For me, success relies on goals to aspire and work towards. Without goals (short or long term) procrastination halts all progress and excuses are acceptable. But a reasonable goal can effectively show how far you’ve come and how far you must go. Nanowrimo is a 50,000 word goal in one month with excellent tools to help promote success amongst its participants.
My goal is something different and reasonably suited to the factors that affect my writing; work, travel, husband. Although I am a planner, my life is not. Often plans change at the last minute and my time to write is the first thing sacrificed to accommodate changes to my calendar. However, although I might not have access to one of my computers, not a day passes without me giving thought to the stories I’ve devoted my attention to.
The goal: MAKE PROGRESS EVERYDAY!
What is progress? On Monday my goal might be to research a census from 1880 for character names. Tuesday I update my outline to reflect a minor change to chapter four, Wednesday I write 500 words, Thursday I collect images to assist with a description I might not be familiar with, Friday I organize my sloppy handwritten notes, Saturday I sit at my desk and write for one full hour, and on the Lord’s day perhaps I discuss my story with someone for feedback. Be it a small goal or a big goal, everything combined will help me to write and complete a novel.
Of course there will be those days when I don’t have enough time to even scribble a note for myself, but if I am disciplined and maintain steady progress the occasional day will have little to no effect on the outcome of my story. It’s important to note that when you are making steady progress, it’s also easier to make said progress. If you don’t have days in between writing, you’re not trying to figure out where to go from your last sopping point or what were you thinking when you wrote that.
What happens when there’s writer’s block? Do something… Think of a new title, watch a movie that might be a good source of inspiration, write a rant about what has you stuck. If your new goal is to overcome writer’s block, it might be reasonable to totally step away to gain new and fresh perspective on your work.
Goal Number One: Ask yourself what goals you have in mind and what you hope to achieve on a long term and/or short term basis.
Happy writing and God bless.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Break Up
My Nano 2009 novel and I broke-up. Together, my novel and I crossed the word-count finish line on November 31 in dramatic fashion… but then I left it there at the finish line and moved on with my life. But was the finish line I was racing towards a 50,000 word count or a complete novel? Things were very messy between us and did not end well. Whether or not my novel still had more to say, I wasn’t going to listen. I allowed myself to make excuses and quit. I was tired of working through our problems.
No different than a nasty break-up when you decide you just want to be single for a while, I wrote nothing. No novel. No blog. No writing commitment. I wrote nothing more creative than the occasional status update on Facebook or Twitter. But then there was that chance encounter that brought us together again. I was on the commuter train and bored with the scenery, my Blackberry, and my iPod. I fired up my laptop and read through my incomplete draft, abandoned at 50,475 words.
I had convinced myself months ago that because we had broken-up, I could never again have anything to do with my novel. We couldn’t be friends. But as I passed the time on the train, I started to remember all of the things I liked about my novel; an entertaining prologue worthy of publishing, one character I was particularly fond of, and a plot that was slowly revealing its secrets. When I got to the final word written on November 31, I was surprised that I had stopped writing. Dare-I-say it was something I had enjoyed reading?
Since that fateful day that brought us together again a few things have changed. I have since begun extensive research and planning for a new novel that better suits me; less adventure and mystery, more character and drama. I’m not going to write 50,000 words in 31 days. My goal is to write and always be thinking and working towards completing a solid novel.
I feel lonely when I’m not writing and real life is more difficult without having the opportunity to lose myself in writing. I’m taking the time to identify some long term goals, apart from the obvious write & finish a novel, that will help me to become a better and successful writer.
And will I ever finish my Nano 2009 novel?
No different than a nasty break-up when you decide you just want to be single for a while, I wrote nothing. No novel. No blog. No writing commitment. I wrote nothing more creative than the occasional status update on Facebook or Twitter. But then there was that chance encounter that brought us together again. I was on the commuter train and bored with the scenery, my Blackberry, and my iPod. I fired up my laptop and read through my incomplete draft, abandoned at 50,475 words.
I had convinced myself months ago that because we had broken-up, I could never again have anything to do with my novel. We couldn’t be friends. But as I passed the time on the train, I started to remember all of the things I liked about my novel; an entertaining prologue worthy of publishing, one character I was particularly fond of, and a plot that was slowly revealing its secrets. When I got to the final word written on November 31, I was surprised that I had stopped writing. Dare-I-say it was something I had enjoyed reading?
Since that fateful day that brought us together again a few things have changed. I have since begun extensive research and planning for a new novel that better suits me; less adventure and mystery, more character and drama. I’m not going to write 50,000 words in 31 days. My goal is to write and always be thinking and working towards completing a solid novel.
I feel lonely when I’m not writing and real life is more difficult without having the opportunity to lose myself in writing. I’m taking the time to identify some long term goals, apart from the obvious write & finish a novel, that will help me to become a better and successful writer.
And will I ever finish my Nano 2009 novel?
Friday, October 16, 2009
Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a TimeOctober 13, 2009
Writing a novel is like maintaining a relationship. You spend all of you time getting to know and understand your novel just like you would with a new man in your life. You commit to making things work, being faithful, and seeing things through to the happily ever after.
But relationships can be messy things. They need to be maintained and require sacrifice when necessary to ensure success. You might wonder if it woud be easier to dump your novel and get a fresh start and try something new. But men will always be men. Novels will be novels. Both are complex and no two are alike. But when you get through the struggles there’s something wonderful.
This time last year I commited to writting a novel. I had made that same commitment many times before but I had a feeling this time would be different. This time my novel would have a beginning, hopefully a middle, and maybe even an end! I’ve made a relationship work before… and have an awesome husband to show for it. Maybe just maybe I could write a novel too.
And I did it! Beginning, middle, and end.
Getting published is on my list of things to do. Certainly not with this novel, but someday with something. What I gained last year was the experience that I need to go forward. I have made subtle changes in my life that are more accomodating to the commitment that writing requires.
It’s my job to write now. I’m a press assistant (won’t say for who, sorry) and get paid to write carefully selected words in the form of press releases and statements. I spend a lot of time conducting research and my work is used and distributed by various media outlets.
I discuss my novel-writing thought process openly with my mother. Mommies are good for being critically honest and totally supportive when you need that too. She checks on my progress weekly and just last week she called me out on slacking.
My husband knows I enjoy writing and is very accomodating of my hobby. He gives me time to think alone and even gets my laptop packed up and ready to go for my rail commute each day. He’s even offers to let me get back to writing… even though he was most likely just interuppting a game of solitare.
So that’s my life as a, dare-I-say, writer.
And what of the novel?
It is still untitled and still desperately in need of more substance. The substance is there in my head but gets lost between my brain and the computer. But I never gave up on my husband. I’m not giving up on this novel.
The re-write begins…
Happy writing!
Writing a novel is like maintaining a relationship. You spend all of you time getting to know and understand your novel just like you would with a new man in your life. You commit to making things work, being faithful, and seeing things through to the happily ever after.
But relationships can be messy things. They need to be maintained and require sacrifice when necessary to ensure success. You might wonder if it woud be easier to dump your novel and get a fresh start and try something new. But men will always be men. Novels will be novels. Both are complex and no two are alike. But when you get through the struggles there’s something wonderful.
This time last year I commited to writting a novel. I had made that same commitment many times before but I had a feeling this time would be different. This time my novel would have a beginning, hopefully a middle, and maybe even an end! I’ve made a relationship work before… and have an awesome husband to show for it. Maybe just maybe I could write a novel too.
And I did it! Beginning, middle, and end.
Getting published is on my list of things to do. Certainly not with this novel, but someday with something. What I gained last year was the experience that I need to go forward. I have made subtle changes in my life that are more accomodating to the commitment that writing requires.
It’s my job to write now. I’m a press assistant (won’t say for who, sorry) and get paid to write carefully selected words in the form of press releases and statements. I spend a lot of time conducting research and my work is used and distributed by various media outlets.
I discuss my novel-writing thought process openly with my mother. Mommies are good for being critically honest and totally supportive when you need that too. She checks on my progress weekly and just last week she called me out on slacking.
My husband knows I enjoy writing and is very accomodating of my hobby. He gives me time to think alone and even gets my laptop packed up and ready to go for my rail commute each day. He’s even offers to let me get back to writing… even though he was most likely just interuppting a game of solitare.
So that’s my life as a, dare-I-say, writer.
And what of the novel?
It is still untitled and still desperately in need of more substance. The substance is there in my head but gets lost between my brain and the computer. But I never gave up on my husband. I’m not giving up on this novel.
The re-write begins…
Happy writing!
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