How Much Have You Done By Now? (1 Viewer)

[roxie_b]

hello ext2 short story people, i am curious to know how you all are going with your m/w and reflection statements. has anyone finished? personally, i have only just started, writing 3500 words in 2 days is quite mentally exhausting but i have begun yay

 

[Jayphen]

~900 words of my MW. that's it.

 

[_muse_]

i have about 4000 words and half way through my story. Hope to get things up and running again in the holidays so theres still time to edit and refine and stuff

 

[jhakka]

!!!

You guys should at least have finished your first draft by now.

But then again, I know some people who pulled good stuff out the night before.

 

[glitterfairy]

*agrees*

Ideally, you want your first full draft (no matter how pathetic) finished as soon as possible so you can start your first-full reworking.

I might have said this somewhere else, but don't let yourselves fall into the trap of refusing to move on until you are satisfied - there is not enough time! (trust me, because I got stuck like this last year as well. It got so bad my EE2 teacher started calling me at night to ask how many words I'd written that day )

Push through and get that word count up - in the process, you'll also be forced to get some sort of solid plot happening (which may also be one of the challenges slowing down the writing process). It is *always* easier to edit and re-shape your work as a whole, rather than trying to achieve perfection in one go.

Even if you don't like your first full draft (and I know very few that do), you can ALWAYS change it later, provided you leave enough time for that "later". Most people's first full drafts (including my own) hardly resembled the finished product other than characters and basic concept - direction normally changes, not to mention the entire thing being much more refined and sophisticated.

Write on!

 

[Jayphen]

my problem is that no matter how hard I try, I can't allow myself to write anything that is below the standard I have set for myself. I spend too much time thinking about it.

glitterfairy; how many words had you written by this stage, approximately?

(ps: I just reached 1100 words, hoorah!)

 

[tomcats 72]

don't worry about your standard, just start writting. I know it's hard but it will get harder as the due date gets closer

 

[glitterfairy]

my problem is that no matter how hard I try, I can't allow myself to write anything that is below the standard I have set for myself. I spend too much time thinking about it.

glitterfairy; how many words had you written by this stage, approximately?

(ps: I just reached 1100 words, hoorah!)

Ah, the thinking - I remember that. Then I started forcing myself to write at least 500 words of waffle a day. Somewhere in that came a story

I was under very strong encouragement (as was the rest of my grade) to have a first full draft by the Term1 into Term 2 holidays. I had my first full re-working finished... roughly this time last year, if not a tiddy bit sooner. And then there was still a fair bit of editing and refining to do to get up to the finished product.

My first full draft really kinda sucked, I'll admit that. I spent the next 2 1/2 months or so re-working it into something I liked, then spent the last bit of time between then and handing-in-time to refine it.

 

[Jayphen]

ouch, that makes me feel bad. what you said is right though, it's plowing through that solid plot that is taking time. I know the more outlined plot, but the way it actually unfolds is what I'm having difficulty writing.

hopefully I have my first draft finished by the end of the holidays (3 weeks from now).

 

[glitterfairy]

^ I had that problem. One of the people that reviewed by early work told me to stop worrying and just start writing, because my thinking/worrying was actually getting me to a point where I was so worried, I couldn't/wouldn't write.

For all those who have not yet done a first full draft - I VERY strongly encourage you to have one by the end of the first week of the holidays. Then starts your first re-working...

 

[jhakka]

If you haven't started reworking by now, I would suggest you read through your draft at least once a day and make changes in red pen. Every few days re-type the whole thing with the changes you've made.

 

[Korobushka]

About 2500.

I gotta start putting a heap of shit for my journal in too. I've been very uncreative.

I'm writing two stories, 'cause my teacher said they both have potential.

My English teacher (not my EE2 teacher - he's a lazy bum) said that we need to have all major works done by the end of the holidays or our trials are in jeopardy.

She doesn't lie, and I believe her.

Just can't really find the enthusiasm to work. So sad.


But don't linger down around my standards. Go out and get yourselves 40+

 

[waterbottle]

i've finished my first draft and had it checked by my teacher so now it's time for reworking and some minor changes and then i'll probably get started on my reflection statement.

 

[Kerren]

I've got 6243 words . . . started revising. Mind you, I only started writing about two weeks ago and did it all over four days--exhausting but the only way it works for me

 

[Opium]

I've got 8700 words. Handed in my draft and gotten multiple people to read the finished thing. So now i have some feedback and a few hundred words to trim. After some more editing and fine tuning it should be done I guess (is it ever really 'done'?) then i'll start on my reflection statment.

For all the people with not much written, don't give up hope. Just keep at it and make an effort over the holidays, there's plenty of time these holidays to knock out the full draft. Set it as a goal

 

[boasboy]

4000 words.. im kinda stuck.. i plan to get another 4000 in this week.. but i duno if i can.. =\

 

[dorothygale]

i've got 8,500 for my 1st draft, haven't even begun 2 think about reflection statement yet. does anyone have an idea of how flexible the word limit is? when i did my pip last year, my sac teacher said 10% was the maximum that u could safely go over. but for the history major works, the same teacher said if u r 10 words over, u have 2 cut those ten words...any idea what kind of situation this one is?

 

[jhakka]

For EE2 they want you to be in between the word limit. They do not give you that 10% either way.

 

[glitterfairy]

^^ Agreed.

You get the 10% for most Uni essays though.

 

[PerfectByNature]

umm... ive done around 2500 words, but thats also cos i cut out a whole chunk cos it didnt fit into the story and it was wasting space... i had about 1000 words in that but its ok, im better off without it...
we have 2 days this hols to go into school and work on our MWs and reflection statements.... my teacher told us to have our 1st draft finished by then.,... shit!
i think i can do it tho...
i hope i can
*crosses fingers.... then, uncrosses them so she can write*
lol