LiMoWriMo LiNoWriMo July 2025 – Official Thread

[Nikky Lee]

Alas no writing yesterday. I spent my writing time doing my author tax
On the bright side it's done, and hopefully the return will help pay for my next cover

 

[RK Wallis]

Woah. Not a pantser, then.

I think I'm 80% panster. I use the spreadsheet to go back and edit and tweak what I've written already. Now I'm on the second half, I'm using the spreadsheet to keep on track. It often gets me out of writer's block, but the ending still eludes me...and only free writing will give me the answer.

 

[LJ Beck]

I hit a WTF with my next chapter. lol I hadn't thought it through enough on the first go round, and so that's what happens, right? It doesn't make sense. But that's okay. I knew this and the next 2 chapters were my problem children. I've been doing a lot of good thunkin' tho. Just need to solve a few more bits and I'll be away again.

Curious... how does it affect you when shit isn't working? At first I was annoyed, and then because my momentum took a dive, I was bummed, but then I (reluctantly at first) settled into some problem solving, and as it started to come together, I was feeling okay again. I imagine once it's all clear in my head, I'll be freaking euphoric. Is it like that for you?

 

[Sedayne]

I hit a WTF with my next chapter. lol I hadn't thought it through enough on the first go round, and so that's what happens, right? It doesn't make sense. But that's okay. I knew this and the next 2 chapters were my problem children. I've been doing a lot of good thunkin' tho. Just need to solve a few more bits and I'll be away again.

Curious... how does it affect you when shit isn't working? At first I was annoyed, and then because my momentum took a dive, I was bummed, but then I (reluctantly at first) settled into some problem solving, and as it started to come together, I was feeling okay again. I imagine once it's all clear in my head, I'll be freaking euphoric. Is it like that for you?

I think the only thing you can do is push on through. In writing, unless you have some crucial deadline to go to print, you can afford to take risks in your decision-making. Even if it gets more tangled and messy, you can take that long way round to get where you need to be.
Like many people, I have a job where decision-making can be critical, so it's liberating that risks in writing aren't really risks at all. If you accidentally kill a character, you can resurrect them easily enough - not so IRL.
And writing has a habit of working itself out - sooner or later there will be that a-ha moment which is, as you say, freaking euphoric. I'll accept that temporary bummed-out feeling for the reward ahead.

 

[Aethalope]

I hit a WTF with my next chapter. lol I hadn't thought it through enough on the first go round, and so that's what happens, right? It doesn't make sense. But that's okay. I knew this and the next 2 chapters were my problem children. I've been doing a lot of good thunkin' tho. Just need to solve a few more bits and I'll be away again.

Curious... how does it affect you when shit isn't working? At first I was annoyed, and then because my momentum took a dive, I was bummed, but then I (reluctantly at first) settled into some problem solving, and as it started to come together, I was feeling okay again. I imagine once it's all clear in my head, I'll be freaking euphoric. Is it like that for you?

Tear up the chapter and start again with a different vibe, different setting, different weather, or different mood for one of all of the characters, as appropriate.

Sometimes the troubled character is just hangry, so finding a way for them to eat often works in unexpected ways. That might just be the Malaysian in me, though.

 

[MattScho]

I hit a WTF with my next chapter. lol I hadn't thought it through enough on the first go round, and so that's what happens, right? It doesn't make sense. But that's okay. I knew this and the next 2 chapters were my problem children. I've been doing a lot of good thunkin' tho. Just need to solve a few more bits and I'll be away again.

Curious... how does it affect you when shit isn't working? At first I was annoyed, and then because my momentum took a dive, I was bummed, but then I (reluctantly at first) settled into some problem solving, and as it started to come together, I was feeling okay again. I imagine once it's all clear in my head, I'll be freaking euphoric. Is it like that for you?

Let's see, annoyed, lethargic, bummed... I think you almost nailed my reaction trail, though you skipped the always helpful yelling at the words on the screen phase.
In my experience, euphoria comes a while after publication, when you can read back through and realize you didn't f' up.

 

[Bloo]

I did a big fat zero yesterday

 

[MattScho]

Two more chapters
Okay, i know I have a five chapter fight coming, but I think it's working well, the character arcs are working and I think the plot is working. See Lyse, this is the stage right before the collapse, of confidence, or the will to carry on, of a sense of self. I will be wallowing a week from now.

 

[LJ Beck]

@Sedayne - thanks. I'm glad you have an escape from your real life where you can take risks without actual consequences, other than a bit of writerly temporary frustration. ha! TBH this whole book is one big risk. haha. I did the push on through in the first draft, so now it's clean up time which means taking a pause to work out some logistical questions. All good. Just a few more emotions to cycle through.

@Aethalope - thankfully nothing so drastic is needed at this point. I did do that in the first draft though. Now there's just a few logic issues to work out in the plot. My characters aren't the ones giving me jip anymore, but hey, a good meal never hurts!

@MattScho - ah... it is the way. Enjoy yourself while you can! I've filled in about half my logic holes now. Starting to pull out of that wallow...

 

[Sedayne]

I did a big fat zero yesterday

Yeah, but you got other shit done. All that website malarkey can't be easy.

 

[Aethalope]

To the random auntie in the park who stopped me to flex about how many powerful people she knows:

Yes, it is too hot for the park. I am taking a shortcut to the library.
Yes, there is a library nearby and people actually go in there and read books.
Yes, I am fatter than all the other white people you know.

But most importantly, thank you for saying that my husband's tribe 'is all too lazy'. I needed a voice for this book's villain and yours is now it.

 

[wrightstuff]

The novel edit is going well. I had a mild panic earlier, when I actually added words for a couple of chapters...but it looks like I'll overshoot my target.

I'm also having random thoughts about the short stories as I edit the novel that, possibly, will be useful.

This is how I made progress before...why didn't I continue? Life got in the way and I lost momentum is why...

Thank you for restarting the engine, Nikky.

OK. Edit / word-reduction done. I hit the word target almost exactly. Ignore what TrackBear says, I finished at 100% exactly (as shown on my own dashboard), not 110% as the leaderboard claims.

Now on to the short stories...this will be more challenging. I may reconfigure the scoring to make it less lumpy. Perhaps split each story into 3 (1. develop story, 2. first draft, 3. polished draft). Ideas?

I have a good feeling about today...the Wordle (look away now if you play) is novel...

 

[Trey]

Wrote a short but fun chapter this morning. Now going on the hunt for pink grapefruit for breakfast before 11am rolls into lunch time.

 

[MattScho]

To the random auntie in the park who stopped me to flex about how many powerful people she knows:

Yes, it is too hot for the park. I am taking a shortcut to the library.
Yes, there is a library nearby and people actually go in there and read books.
Yes, I am fatter than all the other white people you know.

But most importantly, thank you for saying that my husband's tribe 'is all too lazy'. I needed a voice for this book's villain and yours is now it.

It's nice when life provides like that.
Also, what is wrong with people?

 

[Sedayne]

Wrote a short but fun chapter this morning. Now going on the hunt for pink grapefruit for breakfast before 11am rolls into lunch time.

Good luck with the hunt for pink. I haven't seen any for ages. It's getting hard to find white ones now too - most places near me have only had red over the past few months.
I know this doesn't relate to LiMoWriMo, but the daily grapefruit is important.

 

[Trey]

Planning to write a bit more tonight as i'll get naff all done tomorrow after work, but i've written (not meaning to) exactly 7,000 since 1st July. I like a nice round figure. And i got red grapefruit that tasted just like pink, so i'm happy. I have one a day. Actually crave them if i go without.

 

[Sedayne]

I have one a day. Actually crave them if i go without.

I'm the same. Totally addicted.

 

[Sedayne]

I've been going great guns with my rewrite of a novel that will never see the light of day if I don't lick my submission package into shape for my first novel.
After this morning's Huddle South, I have some homework to do, so I'm going to press pause on my LiMoWriMo project and come back to it at a later date.
I was chuffed to be running in second place, but I've taken myself off the leaderboard now.

 

[MattScho]

Couple more chapters edited. I'm almost halfway through now.

 

[MattScho]

And a couple more last night. I will admit, had a long paid work day and I ran out of gas. Might have to have another look at the second.

 

[LJ Beck]

I've come down with a snotty nasty cold/flu thing. Hoping to improve over the weekend so I can do some writing...

 

[Sedayne]

I've come down with a snotty nasty cold/flu thing. Hoping to improve over the weekend so I can do some writing...

Take care and get well soon.

@Aethalope and @MattScho have given you a hug, so I'm guessing they'll be coming down with it next.

 

[Bloo]

Alas no writing yesterday. I spent my writing time doing my author tax
On the bright side it's done, and hopefully the return will help pay for my next cover

What's an author tax ?

 

[MattScho]

Three more, and they're needing more attention. after three more chapters, i think it's heavy sledding. Hmmm, origination of that term? Heavy sledding?

 

[LJ Beck]

Three more, and they're needing more attention. after three more chapters, i think it's heavy sledding. Hmmm, origination of that term? Heavy sledding?

Well, apparently the expression is Tough Sledding.

During the 19th century, when roads were often impassable due to snow and ice, people would use sleds to transport goods across long distances. This was particularly common in rural areas where horses and carts were not practical. The process of pulling a heavy sled through deep snow was difficult and required significant effort from both humans and animals.

Over time, the phrase “tough sledding” began to be used more broadly as a metaphor for any challenging situation that required significant effort or perseverance. Today, it is commonly used in business settings to describe difficult market conditions or financial challenges.

I too will be doing some tough sledding in my next few chapters.

ALSO... in doing this search and being so tired of freaking AI answers coming up (the one above is NOT an AI answer), I decided to try DuckDuckGo to do the search. And to my joy, I discovered you can very easily turn off all AI assistance. Which I have now done! And I've made DuckDuckGo my default search engine. Woot!!

 

[LJ Beck]

I am happy to report that I have (mostly, still a bit or pantsing room) sorted out the plan for the next 3 chapters. And then wrote one of them.

I have to thank a friend of mine for doing a zoom write-in on the weekend. Four of us sat accountable on zoom for 3 hours of writing. Cameras on so there was no wandering off. It was great! My friend is going to do more of these, so it should help my productivity. That and I'm on the mend from my snot-bug.

 

[MattScho]

A few more today, thinking hard about junking one. More work than before, but not impossible.

 

[Nikky Lee]

Update: chipping away on my end. Managed roughly 1k yesterday, which I was quite pleased about. Unfortunately, I've been trying to kill a character for about 3 chapters and they keep bloody wriggling their way out of it!

What's an author tax ?

Declaring my author business income and expenses against my regular work income (New Zealand's tax year runs April to March so we have to complete our tax returns by early July).

 

[wrightstuff]

Making progress. I now have 6 concepts, 1 completed and 3 partial first drafts, an almost finished, and an actually finished story.

Here's the set:

1. Russians (spy)
2. Cov59 (sci-fi)
3. Troy (fantasy)
4. Auntie May (fantasy/horror)
5. Leaving (drama)
6. The Plan (psychological horror)

The novel is trimmed to length, and about to go for technical advice to a couple of subject experts.

July is looking good.

How are you doing?

 

[Nikky Lee]

Update: 600 words tonight. Character marked for death is still alive, dagnamit.