little certificate to say that you completed it either way. Have I convinced you yet? I’m really trying to, because I’d love to gather a little community of writers doing the challenge this year and share in the experience with all of you!

If you’re interested, read up on the contest here, and make sure you register soon as the discounted early-bird deadline expires on July 31st. Then, shoot me a DM and I’ll invite you to our little 3-day community group!

You can also join the group if you’re interested in the contest but aren’t ready to commit to it yet, or are going to try it unofficially this year 😊 I hope to see you there!

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(Psst... Did you know I launched a website?)

Head on over to www.gatesannai.com (or click here!) for exclusive blog posts, updates on my work, and pictures of my dog.

While you're there, consider signing up for my newsletter too :-)

[the-wip-project]

Reach for the Stars Review

Week 1: 13,212

Week 2: 11,212

Week 3: 10,841

Week 4: 15,677

Week 5: 14,067

Week 6: 7,854

Week 7: 3,014

Week 8: 8628

Word Count Goal for RFTS: 45,500

Actual Word Count for RFTS: 84,505

Overall Impression: I write a lot more when I am excited about the idea and am focused on other things as well.

So I need to keep the joy in my life. That is the key. It's all about finding balance.

@the-wip-project

[the-wip-project]

I'm so with you, the heat is poison for my writing time. I approve of writing fanfic as part of resting, fanfic writing is like a vacation for me too.

Have some ice cream for the heat:

Planning all the plans!

It's the last day of the month (well, it was meant to be the last day of the month and then I forgot) and we're planning our next writing month.

Plans are flexible, fun little things, they want to get tweaked and twitched and fiddled with. Not hitting a goal is not a failure, it just means the plan wasn't quite right.

Hello friends! How was your month?

If you participated in the Reach For The Stars Project, I hope it was productive. For me, June was not quite as good, wordcount wise, as May, I'm putting the blame for that drop on the heat. I'm just not good at summer.

I think I need to schedule reading time too, but I'm not sure how to do that, yet. Maybe I'll make myself a chart and give myself star stickers for every half hour of reading. That should work, I'm easy to please.

As for writing, after some mental calculation I realized that I'll have to put in crunch time to get my book done this year. Maybe you'll want to join me for crunch time? That'll probably start around the middle of this month.

How about you? What do you want to achieve this month?

Writing down plans helps getting a focus, it does not mean that you fail when you don't check off every thing you wanted to do. Make the plan and then see what you can do.

What are your plans for July?

[the-wip-project]

Kay's Progress Report- Day 55-57

Continuing my participation in @the-wip-project's Reach for the Stars event [see this post for context]

Day late, meant to type up everything and post on the 29th, but I wrote a lot and then had to type it, so you know, things to be done, lol. But, here's the last of the official event participation! (ended on the 29th with the event, though I did write more today (on the 30th))

Day 55 word count: 497 Day 56 word count: 1,045 Day 57 word count: 1,159

So, for the week updates:

Planned weekly goal- 2,000 Week 1- 4,458 Week 2- 5,654 Week 3- 3,369 Week 4- 7,306 Week 5- 4,882 Week 6- 3,258 Week 7- 5,301 Week 8 (plus one more day)- 5,236 Projected end total with goal- 16,000 Total for the event- 39,464

As planned, I blew my planned goal out of the water. However, I didn't realize just how much I actually write, so this was really cool! I'd never actually cared much about numbers before (and still don't, really), but actually seeing just how much I get done at a time was frankly fascinating. I've always been an avid writer when I do write and this definitely helped getting me back into actually writing every day, even if it was just a little bit sometimes. And when I do get the energy+time to write? Dang, do I write!

I'll be continuing making reports, though only once a week. Still plan to write every day, it's more just sometimes making these reports would make me break my flow before bed when I'd want to keep writing, but would have to type what I had and then make the post. Just a lot. Formatting will change slightly. And I'll be posting them on my "Saturday", as my weekends aren't of the norm because of where I work. So that'll be Wednesdays evenings for the time being.

Now if I can just find some similar event like this for reading...

Also: Teeny tiny plea for help from anyone who's able