I've had trouble finding my way back after being sick for almost six weeks. Finally, I feel almost normal so it is time to return to putting words on the page. The momentum I conjured during November and continued with through December has fled. The mere thought of working on The Valiant is filling me with dread. Writing the first draft wasn't as hard as editing has been.
CuzWriMo was a bust. I started the first chapter of The Hunted four times. I can see the opening scene in my mind. My main character is driving her beat up inherited Volvo down the interstate with the windows down. It is early summer and she is still searching for her runaway partner. The difficult part is summarizing what happened in The Valiant in a non-boring non-exposition manner. What details do I reveal for people who didn't read the first book and what do I leave out?
My cousin didn't fare much better. As I healed, she became ill. We both signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo next month. I want to lock away the inner editor and feel free to vomit my story on the page. The draw back will be the editing process after the month is over, but I want to get the story down before it leaves me and I forget what happens.When I envisioned The Valiant, it felt like a series or at the least a trilogy. The story was bigger than one book.
I remind myself the important thing is I am writing again, no matter how terrible the words are. I didn't write anything of substance for almost two years. Finding my path again feels good.
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Month of Words
Unhappy with our current writing progress, me and my lovely cousin, Robyn, decided to declare March to be a month of writing. We are pledging to write 50K new words during March. I dubbed it CuzWriMo. We are refusing to let illness and winter melancholy stifle our creative juices. As I said in a thread on my writing group's forum, no one writes in a vacuum and if I sit around waiting for a muse to whack me with her inspiration stick, I will never progress.
Robyn enrolled in Holly Lisle's online editing course and is working on editing her NaNoWriMo novel as well writing a YA prequel of sorts set in the same world. My editing progress is still stalled on Chapter Three and trying to get the correct tone of a character. She doesn't seem "right." My brain is saying "move along you can fix her in rewrite number two" but my heart argues. In the end, I will have to listen to my brain or I will be stuck on Chapter Three forever.
Last night, to commemorate CuzWriMo, I started writing the first draft of The Hunted. Before I started, I went back and read the last two chapters of The Valiant. Both need so much work. I think toward the end of the story I was racing to get it out of my head before it evaporated. I almost cried when I saw how bad it was. Not one to cry over spoiled words, I moved on. Like Robyn is fond of saying, it can all be fixed. At this point in my process, nothing is set in stone. She is right of course. I have I mentioned how incredibly smart my cousin is?
This morning I am about a thousand words behind on my CuzWriMo commitment. This shall be rectified shortly with a few sprints and the completion of Chapter One. Once I get back in the habit of writing every day, I'm diving back in editing/rewriting The Valiant. The sweat you smell is the scent of literary progress.
Robyn enrolled in Holly Lisle's online editing course and is working on editing her NaNoWriMo novel as well writing a YA prequel of sorts set in the same world. My editing progress is still stalled on Chapter Three and trying to get the correct tone of a character. She doesn't seem "right." My brain is saying "move along you can fix her in rewrite number two" but my heart argues. In the end, I will have to listen to my brain or I will be stuck on Chapter Three forever.
Last night, to commemorate CuzWriMo, I started writing the first draft of The Hunted. Before I started, I went back and read the last two chapters of The Valiant. Both need so much work. I think toward the end of the story I was racing to get it out of my head before it evaporated. I almost cried when I saw how bad it was. Not one to cry over spoiled words, I moved on. Like Robyn is fond of saying, it can all be fixed. At this point in my process, nothing is set in stone. She is right of course. I have I mentioned how incredibly smart my cousin is?
This morning I am about a thousand words behind on my CuzWriMo commitment. This shall be rectified shortly with a few sprints and the completion of Chapter One. Once I get back in the habit of writing every day, I'm diving back in editing/rewriting The Valiant. The sweat you smell is the scent of literary progress.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Procrastination is an Art Form
One of my goals for the new year was to establish a solid writing schedule. It is still a work in progress. Life seems to have a way of intervening. I know there is a saying about good intentions but my brain fog is preventing me from retrieving it at the moment.
The thought was for me to write at the same time every day and not stop till I hit my daily goal, which is a doable 500 new words. So far I hit my goal once since January 1st and I have yet to sit at the computer at the same time every day. The good news is I have managed to write seven out of the past nine days. There are new words being written each day and the WIP is shaping up.
A good friend urged me to relax and take it easy on myself. This was in response to my angst over the speed of editing. It was good advice. I was putting too much pressure on myself. This is new uncharted territory for me. In the past, I would spend several months with a draft, then give up and move on to something shinier. I never committed to doing the hard work it takes to edit a story and make it suitable for human consumption.
Writing is hard. The pay sucks and there are no guarantees anyone else will want to read your story once it is finished. That said, I can't stop doing it. I have tried. I always come back and start again. No matter how many ways I find to put it off, I must write. It is part of my soul.
The thought was for me to write at the same time every day and not stop till I hit my daily goal, which is a doable 500 new words. So far I hit my goal once since January 1st and I have yet to sit at the computer at the same time every day. The good news is I have managed to write seven out of the past nine days. There are new words being written each day and the WIP is shaping up.
A good friend urged me to relax and take it easy on myself. This was in response to my angst over the speed of editing. It was good advice. I was putting too much pressure on myself. This is new uncharted territory for me. In the past, I would spend several months with a draft, then give up and move on to something shinier. I never committed to doing the hard work it takes to edit a story and make it suitable for human consumption.
Writing is hard. The pay sucks and there are no guarantees anyone else will want to read your story once it is finished. That said, I can't stop doing it. I have tried. I always come back and start again. No matter how many ways I find to put it off, I must write. It is part of my soul.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
New Year, New Beginnings
My cousin gave me a beautiful day planner for Yule. I have yet to write in it. The pages are pristine and hold the promise of things to come. Defacing them with my goals and lists feels almost sacrilege. I know if I submit them to paper and ink they become real. The thought causes my palms to sweat and my heart to beat faster.
The coming year stretches before me much like the empty pages of the planner. Free from the constraints of a steady job and monetary obligations, I have time to pursue my dream. I've wanted to be a writer since I was old enough to form sentences and tell stories. I can't remember wanting to do anything else with such passion. The time has come to move forward or give up.
Fear has held me back for many years while others have prevailed. It is the main stumbling block in my literary journey. Part of me wonders if I want it badly enough. The reasoning is, if you want something with enough vigor you will not give up until it is within your grasp. I am determined to conquer my fears and succeed.
Today I will write in the planner. With the new year just two days away, I shall declare my goal for the coming year. I will finish my second draft. I will write a query letter. I will write the first draft of the second book. Fail or succeed, 2014 will be the year I finally try.
The coming year stretches before me much like the empty pages of the planner. Free from the constraints of a steady job and monetary obligations, I have time to pursue my dream. I've wanted to be a writer since I was old enough to form sentences and tell stories. I can't remember wanting to do anything else with such passion. The time has come to move forward or give up.
Fear has held me back for many years while others have prevailed. It is the main stumbling block in my literary journey. Part of me wonders if I want it badly enough. The reasoning is, if you want something with enough vigor you will not give up until it is within your grasp. I am determined to conquer my fears and succeed.
Today I will write in the planner. With the new year just two days away, I shall declare my goal for the coming year. I will finish my second draft. I will write a query letter. I will write the first draft of the second book. Fail or succeed, 2014 will be the year I finally try.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Onward and Upward
The past few days have not been productive. Various things kept coming between me and my December writing goals. Errands, headaches, and family commitments are just a few of the items which took precedence over the words. They were pushed to the back burner and not made a priority. This is a habit I want to nip in the bud as I prepare to write with purpose in 2014.
I have been thinking about my goals in 2014 and what I want to accomplish. First on the list is write at least 100,000 words during the year. A bit ambitious for me since I recently started writing again after an almost two year break. But I want to complete a second draft of my NaNoWriMo project and complete the first draft of the second book. I didn't start out to write a series, but it seemed natural to do so. The main character's story wasn't finished after one volume.
Which brings me to the second and third goals on my list; write the second draft of The Valiant and write the first draft of The Hunted. The plan is to rewrite a scene a day once I begin working on my second draft. In a perfect world, I would begin writing the first draft of the second volume at the same time, also focusing on a scene a day. With the turmoil which is my life at the moment, I doubt I will able to stick to this schedule.
Fourth on my list of 2014, is send the finished second draft of The Valiant to willing beta readers. This goal is by far the scariest on the list. I haven't shared my fiction often. Fear holds me back. I'm afraid of failure or someone will tell me I'm not a writer. I think all writers are a bit afraid. Having the courage to share a story with others deserves respect and kudos. Our stories are like our children and it is frightening to send them out in the world. What if no one likes them?
Last on my long list of writing goals for the coming year is to write a query letter to an agent. I have never attempted to write a query, let alone mail it to someone. If I am serious about writing, then it is the next logical step in the process. My palms are getting sweaty just thinking about it. What is the worst that can happen? I get rejected. But I have to try. I can't let all the words I've written in my life time be for nothing. I have to try.
What are your goals for the coming year?
I have been thinking about my goals in 2014 and what I want to accomplish. First on the list is write at least 100,000 words during the year. A bit ambitious for me since I recently started writing again after an almost two year break. But I want to complete a second draft of my NaNoWriMo project and complete the first draft of the second book. I didn't start out to write a series, but it seemed natural to do so. The main character's story wasn't finished after one volume.
Which brings me to the second and third goals on my list; write the second draft of The Valiant and write the first draft of The Hunted. The plan is to rewrite a scene a day once I begin working on my second draft. In a perfect world, I would begin writing the first draft of the second volume at the same time, also focusing on a scene a day. With the turmoil which is my life at the moment, I doubt I will able to stick to this schedule.
Fourth on my list of 2014, is send the finished second draft of The Valiant to willing beta readers. This goal is by far the scariest on the list. I haven't shared my fiction often. Fear holds me back. I'm afraid of failure or someone will tell me I'm not a writer. I think all writers are a bit afraid. Having the courage to share a story with others deserves respect and kudos. Our stories are like our children and it is frightening to send them out in the world. What if no one likes them?
Last on my long list of writing goals for the coming year is to write a query letter to an agent. I have never attempted to write a query, let alone mail it to someone. If I am serious about writing, then it is the next logical step in the process. My palms are getting sweaty just thinking about it. What is the worst that can happen? I get rejected. But I have to try. I can't let all the words I've written in my life time be for nothing. I have to try.
What are your goals for the coming year?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)