The Sunday Circle is the weekly check-in where I ask the creative-types who follow this blog to weigh in about their goals, inspirations, and challenges for the coming week. The logic behind it can be found here. Want to be involved? It’s easy – just answer three questions in the comments or on your own blog (with a link in the comments here, so that everyone can find them).
After that, throw some thoughts around about other people’s projects, ask questions if you’re so inclined. Be supportive above all.
Then show up again next Sunday when the circle updates next, letting us know how you did on your weekly project and what you’ve got coming down the pipe in the coming week (if you’d like to part of the circle, without subscribing to the rest of the blog, you can sign-up for reminders via email here).
MY CHECK-IN
What am I working on this week?
The uni stuff is still bubbling away in the background, but the primary task this week is writing enough scenes in a zombie apocalypse novella (working title Very Bad Men) that they’ll serve as a plot skeleton. The novella is a very silly project, but I’m basically lifting the approach to writing scenes straight out of Robert Ray’s first edition of The Weekend Novelist – writing opening scenes, climaxes, end-of-act transitions and the demount before the bulk of the story.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I could quite easily spend this section enthusiastically talking about episode 8 of Riverdale, which was quite an extraordinary slice of melodrama when you’re looking at it as a writer. In the space of thirty or forty minutes, they recontextualised a half-dozen characters, changed a litany of alliances, and reversed the narrative direction of several subplots running through the show.
Honorable mention goes to the new netflix YA series, Thirteen Reasons Why, which is…well, not pleasant viewing, but a YA story that looks at suicide, abuse, and the cruelty of high school with a kind of bluntness than isn’t usually there in a series aimed at teens. It’s a show that comes with all the trigger warnings, but its great.
What part of my project an I avoiding?
I keep looking at the process of writing a lit review for my thesis thus far and throwing up my hands, to say nothing of the thesis rational I need to have done by the end of April.
And given that I’m doing this on a Sunday morning, for the first time in forever, it would appear that I need to revisit my weekly planner to make sure my deadlines are a little better managed.
I’ve ended up taking a short, unscheduled break from writing newsletters over the last fourteen days. Regular GenrePunk Ninja transmissions will resume
Like many of you, I have good weeks and bad weeks on the writing front. This week has been rocky, and if
Welcome to GenrePunk Ninja supplemental, where I occasionally post foundational essays written before I launched the GenrePunk Ninja newsletter, especially if they’re
8 Responses
I’m working on an apocalypse story this week too! Snap~ 🙂
I really need to catch up on Riverdale too. I watched the first two episodes and loved them, but haven’t gotten around to watching the rest yet.
My Sunday Circle is here.
The Sunday Circle: What Are You Working On This Week?
Good luck on the lit review and thesis rationale moving forwards, Peter. I’m so glad you guys put me onto the Weekend Novelist – that approach is really helping.
Sophie, OMG, that teeth creature wiped my brain. Honestly, I had thoughts and now there is teeth. What do you have left to do on the BDLN or is that an evil question?
What am I working on this week?
I took last week’s outpouring and have been shaping that into the opening three chapters (up to the inciting incident), and, well, the first kiss, because I had an angle for it. What I’m not sure on is how much First Kisses deserve to be Turning Points. I’d argue not, in this instance, because the decision behind it belongs to the antagonist, not the pair involved. If anything it’s part of the “Debate” stage. Progress, however, has not been speedy as the eldest child’s birthday party is today and I needed to make a Luck Dragon out of sugarpaste.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I’ve been dipping in and out of How to Perform Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When it Matters Most. This is from the library but I need to buy it – it works for parenting, relationships and writing, plus the strategies look to practical to implement.
On a different note, we rewatched The Social Network last night and I was Not Amused. Following the story was fun the first time. This time, I was simply aghast at how women were portrayed, how few had any agency, and how the two that did maybe had 5 minutes total air time. Also, Token Multicultural Guy, the twin’s best friend, whom I can’t even remember his name but who’s role was to pull angry faces and give ArnieX2 a line of sight.
What part of my project an I avoiding?
Editing is where my word count goes to die. I need to wrap up chapter three and send it on its way then write new scenes in either this or the Fun Flimsy. Don’t care which, but rearranging sentences and picking the proper words just takes too darn long. I’m going to plumb for the 70% achievement rate, not 99% perfection and see how that pans out. This notion comes from Tamar Sloan, a writer with a psych degree, from her blog: here.
The Luck Dragon looked totally boss! Love your work on that! And thanks for the recommendation on How To Perform Under Pressure – that’s going on the audiobook list. I’d recommend Art of Possibility as a companion to that then – as it makes steps to rewire your approach to situations including high-pressure ones.
I hope the editing goes well. Is the hesitancy due to the volume of work involved, or a feeling of moving backwards due to total wordcount dropping?
Thanks for the mention Karina! This looks like a great site to be connecting with fellow writers, I’m glad I found it 🙂
A few random questions:
Have you decided on what kind of apocalypse creates your Australian environment, or is that irrelevant to the story being planned?
Channel Zero sounds awesome! Does it do anything to posit a nature/purpose for urban legends at all? (the parts of Urban Legend that did this were super-fun to my layman’s ears)
What’s the deadline like for getting those grant applications in?
Peter: how did the planning pan out last week?
Glad to hear that Thirteen Reasons is solid – I was hooked by the trailer, but figured it might go either way in terms of quality.
What am I working on this week?
This week is pretty much entirely moving house. Everything else is under control at the moment, happily. I’m looking to squeeze in the next step of preparing the commercial demo if I can, as well.
What’s inspiring me this week?
My pop culture this week is pretty much just continuing to play Witcher 3 which is grand. But not much else there due to time constraints.
New beginnings are exciting me at the moment, and plans for the next two months. Even with all of the crap surrounding discussions with employer and house hunting, I’ve managed to hit my ‘survival’ dollar amount for earning purely with voice over, replacing the income from the day job. I’m feeling pretty damned chuffed about that at the moment.
What part of my project am I avoiding?
Work around the tentpole animated series is suffering at the moment. There are some next steps strategy-wise with that I’m looking forward to taking when I’m settled in the new place, but for the moment it’s lagging.