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?
I’ve shelved Float until November after realising the story had strayed from the outline and I’d need to re-think the second half. I’ve switched over to working on a short novella, working title Bad Dog: Origins. I knocked over about ten thousand words over the last week, so I’ll be aiming to get six or seven scenes down in the coming week.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I’m in Lansdale country again, after starting on the Hap and Leonard TV series on Google Play and picking up the second novel in the sequence, Mucho Mujo. Lansdale continues to be a master of voice in every story he tells, and I’ve stockpiled a few more of his books to read in the coming weeks.
What part of my project an I avoiding?
I do need to devote a little extra time to fill the big holes in Float for when I resume working on it in , and I’m going to claim a few extra hours to work on my tax return in the coing week.
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
32 Responses
Hi Peter,
What am I working on this week?
Last week I finished the first draft of my fantasy/noir detective novel. I’m going to have to let that sit for a while. I learned so much while writing it that the story zig-zags all over the place and will need some major work in future drafts.
But that means I can jump into my next project, which is a YA Sci-fi. Yesterday I sat with an astrophysicist and talked about building the solar system I need to tell the story I want. The next 2 months is set aside for plotting and worlds building. Then in January I’m either writing that up or going to draft 2 of the fantasy/noir book.
What am I working on this week?
Inspiration would have to be the YA Sci-fi. That project has been with me for years and I knew it was next on the list but I also just finished Illuminae by Koufman and Kristoff, which was excellent.
What part of my project an I avoiding?
It’s a new project so I’m avoiding jumping into the writing before I have the plot. My initial plot has been shelved until I work through options with my plotting partners. In a sense I’m avoiding the previous project but it is a finished draft, i’m just not happy with it.
Cheers,
I loved Illuminae too, Clwedd, am chomping at the bit to get started on Gemina. Look forward to hearing more about your YA SF as it develops.
Hi Kate, I’m also looking forward to finding out what happens in the YA Sci-fi.
YA Sci-fi! That sounds great. I’ve been dying to read Illuminae too, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Is it worth bumping up my to-read pile?
Hi Sophie, yep it’s really worth it. They’ve done a terrific job with it. It’s not perfect, and it borrows fairly heavily from SF movie tropes, but I got genuinely emotional about it and am excited for the sequel. I also love some of the typographical tricks.
Yes, worth it.
Although I beginning to suspect that I have less a to-be-read pile and more a long the lines of hosting a to-the-death cage match between various unread books in my house. New contestants always welcome.
How do you find writing with a team versus alone, Clwedd? Does it help with motivation, given that you’ve got team members to try to keep pace with?
I’m curious about this too. Plotting partners? The concept melts my brain. (In a good way.)
Hi Kevin and Karina,
It’s a spin off of Kim W’s boot camp. We get together and listen to each other describe our stories and then say “Nah, that shite, have Vader be Luke’s dad.” I’m usually too easy on my heroes but well accomplished making suggestions that really screw other writer’s protag.
I use the group to point out plot-holes and predictable elements. And the fact that I have to have something done by the next meeting doesn’t let the motivation get sucked out of me.
That’s a really cool idea! May have to try that myself sometime. I tend to have trouble putting my protagonist in trouble the same way, and I can imagine having an outside opinion on what would trip them up would be incredibly useful. Best of luck with the plotting and world-building on the YA Sci-Fi!
I’d be happy to help, Maggie! Sounds like an awesome idea, doesn’t it?
Absolutely, Karina! That’d be so fun! 😀
Congrats on getting Float to the point you can shelve it! And good luck on Bad Dogs too. 🙂
My Sunday Circle is here
Commiserations on losing the chapter. It’s so frustrating when you’ve got to replace lost work, isn’t it? The feeling is completely different to redrafting – like your brain wants to improve on the previous choices but you can’t navigate well enough to do that without a map.
A big HELL YES on Black Mirror, too – we’ve only just started on it, having watched the first episode of season three, and loved it to bits.
So sorry to hear about the saving sanfu! It’s such an awful feeling, but it sounds like you’re on top of the inevitable gut-response and are plowing ahead regardless. Bravo! I think I’d have to sulk for a while… *hugs*
Okay, adding Black Mirror to my list of TO WATCH. I’ve seen it bouncing around, but now I’ll just have to go for it. ^_^
What am I working on this week?
This week the two main priorities are still the commercial demo and some website work. Last week got a little messed up (good reasons – surprise paid gig, and a friend visiting from overseas) This week is also as much laying low and charging batteries as I can squeeze for the insanity of Melbourne International Games Week – two industry conventions back to back, and a lot of socialising. Also, rehearsal this week for a live reading next week for an audio drama in the middle of that madness.
What’s inspiring me this week?
The trailer for the new Wolverine film Logan sent me on a bit of a spiral. You might be indifferent to superhero dramas, but hot damn, that is a well-structured trailer that hits in the heart. I don’t know how much of the pull of it is Man Pain, but it really moved me. Especially with the layering of the fact that Patrick Stewart’s getting on in years, and there’s only so long we get to enjoy him as an amazing human being.
Been really feeling that whole legends passing thing, which is part of why I think that Johnny Cash’s cover of ‘hurt’ is such a strong choice for that trailer. Been listening to American IV since the trailer dropped, and that really strengthened that feeling. Johnny Cash has an amazing ability to tell these stories that are such evocative, painful slivers of life – people falling off the shaky ground of the American Dream. Give My Love to Rose is just heartbreaking, and you try to explain to someone else exactly why, and it kind of comes apart like cotton candy and smoke.
THEN there’s a whole breakthrough around language this week thanks to the voice/dialect coach which has got me reading David Crystal’s The English Language.
I’ll let you quietly back away now.
What part of my project am I avoiding?
Hard, hitting the pavement work on the commercial demo. Will let you know next weekend where I’m and see how that goes.
Oh man, The English Language sounds amazing–I may need to check that out! And best of luck with moving forward on your week’s projects while also fitting in time to relax before all the socializing. Sounds like a fun time, though!
Also, I think someone was asking last week about putting tags in comments here?
The answer to how is, unfortunately, hand-writing the HTML. Bold, italics and links are all supported – not sure beyond that.
I did my tax last Friday, Peter. Good to know I’m not the only one who leaves it until the last minute.
My Sunday Circle is here Sunday Circle.
A big HELL YES on interaction in the natural world. It’s AHmazing! Highly recommend this Radiolab episode: http://www.radiolab.org/story/91689-parasites/
If you’ve been thinking about mushrooms and fungus you’ve probably already bumped into cordyceps, but that episode touches on it and some other really interesting stuff. Also, a friend recommended The Girl With All The Gifts to me this week as a piece of fiction that plays with cordyceps, and touches on some similar themes to really well written video game called Last of Us, which I freaking adore. Basically a post-apocalyptic Dad Simulator, but it has a really strong teenage female character in Ellie, who gets her own story in a separate chunk of the game.
Thanks Kevin, I’ll check out the episode. Is The Girl With All the Gifts a short story or novel?
GWATG is a YA novel.
Also, this just popped up on my feed. It’s a week for mushroom recommendations: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10581.html
thanks 🙂
Hooray for the geniuses being kind! That is such a cool way to look at creativity and process. And I’ll have to check out that mushroom talk–they’re such interesting organisms, I find myself drawn to them, too! 🙂 Best of luck on your progress and word count this week!
thanks Maggie
Peter: I think my original comment asking this got deleted – is Bad Dog: Origins the supernatural Western you’re working on?
Hope the scene work goes well this week!
Nope. Something else entirely.
What am I working on this week?
Angst is over, thank goodness, and I am rocketing onwards. I’ve mapped out new character motivations and plot for the Fun Flimsy and just posted over the new first chapter to see if I’ve addressed mentor concerns. In non-writing news, I’m also off to the Australian Embassy for the joys of overseas passport renewal.
What’s inspiring me this week?
Chris Pratt. Seriously. Introduced the other half to Guardians of the Galaxy and finally found him a comic-to-movie franchise he liked because it’s fun, has moments of sophistication, and the characterisation isn’t so cardboard. Last night was our second time to Jurassic World. (Having now been to LegoLand with kids this resonates in a whole new way!) Pratt has this knack of showing extraordinary courage in an ordinary guy way. I freaking love that. (Almost as much as I adore Bryce Dallas Howard’s portrayal of bravery taunting the T-Rex.)
Also, I started a whole new document and typed from scratch after Peter’s post on notebook draft/rewrite earlier this week. Helped a LOT in dumping darling phrases that didn’t flow with the new story arc.
What part of my project am I avoiding?
Procrastination. I’m hoping I’ll be faster now I’ve got a lot of the hard thinking over.
Woohoo for angst being over on the Fun Flimsy! So happy to hear it’s moving forward once more. Best of luck with the revisions!
@Peter: Best of luck moving forward on the new project and on taxes (blech!). You have all the sympathies.
My belated Sunday Circle is here. 🙂