Summary:

Really great progress on the short story front this week, starting from an awesome session with structure provided by Urban Writers Retreat. I’m pleased that I then managed to build on that momentum to continue with the stories throughout the rest of the week. Here’s hoping I can do the same next week!

 

Monday:

I started out with a couple of reviews of books I finished recently.

Then, I logged on to the UWR online session, stating the intention to spend an hour each on the four short stories I’m meant to be working on. I then spent the first half hour of the retreat making tea, setting up my writing station and faffing around on the internet. Sigh.

After that, though, I did some useful research for my astronaut story, now called Missing Out, which helped me figure out where to start, so I wrote the first few hundred words.

Then I moved onto a horror story I’ve had swirling around my brain for years, and which I thought I could write to fit an upcoming anthology call. I wasn’t convinced the idea would work, or suit the theme, and I considered just letting it go. But I did a bit of brainstorming and came up with a new approach that not only fit the theme much better, but also improved the arc of the story and made it a lot easier to write. So that was quite an achievement! I started drafting the opening, while I was on a roll and got some words down and came up with the title, Comeuppance.

After lunch, I started drafting Secret Admirer, another idea I had some time ago and had already completed an outline for. I wrote the first couple of scenes.

Then I finished off a truly excellent session by brainstorming expansion ideas for my WIP Big Bang story, and managed to come up with some ideas for timeline and setting, as well as a list of questions for my subconscious crew to work on for next time.

 

Tuesday:

I reviewed the film we watched the night before.

 

Wednesday:

I set myself the task of recreating the morning session of Monday’s retreat and finished a first draft of Missing Out. I also rewrote the opening of Comeuppance to adjust the point of view, and added a bit more.

I also edited the next main podcast episode.

 

Thursday:

I did some submissions.

 

Saturday:

I logged my writing intentions on the URW online writing retreat page and settled down to complete my first draft of Secret Admirer.

Then I wrote the next interim podcast script.

 

Sunday:

I did some reflecting, planning and scheduling in my awesome UWR diary.

I talked to my parents about the Secret Admirer story and made some amendments based on their feedback.

I also did a ‘show, don’t tell’ exercise, prompted by one of the people currently editing Colours.

Later, I recorded and edited the next interim podcast episode.