Tag: Goals

  • On Blocks and Other Frustrations

    Have you ever set a goal for yourself, like, “I’ll finish this story by X date,” and then realized your mind’s gone blank?

    Yeah, me too.

    I wanted to have the next chapter of The Night Is a Harsh Mistress today, and set that as my goal.  Then, when I sat down to write, my mind went blank because I worried about whether it will be any good.  Rather than fight the goal, I figured I’d chat about what works for me for getting around it.

    First, be careful about what goals you do accept.  If you know that setting your expectations can tend to block you, then be selective about what goals you do try to struggle for.

    Second, set small goals for doing the work.  For example, try using a timer and set it for 30 minutes.  Even if you just stare at your computer for that 30 minutes, (and no cheating on Facebook or garbage surfing), see what happens.

    Third, if that doesn’t work, try sitting with your journal for a while.  Write about why you don’t want to work on your goal.  Write all the nasty, petty, complaining little putsy comments that you can think of.  Sometimes, just getting them out there can help.

    Fourth, try something else.  If you have another craft, like knitting, do that for a bit just to get moving creatively.  Or, try a blog post, like this, for example.

    Fifth, give yourself permission to fail.  By the time it got to be dinnertime, I realized I wasn’t going to get the chapter done today.  Instead, I decided to be honest and write about my block, and in the process, came up with some ideas for how to get around them.  It doesn’t make my goal happen, but it does keep me moving in the right direction – and that, in and of itself, can help you.

    Above all, remember we are all imperfect beings.  It’s not about the goals you accomplish, but the journey you take along the way.  As they say, you win some, you lose some.  Just keep moving forward and you might be startled by how many you start finishing.

    Happy creating!

  • Writer Wednesday – More on Establishing Routines

    Yesterday I brought up the value of establishing routine.  A. Catherine Noon commented with a good idea, too.  She recommends weekly planning, which makes sense; looking at matters within a larger block of time would cut down on the minutia of daily scheduling.

    I do intend to resume spending time each day at my desk, regardless of whether it be a Wednesday or a Sunday.  That kind of discipline can only be good for me.  Many writers have a set goal for their office time, such as producing a certain word count.  I used to be that way, with a hope of reaching a thousand words every day.

    Now, however, I’m not going to be that strict upon myself.  It’s enough to take baby steps in the right direction.

    In fact, whenever the weather cools back down I might count sitting on my porch with a laptop or notebook as office time.  I’ve enjoyed much creativity there.  And the creative process deserves flexibility to flourish.  At least I find that is true for me.

    So, here’s a proverbial toast to routines without restrictions.  I hope that any endeavor upon which you embark gives you more a sense of freedom than burden.

  • Routine Matters

    Looking upon the clock a short while ago, I found myself appalled that no ideas had surfaced for my blog post today.  The concern led me to wonder why this is so, to ponder many of the tips I’ve read on writing, and ultimately to come to a topic.

    As stated in the title, this is all about the value of routine, though my use of the word “matters” is meant in the description of a thing’s importance rather than the usual “matters at hand” insinuated by the saying.  Dear colleagues on this blog are a great source of inspiration and ideas in this area, too.

    Yet despite acknowledging this value of routine, I’ve been really slack at following any such thing since returning from a visit to my parents’ home.  In my own house, I find it all too easy just to pick up my Kindle Fire and flop across the bed.  Mealtimes (cooking to feed my partner or pulling out the cat food) seem to be the only timely activities accomplished.  Other than that, I barely manage one meager daily goal to keep up on housework.

    My desk, where I currently sit, has been completely neglected.  It’s nice, too, an office piece from my husband’s uncle.  It’s set up with a digital photo frame filled with favorite images, beloved art on the walls, and even a freshwater aquarium.

    So why have I lost interest in sitting here?  I currently find myself feeling quite comfortable and productive.  And I think that’s just the reason for avoiding the space.

    I’ve feared failing at getting into the swing of writing.  Of late, the act of opening a document on my laptop or pulling out pen and paper for more than casual journal keeping intimidate me somehow.

    In retrospect, I think making this once-joyous activity a routine part of my day will prompt my blogging and fiction writing to flourish once again.  I need to set up some sort of daily plan, which should certainly include physical exercise, but surely can involve some time for pleasurable reading.  After all, I need to know what’s selling if I really want to earn any sort of living in the publishing industry, right?

    What routines help you achieve your goals?  I’d really appreciate the moral support.  Best wishes in whatever you endeavor.  Now I’m going to go feed my fish.

  • Why Big Goals Don’t Work – Baby Step Your Way To Success

    Every so often in writer circles, there is talk about goal-setting and success and word-count and other such lofty things.  I repeatedly hear writers moan, “My word count is too low.”  “I need a kick in the pants.”  “THIS month it’ll be different and I’ll write a NaNo length manuscript.”  (NaNo refers to the National Novel Writing Month held every year in November; more information at their website.)  What these goals fail to do is offer a workable way to achievement.  They’re not bad goals, exactly, just ineffective ones.  Why?

    The secret lies in why we don’t write more.  The common misconception is that we don’t write because we’re lazy, or because we’re doing other things, or because that other person got there first and there’s just no use, or because all the good stories have been told and there’s no space for us and our stories.  The reason is rarely because we are physically incapable of writing.

    I’d like to tell you an anecdote.  A professional friend of mine, under deadline for a novel (and her novels are over one hundred thousand words each), became very ill.  After hospitalization, she returned home and was given the wrong medication.  She nearly died.  Her ability to sit up at a desk at all was gone.  She could not type.  She could hardly see the monitor in front of her face.

    What did she do?

    She typed that novel, word by painful word, with one finger.  Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

    If that doesn’t blow any excuse out of the water, I don’t know what will.

    What’s the lesson there?  When we have large projects in front of us, the only way to accomplish them is by one bite at a time.  One does not eat a chicken by stuffing the whole thing in one’s mouth.  One has a nibble at a drumstick.  A bite of wing.  One eats the chicken, slowly, swallowing each bite before going on to the next one.  So, too, with writing a novel.  One does not sit down in one sitting and write a novel (unless under rare circumstances).  To have sustainable growth, one gets into the habit of writing a small amount, each day, which add up to a completed manuscript.

    Next time you have the opportunity to make a large goal, why not try taking a step back and set a small one instead?  Maybe, “I’ll write 3 pages a day.”  Or, “I’ll write 1,000 words a day.”  Or even, “I’ll write 3 pages today.”  See if that unlocks some of your potential and gets you onto the page.  That way, at the end of the month, you won’t be one of the writers who laments, “Wow, I had such high hopes for this month but… [fill in the blank].”

    Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

    Write on!

  • Wiley Wednesday: Life After NaNo

    Those of us who have done NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) share one thing in common, whether or not we actually completed our project or not: there’s a sense of let-down after November is over, a feeling of “what now?” Rest easy, writers; you’re not alone. There are others out there to play with, other projects to tackle, and other crazy goals to set.

    A great place to look, even if you didn’t do NaNo itself, is the “I Wrote a Novel, Now What?” section on the main NaNo site. It has several sections useful to writers of all stripes:

    Revision Advice – After the draft is done, the editing begins. There are as many ways to revise as there are to edit, and this section features excellent suggestions to make the process less painful.

    Revision Pep Talks – never underestimate the power of a good pep talk! Marathoners and long-term Weight Watchers can tell you, attitude is everything; a good pep talk can help give you a well-placed attitude adjustment.

    NaNoWriMo-style Events On the Horizon – I love this section! It is comforting, particularly in the first and second weeks of December, to find that there are others out there doing what you’re doing – or, in some cases, doing WAY more. There are blog-everyday-for-a-month people, editing people, and NaNoNotNovember folks. This is a great place to come to get ideas about where other writers hang out, and what you can do to keep up the madness of NaNo. Momentum’s a beautiful thing.

    Novel Writing Contests Without Entry Fees – This is a great way to test your mettle. Many contests out there do not require entry fees and this is a place to find many of them. Not all of them are for novels, either – the Writer’s Digest “Your Story” contest is 750 words or less – a great way to prime the pump.

    Some Thoughts on Publishing – This is a very useful section. Rather than pimping for the publishing industry, it contains links to some excellent advice sites, particularly helpful for avoiding scams.

    More OLL Goodness – Last, but not least, this is the place to come to find out what else the crazy folks at the Office of Letters and Light (the organization that brings you NaNoWriMo every year) are up to.

    Bottom line, if you love to write, there are others out there who love it too. Even if you don’t have an in-person writing group in your very own town, with the internet, you don’t have to. Writers all over the world connect and support each other every day. What are you waiting for? Get out there and write!

  • National Novel Writing Month

    I can’t believe November is here again already.  Are you ready for a challenge, fellow writers?  Now is the time to dust off your keyboard and start on your novel.

    “What’s that?” you ask.  “A novel?”

    Well, yes.  All that’s required of you is that you abandon all excuses and just write as fast and furious as you can.

    At the end of November we’d like to see you having accrued fifty thousand words toward a WIP.  It might be finished at that point and it might not but the effort is what counts.

    That said, I’m going to go back to my work in progress and try to crank out the requisite 1,600 words in a day to start meeting my goal.  Happy writing!

  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – My NaNoWriMo Revisit

    The year is half over and I just realized that I never went back and revisited my National Novel Writing Month project from November. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed! So this past weekend seemed the perfect time to look at that material and consider revisions.

    The interesting part about this NaNoWriMo product is that I changed both point of view and gender of the main character from an older, shorter piece. Fellow writers can probably imagine what a difference those alterations caused. Like trying to recall a dream, I don’t really remember what I’d written, which makes this whole reading experience all the more interesting.

    A part of me knows that I should just do a quick read through and then go back and consider changes. However, resisting rewrites just isn’t happening. I’ve decided not to worry about my irresistible temptation as long as the inner critic doesn’t rear its ugly head.

    What about you? Did you participate in NaNoWriMo or have another project collecting dust? I’ll hope you’ll join me in rediscovering a rough gem. Happy writing!

  • Size Matters

    Just like a lot of things in this world, stories come in all sizes. When I was younger, nothing short of a novel length tale really got my juices flowing. Whether it was because I had more time for such an investment or perhaps my imagination needed more time and complexity to take flight, I suppose I’ll never know.

    Once I started writing, I became drawn to more succinct pieces. A whole serial came out of my imagination before I even realized how short each segment turned out. Now I enjoy reading short story collections more and more, too. It’s as if I find more of a powerful punch in brevity.

    The trick with authoring such material is finding a publisher. I understand that the endeavor, while not impossible, can be especially tough depending on the genre. That said, a very encouraging mentor suggested I write my own short story anthology. The challenge is intriguing. Selling a collection as a fledgling artist might be a real trial in its own right, but the reward of writing cannot be discounted. I hope you’ll wish me luck.

    What about you? Whether as a reader or a writer, do you have a preference about the length of story you would rather read?

  • Getting in Gear

    Earlier today I sat in the dentist’s chair waiting for him to check my teeth. In a desperate attempt to compose a post today, I began flipping through an old notebook for ideas. Alas, none occurred to me before the dentist joined me for the examination.

    However, even he recognized a principle that has become like a mantra to me: just start writing and something will come of it.

    Or better or more succinctly yet, I tell myself: Write. Right?

    Not only does this apply to this post but any sort of creative writing in which I endeavor. Putting fingers to the keyboard or pen to paper are the only ways to get anything down at all. Otherwise, it’s like trying to catch fish without putting a line in the water.

    So, whatever your creative goal today, make that initial attempt and get yourself in the groove.

  • Writer’s Block or Artistic Balance?

    A few recent evenings and weekend afternoons have given me the perfect opportunity to work on my fiction WIPs. To my surprise, that didn’t happen. The sense of urgency to tell stories wasn’t there.

    I think it’s a combination of things. For one, I’ve decided not to break my neck to get published at this time. Honestly, the pressure to work 40 hours a week for a regular paycheck is too great. I can’t see doing that, writing, AND promoting myself to the satisfaction of publishing houses, e-book or otherwise. So I’ll hone my craft and keep feelers out for the right opportunity. Can you read my optimism? I’m happy to find it there.

    In the meantime, Friday night I watched a movie. Saturday and Sunday mornings, I devoured an e-book and pecked a little at a new story. Sunday afternoon found me setting up Thursday thirteen blog posts for weeks into the future. That felt good and I enjoyed some random research.

    Last night, fully intending to tell story, I instead read another m/m romance. This bit of fluff wasn’t as substantive as the one last weekend but left me with a warm and fuzzy HEA. That’s never a bad thing. So, I’ve decided not to beat myself up.

    Rather than feeling blocked, I sense a balance against the extensive creative output that flowed for weeks prior. I hope you can say the same, and wish you the best on whatever creative input or output you enjoy! It will be interesting to see where my instincts lead tonight.