Tag: revising

Fiction Blog, Writing Updates

Month-End Update: May 2016

Kate M. Colby

Happy June, everyone! I hope you all had a productive and fun May (if so, feel free to share your achievements in the comments!). Professionally, I didn’t get as far in my revisions of Desertera #2 as I would have liked, but Daniel and I did have a few unexpected (but welcome) social engagements pop up throughout the month, so personally, it was a great few weeks.

As I head into June, I am going to keep my focus on a few big goals. First, I’ll be finishing the content edit revisions of Desertera #2, so that it can go to line editing at the end of the month. As always, I’ll be working on my next nonfiction booklet, 100 Action & Adventure Writing Prompts, and if time allows, I am more than ready to dive into Desertera #3.

Last, I wanted to let you all know that I have officially joined Tumblr. You can find me at http://katemcolby.tumblr.com. If you’re also on Tumblr, feel free to follow me, and I’ll happily return the favor!

But first, let’s recap May:

Writing

  • Blog Posts Written — 8
  • Fiction Words Written — 0
  • # of Days I Wrote Fiction — 0
  • Nonfiction Prompts Written — 100 prompts (plus front/back matter material)
  • # of Days I Wrote Non-Fiction — 10
  • Outlines Written — 1 (100 Action & Adventure Writing Prompts)
  • Days Without Writing and/or Editing — 12

Editing/Revising

  • Drafts Revised — Content Edit of Desertera #2 (over 2/3 through the manuscript)
  • # of Days I Revised — 9

Reading

*Remember, I review every book I read on my Goodreads page.

Author Business Activities

Goals for June

  • Finish the content edit revisions of Desertera #2
  • Write and publish 100 Action & Adventure Writing Prompts
  • Begin drafting Desertera #3

Who else has accomplishments to share from May? What are your goals for June? Share in the comments!

Fiction Blog, Writing Updates

Month-End Update: April 2016

Kate M. Colby

Despite Camp NaNoWriMo being in April, I had a rather “slow” month. I focused more on a few big items on my to-do list and let some of the little stuff I normally do slide. In fact, between completing my first Camp goal (writing and publishing 100 Fantasy Writing Prompts), I took a full week off production while I waited to begin the content edit revisions of Desertera #2 (which may have a title now…stay posted!).

Overall, April has been a solid month. I made a few new author friends at the Brain to Books Cyber Convention, won Camp NaNoWriMo (third time’s the charm!), did quite a bit of reading, and received a few fantastic reviews of The Cogsmith’s Daughter (Desertera #1). I’m leaving the month refreshed and happy to keep moving forward in May.

Writing

  • Blog Posts Written — 9 (and three reblogs)
  • Fiction Words Written — 0
  • # of Days I Wrote Fiction — 0
  • Nonfiction Prompts Written — 100 prompts (plus front/back matter material)
  • # of Days I Wrote Non-Fiction — 6
  • Outlines Written — 1.5 (100 Historical Fiction Writing Prompts, starting Desertera #3)
  • Days Without Writing and/or Editing — 17

Editing/Revising

  • Drafts Revised — Content Edit of Desertera #2 (roughly 23,000 words so far)
  • # of Days I Revised — 7

Reading

  • Books Reviewed
    • None on the blog

*Remember, I review every book I read on my Goodreads page.

Author Business Activities

Goals for May

Right now, May looks to be another relatively slow-paced month, with just a few big goals.

  • Finish the content edit revisions of Desertera #2
  • Write and publish 100 Historical Fiction Writing Prompts
  • Participate in the #WriteWeMay Instagram Challenge
  • Try at least one new advertising or marketing strategy

Who else has accomplishments to share from April? What are your goals for May? Share in the comments!

Fiction Blog, Writing Updates

Month-End Update: March 2016

Kate M. Colby

March was a doozy. The biggest item on my to-do list was to finish the first draft of Desertera #2, which I did! However, in order to accomplish it and make time for my other goals, I had to really push myself. While I had some early mornings, late nights, and strenuous train rides, working that hard was actually incredibly satisfying.

Ending March, I feel accomplished, fulfilled, and more creatively energized than I have in a long time. I cannot wait to dive headfirst into April with an exciting virtual convention, Camp NaNoWriMo adventures (follow my cabin at #wordcountslayers), and getting Desertera #2 even closer to publication. But first, let’s take a quick look at March:

Writing

  • Blog Posts Written — 9 (and one guest post)
  • Fiction Words Written — 26,089
  • # of Days I Wrote Fiction — 19
  • Nonfiction Prompts Written — 100 prompts (plus front/back matter material)
  • # of Days I Wrote Non-Fiction — 5
  • Outlines Written — 1 (100 Fantasy Writing Prompts)
  • Days Without Writing and/or Editing — 3

Editing/Revising

  • Drafts Revised — Desertera #2 and 100 Children’s, Teen, and Young Adult Writing Prompts (Fiction Ideas Vol. 3)
  • # of Days I Revised — 4

Reading

*Remember, I review every book I read on my Goodreads page.

Author Business Activities

Goals for April

I have a few very exciting items on my agenda this month, which I’ll be sharing with you as April progresses!

  • Participate in the Brain to Books Cyber Convention on Goodreads & Facebook
  • Participate in and “win” Camp NaNoWriMo
  • Complete the content edit revisions of Desertera #2 
  • Publish 100 Fantasy Writing Prompts (Fiction Ideas Vol. 4)
  • Resume vlogging (yet again trying to get back into this!)

Who else has accomplishments to share from March? What are you working toward in April? Share in the comments!

Fiction Blog, Writing Updates

Month-End Update: February 2016

Kate M. Colby

With the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour over, we’re back to our regular programming on the blog. And since it’s the first of the month, it’s time to reflect on February.

I’m really proud of my February progress. Considering my regular routine was (happily) interrupted by a trip home to Kansas as well as by Daniel attending an out-of-state conference then jetting home to Australia, I think I did a decent job of staying on track with my goals. The first draft of Desertera #2 is still on schedule for its April 1st editing date, and my nonfiction booklets are churning out as planned. While I didn’t read as much as I would have liked, I did squeeze in a few other intellectual activities, and that’s always a bonus.

Writing

  • Blog Posts Written — 5 (but posted 16 interviews/guest articles)
  • Fiction Words Written — 16,214
  • # of Days I Wrote Fiction — 11
  • Nonfiction Prompts Written — 90 prompts (plus front/back matter material)
  • # of Days I Wrote Non-Fiction — 6
  • Outlines Written — 1 (100 Children’s, Teen, and Young Adult Writing Prompts)
  • Days Without Writing — 12

Editing/Revising

Reading

  • Books Reviewed
    • None on the blog

*Remember, I review every book I read on my Goodreads page.

Author Business Activities

Goals for March

  • Finish the first draft of Desertera #2
  • Initial edit/clean up of Desertera #2
  • Publish 100 Children’s, Teen, and Young Adult Writing Prompts (Fiction Ideas Vol. 3)
  • Try a different paid advertisement for The Cogsmith’s Daughter (Desertera #1)
  • Resume vlogging
  • Deliver my birthday gifts to YOU!

Who else has accomplishments to share from February? What are you working toward in March? Share in the comments!

 

Fiction Blog, Writing Updates

Month-End Update: January 2016

Kate M. Colby

Can you believe it’s already time for the first month-end update of 2016?! I hardly can. At least one thing has stayed consistent from 2015 to 2016 – I’m still rambling about the insanely fast passage of time like a broken record. For this year, I think I’m going to keep the format of my monthly recap basically the same. You may notice a few little tweaks, but overall, I’ll still be updating you about my writing progress, any editing/revising I’ve done, what I’ve been reading, and any special tasks relating to my author business as a whole. If you’re wondering where my Mid-Month Check-In went, I’ve decided to do those exclusively for my author newsletter. If you miss them, you can sign up for my newsletter here.

Now then, onto January 2016. Thus far, I’m happy with the progress I’ve made. While my writing streak did not last all month, I wrote for the majority of the days and have finally been able to establish a writing routine for myself. Moreover, I’ve been able to maintain my healthy reading schedule, as well as dive into the world of nonfiction. Overall, I think the year is off to a fantastic start, and I’m excited to build on my progress month-by-month!

Writing

  • Blog Posts Written — 8 (meeting my goal of 2 per week)
  • Fiction Words Written — 17,078
  • # of Days I Wrote Fiction — 19
  • Nonfiction Prompts Written — 50 prompts (plus front/back matter material)
  • # of Days I Wrote Non-Fiction — 6
  • Outlines Written — 1 (100 Romance Writing Prompts)
  • Days Without Writing — 6

Editing/Revising

Reading

*Remember, I review every book I read on my Goodreads page.

Author Business Activities

  • Published 100 General Creative Writing Prompts
  • Booked first paid advertisement for The Cogsmith’s Daughter (to happen in February)
  • Redesigned author website
  • Organized The 2016 2K Indie Books Tour with Kate Evans
  • Attended a copywriting webinar hosted by Bryan Cohen
  • Updated all business spreadsheets/forms for the new year
  • Completed an author interview (to be posted later)
  • Completed a guest post (to be posted later)

Goals for February

  • Continue working on Desertera #2
  • Publish 100 Romance Writing Prompts (Fiction Ideas #2)
  • Co-host a successful blog tour

How was your start to 2016? What goals are you working toward in February? Share your triumphs in the comments!