Look at that! We made it to Friday.
So, I don’t know about you, but this week flew past.
Er, actually, I’m suddenly questioning whether it is, indeed, Friday. Hold on…Okay, double checked. It is. Phew!
Overall, my week mostly revolved around the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge. I know, I know. Bad Jenna! I’m supposed to be working on my manuscript, not reading my competitor’s stories and critiquing them. But…ugh.
Okay, this is what happened.
On Wednesday, I received the green light from NYC Midnight to post my story publicly and on their private forum. The forum is where all of the competitors get to connect and read/evaluate each other’s work. Really, it’s one of the main reasons I even participate. Not only have I learned so much about my writing from the valuable feedback I’ve received there, but I’ve also made some great friends.
On the forum, there’s an unspoken rule: If someone reads/critiques your story, you should read/critique theirs in return. No, not everyone does this, but most of us consider it a basic courtesy.
So, usually, after I get the go ahead from the competition to post my story on the forum, I like to block out a few days to hunker down and read/critique as many stories as my eyeballs and brain can handle. I do this because 1) I enjoy it, and 2) I hope to drive people to my story to receive feedback. Give and take, right? I read yours, you read mine. Win-win.
Well, this round I decided to approach things differently.
With my manuscript “yelling” at me to finish it, I decided I couldn’t be proactive on the forum and read people’s stories unless they read mine first. So, when I posted my story, I wrote a disclaimer that basically said, “If you read my story, I’ll read yours.”
HORRIBLE IDEA!
By Wednesday night, I had over 20 stories to read and critique. By yesterday, near 35.
It’s like people freaked out I wasn’t going to be seeking out stories like I normally do, so they made sure to read and comment on mine so I’d read and comment on theirs.
Doh!
I decided to the best way to deal with the overwhelming situation was to barrel my way through the towering stack of work yesterday and today–you know, the whole pulling off the band-aid strategy. That way I can go into the weekend focused completely on my manuscript.
I made it over halfway through the stack yesterday, so hopefully I’m able to finish things up today!
As for my entry for the Flash Fiction Challenge, the feedback has been surprisingly positive so far. Although most people don’t seem to know exactly what qualifies as political satire, they think Operation Disney is funny.
Now, to be honest, I think most people are probably being nicer with their reviews than usual. Most everyone knows by now how much I dreaded writing a political satire and how little faith I had–have–in my story.
Yes, yes. Despite the nice words I’ve received about Operation Disney, I’m still not sold on it. I’ve read it a couple of times this week and every time I’m more and more bothered by it. Ugh…I know I’m being hard on myself, and I know I did an okay job considering I was way out of my element, but I just can’t bring myself to love it like I’ve loved my other stories.
Oh well, oh well. I’m going to let it go and move on.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. 😉
Anyway, in honor of the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge, and the political satire I had to write, here is today’s Friday Funny. I’m sure I’ve posted this one before, but I had to use it again since it’s exactly how I felt while penning Operation Disney. Enjoy!
How was your week? Anyone else finding themselves buried in piles of work?
P.S. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and comment on Operation Disney. I know I might sound like I’m complaining above, but I value each and every piece of feedback I’ve received. Thank you, thank you!
Jen’s Weekly Roundup
In case you missed my posts from earlier this week, here you go!
Disaster Strikes – Round 2 – NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge 2014
You Know You’re A Writer When…Frustration
Operation Disney – 2nd Round Entry – NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge Entry
Photo credits:
http://www.celebuzz.com/2013-06-15/20-high-five-gifs-for-neil-patrick-harris-birthday/
http://gifrific.com/did-we-just-become-best-friends-step-brothers/
http://armenatoyan.buzznet.com/user/journal/8187041/liz-lemon-gif-party-tina/
http://s284.photobucket.com/user/Bigsteve87/media/Gifs/HighFiveSnowWhite.gif.html
http://www.funniestmemes.com/funniest-memes-the-writer-haha-this-is-funny-maybe-not/
…No, that wasn’t sarcasm at all! 😉 But, come on! Who loves returning to reality after a week off in la-la land? And that’s what my “staycation” basically was. For six blissful days, I lived the life I wish I could live if I didn’t have a full-time job. I woke up when I wanted to, got my workout out of the way, ate a hearty breakfast, and then wrote ALL DAY LONG! Then I had time to actually do stuff in the evenings (hang out with family and friends, read, watch TV, etc.). Better yet, I could stay up as late as I wanted. There was no clock glaring at me like, “Dude, you know you need to be up at 5 a.m., right?”
It was a perfect week. And I did NOT want to return to my unglamorous go-go-go, sleep-work-write daily grind. But alas, I had to.
As for my progress with my manuscript, lets see…I wrote three and half chapters last week during my time off, and I’ve almost completed another two this week. So things are moving along much faster and smoother than before my staycation. Woo-hoo! And if I maintain my steady pace, I should hit the halfway point by the end of July. Woo-hoo x 2!
P.S. I’d like to wish my brother a very happy birthday today. He is one of my best friends and has always–ALWAYS–supported my dream of being a writer. So, happy birthday, Max! Hope you have a fantastical, most wonderful, best ever kind of day!
Don’t forget! The early entry deadline for the 
In a nutshell, my week was similar to the last few: calm and productive. I’ve continued traipsing through the revisions for my YA manuscript, and despite my ongoing sluggish pace, I feel good about them. As planned, I sent my beta reader the first five chapters of my story, and she gave them the thumbs up.
I will be sending the next two chapters to her tomorrow. I’m not as happy with them–something just feels off…Hopefully my beta reader will be able pinpoint what the problem is. Or maybe I’m just over thinking things and need to carry on. Which I will, as always. 🙂
Oh well. As the saying goes, “Dreams don’t work unless you do”, right?
How was your week? Are you feeling stressed? Or you are kicking back and enjoying some fun in the sun? I won’t resent you if you are…Okay, okay. I might resent you a little 😉
Before I entered these contests, I assumed my writing skills were at their best…WRONG! In just two measly challenges, my abilities have grown exponentially. I’m actually kind of embarrassed by what I considered my “best”. I won’t even let my friends or colleagues look at my old work.
As you can see, I’m very happy it’s Friday, mostly because that means tomorrow is Saturday and I’ll be able to write all day long without interruption. Well, hopefully. Interruption seems to be the theme of my life lately, and it’s really bogging down my progress with my manuscript. Between work, family obligations, life chores, blogging, writing contests, reading/reviews, I just never seem to have time to sit down and write (*cue long, frustrated sigh*). I even took Wednesday off work to try and catch up on it (and some much needed sleep), but I still didn’t make as much progress as I’d hoped. I need to take a leaf out of my own book and use a variety of tips/strategies for finishing a manuscript in a timely fashion (
So, how was your week? Are you making better progress with your manuscript than me? Read any good books I should know about?
I’m telling you, it hurts to even walk outside right now. And everyone is dealing with frozen/breaking pipes, icy commutes, and drained car batteries (yesterday morning, I was 45 minutes late to work because a neighbor asked me to help her jump-start her car).
How was your week? I hope it was less frustrating (and a lot warmer) than mine.
And, to be fair, positive things have happened. Although it’s only January 7th, I’ve already read two books (
1) Write 2 full manuscripts. This will begin with finishing, editing and querying my 
Jen's Pen Den 
