#ScribesAndMakers #TTMD

It’s past midnight where I live. Here beginneth the very first Talk To Me Day, the beta run. Cometh forth with thy questions, ye Scribes and Makers. @saposcat shall answer.

(Sorry, don’t know what got into me.) Anyway, my question:

***A while ago, you mentioned family art night in one of your posts. How exactly does that work? Got pictures?***

#ScribesAndMakers Mar 15: How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

Come to my house and watch my kids so I can finish this draft.

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#ScribesAndMakers 14: Writing dialogue, include everything?

I suppose I don't think about it, which probably means I include too much. I certainly trend towards dialogue more than description, for better or worse. Something to think about in edits.

#ScribesAndMakers 15: Goal progress?

What'd I say again? "To get through the month no worse off than I am now."

As I've actually managed to restore some of my serial catalogue in the form of Epsilon 4 (see self promotion above), I seem to be coming out ahead. I've even found a bit of time to read manga. Keep encouraging me, I guess.

I’ve written a bit about the making of ‘This Is Not The End’ here;

johnhartleywriter.blogspot.com…

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#newfiction
#Scribesandmakers

(The Making of) This Is Not The End

  The ringing of an unanswered telephone. The clink of a dropped spanner. The muffle of footsteps, unidentified in the dark. The flapping of...

^{johnhartleywriter.blogspot.com}

#ScribesAndMakers 3/15. How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

I haven't touched my website (or my taxes) yet. I don't think anyone can help with those.

As far as the writing goes, I'm about where I wanted to be in volume 2 at mid-month:
I've figured out where the break between 2 and 3 needs to happen.
I need to add a couple of scenes to the last 1/3 of vol 2, AND I know what they are.
I need to make a pass to pull a couple of characters into the foreground.

#ScribesAndMakers 15/3 How are your goals going?

Slow.

But I've just recently finished a first (extremely rough) draft of the first two-thirds of book 2 in my series, and I think I just had the idea I needed to get the last third working. I had been racking my brain over that, trying and failing to get all the pieces to fit together, so that's nice, if it pans out.

So hopefully the speed will pick up again now.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar 15: How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

The goal was: finish 2 in-progress vignettes, write 1 more, and start the first draft. I have written 6251 words total in the two of them (bringing their sizes to 5006 and 8431 words, respectively).

The big one is closing in on completion; the small one is somewhere around the 70% mark, I think? I think I'll get the 2 done by EOM, but probably not finish that last one. Unless I pick up my pace a lot.

#ScribesAndMakers

March 15. How’s your goal going? Anything we can help you with?

If you could all persuade one person to buy a copy of ‘How Green Are Your Eyes’ I’d be very happy.

Other than that, it’s going ok…

books2read.com/b/bPGOPl

Available now at your favorite digital store!

How Green Are Your Eyes by John Hartley

^{books2read.com}

#ScribesAndMakers Mar 15: How are your goals going?

I’ve been steadily making progress on the next novel, so I feel good about that. I did write a new short story but I have yet to submit any short stories. That’s something I want to do more of this year and I’ve stalled. This is a good reminder to get that happening.

#ScribesAndMakers 3/15 How's your goal going? Anything you need help with?

I started editing/rewriting Taliesin book 2. I'm daunted yet relieved that I see areas to improve and have ideas of how to do so.

I also am trying to keep momentum up writing the first draft Jib's Tale. I am so swamped with my teaching job that just keeping a little bit of progress on both projects is a triumph.

It would be really helpful if someone could teach and parent for me for a few weeks. Any takers?

#ScribesAndMakers 15: How's your goal going?

Editing and polishing the sequel to SECONDARY is proceeding apace. I'm confident I''ll hit my goal of releasing at the end of the year.

Still working on getting the first one out wide, but hoping by the end of the month.

#ScribesandMakers Day 15: How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

Writing is ongoing. Still putting together another poetry compilation. Posting more of my art, though I find myself comparing it with better artists. 😅

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#ScribesAndMakers Mar 15: How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

Writing is happening. Promotion is happening. Neither in the quantity that I would prefer. If someone would like to swoop in and do all my promo for me that'd be great hahaha.

#ScribesAndMakers 3/15 How's your creativity this month? Anything you would like help with?

On the one hand, I've been producing and posting poems more frequently than I usually do; on the other hand, the reason I've been posting them instead of submitting for publication is that they're generally of lower quality than what I'm looking for. So, a little of the good, a little of the bad.

I'm having trouble finishing Act V of the play I started last month. Would love a bit of afflatus there.

#ScribesAndMakers 15
goal

My immediate goal is editing Kovenlore Book3. It’s going well since I blocked most of the noise & found my focus. I’ve passed halfway on my chart. I hope to finish by the end of April.

Then, I’ll initiate the final process (last spell check, formatting, blurbs, etc., the cover is done) of publishing Kovenlore Book2, my publishing goal is late May or early June.

Help? I’d appreciate any advice concerning publishing with Kobo.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Fantasy

#ScribesAndMakers Mar 15: How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

Oof. I think I've got too many goals pulling me in different directions.

I could probably stand to have someone prioritize stuff for me and make me stick to the plan. Finish this first, then start on that, then work on the other thing, etc.

#ScribesAndMakers 15 Mar: How's your creativity this month? Anything you would like help with?

Not doing very well, to be honest. If you could help me find a way to stop worrying about Annie-the-Cat, stop worrying about my Social Security and Medicare being taken away, and let me just stay home and write, perhaps I would do better.

15. How's your creativity this month? Anything you would like help with?

My crochet slipper project remains sadly untouched.
My editing though went surprisingly well. I've moved to chapter 8 of 31 (for now). I reshuffled all the chapters because they were so uneven, some very short, others very long. They are still a bit uneven, but not as much.
The more I edit, the more I find.
The upside is that *I* still like my story.

#ScribesAndMakers #GL325

#ScribesAndMakers 15/3: How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

Running a bit behind schedule because the last couple of weeks have been very full of family things, but hopefully I'll catch up now that I'm getting back into the normal routine.

#ScribesAndMakers 03/14—When writing dialogue, do you include everything from hello to goodbye or stick to what's essential?

You mean that pointless song and dance people do before having an actual conversation?

No. It's dreadful enough in person. If I do include it, it's less of a reflex and more pointed.

#ScribesAndMakers 03/15—How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

I finished my first round of edits and revisions for this WIP. Gonna let it sit for a bit before coming back to it for final edits.

I also finished formatting another WIP; just need the cover, which is currently in progress.

So I think that's all my goals covered so far.

How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

4 panels to go to complete the last page. I’ll try to finish this weekend

#ScribesAndMakers 2025-03-15

[Illustration: WIP of one panel the last page of the Chapter Two]

#ScribesAndMakers 15 March: How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

I have two books in my comic fantasy series completed. I need help to find an agent/publisher.

My other current goal is to finish rewriting my first novel (done), finish writing the sequels (mostly done), and write the 10 spin-offs (started). And then I'll probably need help with self-publishing them.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar 15: How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

The writing turned out to be the easy part. Now to find a #histfic-friendly agent and get published. That goal is currently not much nearer than it was 12 months ago

#amquerying #writingcommunity #writing

Bit.ly/4kU4juk

The Hard Part

– Getting a novel published, By Howard Aiken   AI rendering of my Spanish/Moorish hero Speaking purely from personal experience, the easy part is writing the novel.  The hard part (certai…

^{The Misfit Blog}

#ScribesAndMakers 15, How are your goals going?

✅ I have indeed finished my first draft of book 11, Silhouette of Ravens. Yay!

❌ But I've not yet found the headspace to re-edit book 1.

❌ And I have yet to completely clear out the new exhibition space.

I've discerned a more authentic style in book 11 that I want to iron out and fully grasp that before returning to editing book 1.

It has been a surprisingly decently productive couple of weeks despite personal setbacks.

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#ScribesAndMakers 14, When writing dialogue, do you include everything from hello to goodbye or stick to what's essential?

I write what is needed for the scene to work. Some are in full detail because the details are important, others, not so much.

What's often more critical is that it's clear how things are said. Communication is very rarely just about the words.

#writingcommunity

#ScribesAndMakers 15 Mar: How's your creativity this month? Anything you would like help with?

The writing is going OK at the moment. I'm working on the first draft of the third book of a fantasy trilogy. Progress is slow but steady. I don't need any help right now.

#ScribesAndMakers 3/15. How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

I am ahead of schedule on my goals for the month.

Help, As also looking for a beta reader familiar with Japan.

#NMSAM

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#ttmd

Question 1. Do you say ‘scone’ or ‘scone’, and do you have them with cream before jam, or jam before cream?

Question 2. When will the world see ‘The Night Plummer and the Mockemortician’ in all its glory?

Question 3. Complete the following sentence:
By answering these questions today I am successfully avoiding…

#ScribesAndMakers

14 When writing dialogue, do you include everything from hello to goodbye or stick to what's essential?

I include whatever is entertaining.

#Writing

#ScribesAndMakers 14 March: Dialogue, everything from hello to goodbye or stick to essentials?

Both, as required by the scene.

"He greeted her warmly and they exchanged a few pleasantries" is no different to "she ran across the platform and jumped into the carriage as the train began to pull away" - they're both moving characters into the positions they need to be in to get to the stuff that matters.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar 14: Dialogue, everything from hello to goodbye or stick to essentials?

It depends on the scene, the characters, the "vibe," etc. Generally, though, I do like to include all the awkwardness and pauses and staring out the window. I like to hear the sound of cutlery clinking on plates, wind whipping rain against the window, people clearing their throats. That's all part of the scene.

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#ScribesAndMakers Mar 14: When writing dialogue, do you include everything from hello to goodbye or stick to what's essential?

So far, in my vignettes, I've been including almost everything. I definitely start each dialogue with everything, but as it goes on, I allow myself to elide some stuff, or just describe it sketchily. Even more so if there are more than two people; then I might say, "The others all agreed with that," or suchlike. 1/2

#ScribesandMakers Day 14: When writing dialogue, do you include everything from hello to goodbye or stick to what's essential?

I include whatever the scene needs. It doesn't have to be the whole kit and kaboodle. Sometimes you arrive in the middle of a conversation.

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