WIP Wednesday: Week 20?!

Days Left to Deadline: -64

Days Worked On: Two-ish. Though there's been a lot of angst spread out over other days.
Morale: Miserable . . . then I realized it was week 20 . . . and it got worse. >_> Maybe I should stop numbering these things.
Total Word Count: 98,597 (+222 from last week)

What I Worked On: So . . . ugh, here's the deal: I deleted a scene from the original draft because it made for a better chapter break, but in doing so, I lost some important information (ie: setting and character introductions). So I've been struggling to get all of those vital bits back into place without info-dumping. This was what last week's cork board timeline was all about.

Thoughts: I've written this post three different times about three different things . . . and most of them were whiny. So this is me not whining. This week sucked writing-wise, but I've finally turned to my wonderful CP for some help, and I'm sure she'll be able to lend an unbiased eye.

WIP Wednesday: Weeks 10+11

Days Left to Deadline: -1
Days Worked On: A grand total of 1
Morale: Err, good or something?!
Total Word Count: 99,902

Thoughts: Well . . . despite not really writing at all for the last forever, there are some good things to report:

1. I am finally done moving. No more 12-hour car rides from hell. No more lugging boxes up and down stairs and into 60 mph winds. No more sleeping on a sofa bed.
2. I finally have internet again. Yes. Full-fledged internet access where pages load quickly and where I can actually access Blogger to reply to your comments and where I can abuse Spotify to my heart's content.
3. There is no three, but the list seemed incomplete with only two items. Let's just say that with the advent one one and two, life is better.

Okay, so none of those things are really writing related . . . but they give me hope for upcoming productivity in the coming weeks! *shakes fist*

Anyway, you also may have noticed how I am, uhh, one day past my self-imposed goal of doom. This is because I failed. Not only did I fail, I failed pretty miserably. The original goal was to edit my entire WIP by March 6th at 11:59 PM so I could have taken less than a year to edit it. Because, umm, it's super depressing to consider how slow I am. Unfortunately . . . I edited about a third of it. Less than a third.

HOWEVER. Something good did come of this failed experiment:

I have edited 18,209-ish words of my WIP!

And I did cut 3,657 words out of that stuff I edited!

And there are only 79,735-ish words left to edit!

*tosses confetti*

Yay for the bright side! I think I might keep up these WIP Wednesday posts until I actually make the freaking goal. It seems fitting. And I like to pretend that you guys are holding me accountable or something. I doubt anyone really is . . . but I feel bad whenever I have to write the "I suck and didn't write this week" posts. SO BRING ON THE GUILT.

Now tell me, have any of you failed a writing goal before? Was it because the goal in itself was outlandish, or was it because life reared its ugly head? Tell me what happened in the comments!

I want YOU! Also, a writing goal

ETA (03/04/11): And the third lovely guest blogger has made an appearance. Yay!
ETA (03/03/11): I have two lovely guest bloggers and would love to see a third! Any volunteers?

I've decided to tell you guys my secret goal in the hopes that if/when I fail, you will rain the hate down so hard that I will cower and cry beneath your missiles of disappointment. Umm, yes. A few other people already know, but I figured it was time to lay on some more accountability. Here it is:

I'm going to finish the rough draft my WIP by March 7th.

Oh, the shudders of horror and dismay are racing down my spine. I may only have two/three chapters and 15,000 words left, but they are a nightmare in the making. Let's just leave it at that.

Why am I setting this goal then? Two reasons: 1) so I get my butt into gear and actually finish, and 2) I will be taking a writing vacation starting March 8th whether I want to or not. I also figured that finishing the WIP, instead of leaving a hanging chapter, was a better choice.

For those who are curious, on March 8th I'm off to the illustrious Butte, MT for a viewing of Avenue Q. Early the next morning I will be driving to Portland, OR with Boyfriend for a several days of exciting, exciting apartment hunting. Woo hoo.

Which brings me to my next point. Would anyone like to be a guest blogger for Squidink? I'm looking for 2-3 guest posts that are amusing, witty, and about writing. The perks? Free promo! You will get a cute bio featuring your picture (if you so desire) and a link to your own blog.

And Uncle Sam wants you to do it. Really.

If you're interested, send me a quick email at squidinksarah (ât) gmail (døt) com. But just a heads up, the deadline for any guest posts would be March 6th. I'll update this post with further news if/when the slots are filled.

Anyway, do you guys have any ridiculous goals? Do they make you want to curl up in a ball and cry until your manuscript starts writing itself? Or do you thrive under the threat of deadline? Tell me your thoughts in the comments.