I have what most would probably consider an ideal writing set-up. I have a dedicated desk in my apartment, beneath a calming picture I love. There is no television in the room, and there is no one but me in my apartment. True, this desk is located about 1 foot from my bed, and I have to squeeze by my printer to use my bathroom. But all in all, it is an environment conducive to writing.
The only problem is getting myself there. It's a huge mindset shift to move from my couch to my desk. Being at my desk sends the "work time" signal to my brain. I can't always pull off a lot, but once I sit down, I can get something. And yet so many times I never make it to that desk. I sit on my couch and look at it (I can see it from my living room--yes, my apartment is pretty tiny!) and think "Gee, Nora, you should go do some writing."
And instead I Stumble around looking at dessert recipes and funny pictures until it is time for bed.
It's so frustrating! I kick myself in the ass about it all the time, but it doesn't always help. So I decided that what I really needed was a bigger change in environment than merely stepping from one room to another. I logged on to my laptop (from my couch, of course) and booked myself a room at a local bed and breakfast. A mini writing retreat. No distractions, just me and my manuscript. It is a period of less than 24 hours--surely, even my own scattered brain can handle that!
I don't know if it will help. It's possible that I'll spend the entire time tucked up in a foreign bed watching reruns on Animal Planet and eating cookies. But I think that by forcing myself out of my comfort zone and into a writing zone, I'll be able to get some good work done. And once I get some good work done, I will be past this block in the novel and be on to the races for the finish!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
May 2013 Wrap-Up
The good thing about setting low goals is you can meet them!
Actually, sarcasm aside, that is an important part of goal-setting. According to the (admittedly rather annoying) SMART acronym, goals should be Attainable. Which was what I tried to do for May, since I knew it was going to be a busy month.
And it was! I spent about half the month out to sea, and the other half I had the normal multitude of demands on my time. So I am not too disappointed in myself for what I got done this month. I more than met my goals, and since the majority of it was accomplished in the last week of the month, I feel like I have a good momentum going into June.
For May, I ended up putting down 6930 new words (almost 2 whole chapters!) with 19 non-writing days.
June is also a busy month for me. I will be underway for 2 weeks, and those weeks include a training team visit and our annual ORSE inspection. But since I was able to get stuff done despite scheduling issues in May, I want to up the ante a little for June. I think 250 words a day and no more than 18 non-writing days is a SMART goal!
Percentage of wordcount goal met: 111.8%
Percentage of writing days goal met: 105.3%
Actually, sarcasm aside, that is an important part of goal-setting. According to the (admittedly rather annoying) SMART acronym, goals should be Attainable. Which was what I tried to do for May, since I knew it was going to be a busy month.
And it was! I spent about half the month out to sea, and the other half I had the normal multitude of demands on my time. So I am not too disappointed in myself for what I got done this month. I more than met my goals, and since the majority of it was accomplished in the last week of the month, I feel like I have a good momentum going into June.
For May, I ended up putting down 6930 new words (almost 2 whole chapters!) with 19 non-writing days.
June is also a busy month for me. I will be underway for 2 weeks, and those weeks include a training team visit and our annual ORSE inspection. But since I was able to get stuff done despite scheduling issues in May, I want to up the ante a little for June. I think 250 words a day and no more than 18 non-writing days is a SMART goal!
Percentage of wordcount goal met: 111.8%
Percentage of writing days goal met: 105.3%
Friday, May 24, 2013
Boring to Write Means Boring to Read
I've been mired in the depths of a bad bout of writer's block for the past few weeks.
I've talked about the dreaded writer's block before, and whether it's real or an excuse or just another word for depression isn't what I want to discuss today.
Before, I have always viewed writer's block from the perspective of what is going on with me. Lately, though, I have been grappling with the idea of what writer's block says about what I am writing. "If you're having so much trouble writing this scene, self," I told myself, "maybe it is because it's a crappy, pointless scene. Maybe something that is a struggle to write will also be a struggle to read." I've even included a few lines in my editing notes for the next draft about where I had the hardest time writing.
This was a worrying thought. It leads to a plunging downward spiral. "Okay, self, just skip to the interesting part!" I say, but I don't like to write like that. Skipping parts just makes me anxious about going back and filling them in, and I think it damages the flow of the story. (Although since I am a meticulous outliner, you'd think it would be easy to write out of order!) Besides, the few times I have tried the skipping technique, it wasn't any easier when I re-visited. It's just postponing the pain.
But as I struggled to get some words down tonight, I put that thought to rest. Sometimes it's just hard to write. Sometimes the stuff I write isn't riveting. But those don't always have to go hand in hand. Even if they did--that's what second drafts are for! So down with the self-doubt. Writer's block doesn't make me a bad writer, it just makes me a slow one!
I've talked about the dreaded writer's block before, and whether it's real or an excuse or just another word for depression isn't what I want to discuss today.
Before, I have always viewed writer's block from the perspective of what is going on with me. Lately, though, I have been grappling with the idea of what writer's block says about what I am writing. "If you're having so much trouble writing this scene, self," I told myself, "maybe it is because it's a crappy, pointless scene. Maybe something that is a struggle to write will also be a struggle to read." I've even included a few lines in my editing notes for the next draft about where I had the hardest time writing.
This was a worrying thought. It leads to a plunging downward spiral. "Okay, self, just skip to the interesting part!" I say, but I don't like to write like that. Skipping parts just makes me anxious about going back and filling them in, and I think it damages the flow of the story. (Although since I am a meticulous outliner, you'd think it would be easy to write out of order!) Besides, the few times I have tried the skipping technique, it wasn't any easier when I re-visited. It's just postponing the pain.
But as I struggled to get some words down tonight, I put that thought to rest. Sometimes it's just hard to write. Sometimes the stuff I write isn't riveting. But those don't always have to go hand in hand. Even if they did--that's what second drafts are for! So down with the self-doubt. Writer's block doesn't make me a bad writer, it just makes me a slow one!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
April 2013 Wrap-Up
I was so full of excuses about how busy March was (and they were real!), but I have nothing to explain April. Okay, work was a little crazy. But mostly I was just "not in the mood," which makes me so mad at myself. If I ever want to be a "real writer," I can't let it depend on something as capricious as my moods. Twelve years since I wrote my first manuscript and have I learned anything?
Anyway.
April started out promising. I wrote 6 of the first 7 days, hitting way above my goal for wordcount, and then it all fell away. Seriously. After that first week, I only wrote one other day. Which means I had 23 non-writing days and only a total of 3921 words. Still, that was another chapter. Getting closer!
May is going to be crazy with underway and everything, so I am not going to put too much pressure on myself. I've revised my daily wordcount goal down to 200 and my writing days up to 20 non-writing days. And anything more than that will just be a happy bonus!
Percentage of wordcount goal met: 42.2%
Percentage of writing days goal met: 60.9%
Saturday, April 6, 2013
A REAL Writer
The past week or so I have been able to get what feels like an astounding amount done. I have written, I have outlined, I have plotted, and I have written some more. The ending, while still a ways off, is suddenly in sight.
I am prone to bursts of productivity like this, but usually they happen due to a nebulous fount of inspiration. This time, however, it's due to me digging down deep and pushing through a lack of inspiration. Getting through the rough patches is the real meat of writing, and it is something I have always struggled with.
I am prone to bursts of productivity like this, but usually they happen due to a nebulous fount of inspiration. This time, however, it's due to me digging down deep and pushing through a lack of inspiration. Getting through the rough patches is the real meat of writing, and it is something I have always struggled with.
The reason that I've been logging the time lately is because I keep asking myself, "Do I want to be a real writer?" Now, normally I dislike differentiating between "real" writers and the rest of us. My writing may be unpublished, but it's just as real as anyone else's. So I tweaked the question and made it, "What would I do if I were a professional writer?" And the answer is that I would write. Even when I didn't feel like it.
Reading about the writing routines of famous authors makes one thing abundantly clear: you must write. These people are logging hours at a time, multiple sessions a day. Obviously, that isn't normally a viable option for me or anyone with another job. But on weekends, what is stopping me? Only myself. And this goes triple for those days when I end up getting time off that I wasn't expecting. Because it's only healthy to want a day off on the weekends, free of stress, even the lovable stress of writing. But if I get to leave work early on a Wednesday? Those hours need to count.
They say you should dress for the job you want, not the one you have. And I say that I should write like I'm a real, professional writer, even if that's not currently the case.
Reading about the writing routines of famous authors makes one thing abundantly clear: you must write. These people are logging hours at a time, multiple sessions a day. Obviously, that isn't normally a viable option for me or anyone with another job. But on weekends, what is stopping me? Only myself. And this goes triple for those days when I end up getting time off that I wasn't expecting. Because it's only healthy to want a day off on the weekends, free of stress, even the lovable stress of writing. But if I get to leave work early on a Wednesday? Those hours need to count.
They say you should dress for the job you want, not the one you have. And I say that I should write like I'm a real, professional writer, even if that's not currently the case.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
March 2013 Wrap-Up
Phew! What a long and crazy month. Seriously, it felt like at least two months. I honestly kept thinking that I had forgotten to pay my rent because I was so sure that it was April.
It was a pretty busy month, too. This month I ran my half marathon, took a few days to visit my boyfriend (♥), took my P/1 exam for SOA/CAS, and that's all on top of my normal routine! With all that going on, there were quite a few days when I just didn't have a chance to write. Which is why I am so proud of myself for the fact that I met my March goal!
Well, not completely. My goal was no more than 14 non-writing days, and I had 18. But I think that, given what I had going on, that was pretty reasonable. And I did (barely) hit my word count goal! The goal was 9300, and today I edged over to 9302. I put up almost 4k words this weekend, and I am feeling pretty good about it.
April should be a little quieter. No boyfriend time (sadface!), no races, and no exams. And some underway time. So I should have no problem hitting my April goals. I'm giving myself an extra 10 words a day (which puts me at 9300 again, since April is a day shorter) and trying for no more than 14 non-writing days again. Good luck to me!
Percentage of wordcount goal met: 100.0%
Percentage of writing days goal met: 77.8%
It was a pretty busy month, too. This month I ran my half marathon, took a few days to visit my boyfriend (♥), took my P/1 exam for SOA/CAS, and that's all on top of my normal routine! With all that going on, there were quite a few days when I just didn't have a chance to write. Which is why I am so proud of myself for the fact that I met my March goal!
Cruising by the water!
Well, not completely. My goal was no more than 14 non-writing days, and I had 18. But I think that, given what I had going on, that was pretty reasonable. And I did (barely) hit my word count goal! The goal was 9300, and today I edged over to 9302. I put up almost 4k words this weekend, and I am feeling pretty good about it.
April should be a little quieter. No boyfriend time (sadface!), no races, and no exams. And some underway time. So I should have no problem hitting my April goals. I'm giving myself an extra 10 words a day (which puts me at 9300 again, since April is a day shorter) and trying for no more than 14 non-writing days again. Good luck to me!
Percentage of wordcount goal met: 100.0%
Percentage of writing days goal met: 77.8%
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Shooting for the Moon
Maybe I've set my sights too high. Maybe, instead of getting published, my goal should just be to get a personalized rejection. At least that would represent progress over the past 10 years.
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