Today I was on a roll, a 3,000 word roll that is. It was by far my best day of writing since I started Genevieve's story both quantity and quality wise. I am finally at the end of the zero draft and now I can print it out and start tearing the draft apart. I have been dying to get to this point and I couldn't have reached it at a better time. Next week I am on vacation from the day job. Although I'll probably be laid up for a couple of days after getting a tooth pulled at the dentist on Monday, I should be able to get a lot of work done as long as I can focus and stay excited like I was today, which I'm sure won't be a problem.
In other news, I'm 79 books into my 200 book reading goal for 2012. Having my Kindle Fire has definitely allowed me to read a lot more and I'm loving it. I've read a bunch of great books (and some not so great) and I hope that someday my book will be on someone's Kindle (someone other than my friend Lauren who actually has Genevieve's zero draft on her Kindle Fire now).
With that I'm off...142 double spaced pages need to be printed out and then I'm gonna relax with some NCIS and the end of the OKC/Lakers game (the Lakers are going down hard).
Friday, May 18, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
A Week of Utter Failures
After counting up all of my failures from last week, I'm not really sure I could have possibly failed more....well maybe if I had done nothing for my mom for her birthday and mother's day I would have failed epically. As it is I didn't do anything on my list of goals except for my Tuesday blog and the fun things like dinner with mom, seeing The Avengers for a second time and hanging out with my mom and family on Sunday. I didn't even clear much off of my DVR which is getting close to the 80% mark (most of that is episodes of Lost Girl, one of the best shows on television).
So because I failed and I super hate failure and there is nothing I can do but feel guilty for failing last week, I am going to try and use that guilt to motivate myself for this week. Next week is going to be a crap shoot on what I get done, none of which will be working out, since I'm getting some dental work done, including the pulling of a wisdom tooth. I want to get as much done this week as possible so I don't feel guilty drugging myself up and vegging out next week while my mouth bleeds profusely.
So here is this weeks list of goals...they are very similar to last week:
Monday: Errands + 1 hour of writing at home
Tuesday: 1 hour of working out + blog
Wednesday: 1 hour of writing at home.
Thursday: 1 hour of working out + blog
Friday: Dinner with Taracina to discuss writing...or my failures.
Saturday: 1 hour of working out + 1 hour of writing at home + maybe going to watch some Fastpitch Softball
Sunday: Cleaning house + blog + 1 hour of writing at home
Hopefully by Sunday I'll be done with zero draft and I can print it out, make notes and start the 1st draft rewrite. I keep saying this is going to happen now I need to stop talking about it and actually make it happen.
And this must become my new mantra:
So because I failed and I super hate failure and there is nothing I can do but feel guilty for failing last week, I am going to try and use that guilt to motivate myself for this week. Next week is going to be a crap shoot on what I get done, none of which will be working out, since I'm getting some dental work done, including the pulling of a wisdom tooth. I want to get as much done this week as possible so I don't feel guilty drugging myself up and vegging out next week while my mouth bleeds profusely.
So here is this weeks list of goals...they are very similar to last week:
Monday: Errands + 1 hour of writing at home
Tuesday: 1 hour of working out + blog
Wednesday: 1 hour of writing at home.
Thursday: 1 hour of working out + blog
Friday: Dinner with Taracina to discuss writing...or my failures.
Saturday: 1 hour of working out + 1 hour of writing at home + maybe going to watch some Fastpitch Softball
Sunday: Cleaning house + blog + 1 hour of writing at home
Hopefully by Sunday I'll be done with zero draft and I can print it out, make notes and start the 1st draft rewrite. I keep saying this is going to happen now I need to stop talking about it and actually make it happen.
And this must become my new mantra:
Sunday, May 6, 2012
All About Writing
First I have to say that I'm super bummed that I only blogged twice this week. Part of that was my fault, but part of it was also Blogger and/or my day job. I cannot seem to post from work and then for whatever reason I couldn't post from home on Thursday night. Friday, I blame The Avengers and the shear awesomeness of that movie.
Now for the most part I've stuck to this blogging schedule and I feel guilty when I miss a day or I'm late, so I'm hoping that I can transfer that over to the other two things in my life that I need to really get going and that's working out and writing. I need to work on a practical schedule for both things and then start figuring out my goals for them. I think each Sunday when I do my writing blog entry I'll post my goals for the week and what the schedule is.
Because I've had other things going on this week I've had very little time for writing...mostly because I didn't schedule it in. If I schedule it in, like I do hanging out with my friends, then I should finish my WIP in no time. I am so anxious to get writing the next draft, which will likely take me longer, but I can't skip the end so I can start over.
So, because I have very little else to write about, here is my schedule for the week. Time amounts are at minimum.
Monday: Errands + 1 hour of writing at home
Tuesday: 1 hour of working out + blog
Wednesday: 1 hour of writing at home.
Thursday: 1 hour of working out + blog
Friday: Dinner for mom's birthday...most likely ruining any good I did by working out.
Saturday: 1 hour of working out + 1 hour of writing at home + maybe seeing The Avengers again
Sunday: Lunch for mom's birthday/mother's day + 1 hour of writing at home + maybe 1 hour of working out + blog
So I guess next Sunday we'll see whether or not I was able to keep to this schedule. seems pretty simple when I see it in writing, but who knows if it will really be that easy.
Now for the most part I've stuck to this blogging schedule and I feel guilty when I miss a day or I'm late, so I'm hoping that I can transfer that over to the other two things in my life that I need to really get going and that's working out and writing. I need to work on a practical schedule for both things and then start figuring out my goals for them. I think each Sunday when I do my writing blog entry I'll post my goals for the week and what the schedule is.
Because I've had other things going on this week I've had very little time for writing...mostly because I didn't schedule it in. If I schedule it in, like I do hanging out with my friends, then I should finish my WIP in no time. I am so anxious to get writing the next draft, which will likely take me longer, but I can't skip the end so I can start over.
So, because I have very little else to write about, here is my schedule for the week. Time amounts are at minimum.
Monday: Errands + 1 hour of writing at home
Tuesday: 1 hour of working out + blog
Wednesday: 1 hour of writing at home.
Thursday: 1 hour of working out + blog
Friday: Dinner for mom's birthday...most likely ruining any good I did by working out.
Saturday: 1 hour of working out + 1 hour of writing at home + maybe seeing The Avengers again
Sunday: Lunch for mom's birthday/mother's day + 1 hour of writing at home + maybe 1 hour of working out + blog
So I guess next Sunday we'll see whether or not I was able to keep to this schedule. seems pretty simple when I see it in writing, but who knows if it will really be that easy.
Monday, April 30, 2012
All About Writing: Writer's Block
So Sunday I sat down to bust out my blog post which was supposed to be about ideas and where mine come from. Instead I just stared at the computer screen like I had been for days when I was supposed to be working on my WIP. I realized that I was so blocked that I couldn't even blog which meant that I needed to do something and fast.
Writer's Block for me is a lot of being plain old stuck. When I write I know a lot of what I want to happen and for the most part I just have to write that all out. Occasionally I discover pieces that are missing or something comes up while I'm writing that kind of begs me to be added. Unfortunately those things almost always end in me being blocked because I don't have any clue how to write them into the story. Or I get half way through writing them into the story and then slam, I run into a wall.
When this happens, I know that I need to skip over it and move ahead. Especially when I'm working on a zero draft like I am now. But of course I'm stubborn and I want to write through things so I sit here and stare at the cursor instead of moving on. And I do that every day for three or four days before kicking myself in the ass and making myself move on. it's such a giant waste of time and I hate that it happens every time. Writer's block isn't real for me. It's just all in my head and when I'm "blocked" on one thing I tend to be blocked on everything.
Obviously, since I was able to write this post, I moved on this morning and put in notes for when I go through for my first draft. Now it's time to play catch up. I wanted to get to 50,000 words and the end of my zero draft by the end of today....probably not going to happen, but I'm gonna work like hell to see if I can at least add another 2 grand before I go to bed tonight.
Writer's Block for me is a lot of being plain old stuck. When I write I know a lot of what I want to happen and for the most part I just have to write that all out. Occasionally I discover pieces that are missing or something comes up while I'm writing that kind of begs me to be added. Unfortunately those things almost always end in me being blocked because I don't have any clue how to write them into the story. Or I get half way through writing them into the story and then slam, I run into a wall.
When this happens, I know that I need to skip over it and move ahead. Especially when I'm working on a zero draft like I am now. But of course I'm stubborn and I want to write through things so I sit here and stare at the cursor instead of moving on. And I do that every day for three or four days before kicking myself in the ass and making myself move on. it's such a giant waste of time and I hate that it happens every time. Writer's block isn't real for me. It's just all in my head and when I'm "blocked" on one thing I tend to be blocked on everything.
Obviously, since I was able to write this post, I moved on this morning and put in notes for when I go through for my first draft. Now it's time to play catch up. I wanted to get to 50,000 words and the end of my zero draft by the end of today....probably not going to happen, but I'm gonna work like hell to see if I can at least add another 2 grand before I go to bed tonight.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Bits and Pieces: Balancing Life and Dreams
Life is a constant balancing act; work, family, friends, sleep, household chores, staying healthy, fun....you name it and we have to balance doing it with everything else we have to and want to do in life. Balancing is something that I've never been really good at. I'm not good at managing my time effectively, mostly because I'm a huge fan of procrastination even though I know better. So when I try to balance, I always end up screwing things up and things get left behind. Either I don't finish laundry, I don't write, I don't exercise or I don't visit my family.
A lot of people say there aren't enough hours in the day and while that is somewhat true, I don't know if that's my problem. I spend a lot of time doing nothing when I could be doing something, but again it comes down to excuses. Instead of doing most things, I sit and space out watching TV because I'm too tired or whatever the excuse is. I could easily wake up an hour earlier in the morning and work out, but I don't. My bed's too comfy or too warm. Why get up when I can keep sleeping? Why do anything productive when I can do something fun or something relaxing or actually just nothing?
If I want to make my dreams happen or if I want to get healthy, I need to stop being lazy and start doing something. Doing nothing will get me nowhere. It will keep me on the same path that I've been on since I graduated from college in 2009 which is a path to nothing except a life spent at my boring, meaningless day job that keeps me living a comfortable life, but doesn't give me anything fulfilling.
Changes need to happen and now that I realize that, I'm bound and determined to make sure they do. I'm no longer happy struggling to balance things. I will make it work because I have no other choice. I only live once and I'm not going to let myself down.
A lot of people say there aren't enough hours in the day and while that is somewhat true, I don't know if that's my problem. I spend a lot of time doing nothing when I could be doing something, but again it comes down to excuses. Instead of doing most things, I sit and space out watching TV because I'm too tired or whatever the excuse is. I could easily wake up an hour earlier in the morning and work out, but I don't. My bed's too comfy or too warm. Why get up when I can keep sleeping? Why do anything productive when I can do something fun or something relaxing or actually just nothing?
If I want to make my dreams happen or if I want to get healthy, I need to stop being lazy and start doing something. Doing nothing will get me nowhere. It will keep me on the same path that I've been on since I graduated from college in 2009 which is a path to nothing except a life spent at my boring, meaningless day job that keeps me living a comfortable life, but doesn't give me anything fulfilling.
Changes need to happen and now that I realize that, I'm bound and determined to make sure they do. I'm no longer happy struggling to balance things. I will make it work because I have no other choice. I only live once and I'm not going to let myself down.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Sunday, not Sunday....
So only the second week of my blog schedule and I failed miserably and of course I have excuses, but it doesn't really matter what they are cause I failed regardless. So today there will be two posts so I can make up for my Sunday failure.
This weekend I ended with a word count of 39k and an end in sight. I am loving the way things are working out in my WIP and I can't wait to get to the end of this zero draft (aka basically an extended outline). I should be there by the 1st of May and then I can move on to the first draft where I add in all the descriptions and stuff that I never seem to put in during my zero draft. One time I wrote a story where I never once mentioned that my protagonist was a blonde because I never described her. So glad that I learned that I did that so that I don't worry about the parts where I get stuck trying to describe something and end up staring at the computer with writers block. I know I can skip it this round because odds are I didn't describe something a chapter back or four chapters before that.
One thing that I'm super addicted to at the moment that I had never tried before are sprints. On Saturday, Carolyn Crane tweeted that she was going to do a 1k1h sprint and asked people if they wanted to join her. I couldn't at the time she was doing it but decided to do it later that day. I sat down, no distractions, with the new Linkin Park single on repeat and wrote for an hour. I hit 1k by the half hour mark and ended with 1,891. It was the best I had ever done in word count before in one day, let alone a single sitting. I will definitely be doing more of those in the future.
The only other thing with Genevieve's story that I'm struggling with is whether or not third person limited is going to cut it for the POV. Everything is in first person these days and I am struggling to find some well written third person novels that I can use as a guideline. The ones that I love have their own unique voice which makes them a little difficult to study, whereas I have a myriad of books to choose from to see first person POV done right. I guess eventually I'll figure it out or die trying.
This weekend I ended with a word count of 39k and an end in sight. I am loving the way things are working out in my WIP and I can't wait to get to the end of this zero draft (aka basically an extended outline). I should be there by the 1st of May and then I can move on to the first draft where I add in all the descriptions and stuff that I never seem to put in during my zero draft. One time I wrote a story where I never once mentioned that my protagonist was a blonde because I never described her. So glad that I learned that I did that so that I don't worry about the parts where I get stuck trying to describe something and end up staring at the computer with writers block. I know I can skip it this round because odds are I didn't describe something a chapter back or four chapters before that.
One thing that I'm super addicted to at the moment that I had never tried before are sprints. On Saturday, Carolyn Crane tweeted that she was going to do a 1k1h sprint and asked people if they wanted to join her. I couldn't at the time she was doing it but decided to do it later that day. I sat down, no distractions, with the new Linkin Park single on repeat and wrote for an hour. I hit 1k by the half hour mark and ended with 1,891. It was the best I had ever done in word count before in one day, let alone a single sitting. I will definitely be doing more of those in the future.
The only other thing with Genevieve's story that I'm struggling with is whether or not third person limited is going to cut it for the POV. Everything is in first person these days and I am struggling to find some well written third person novels that I can use as a guideline. The ones that I love have their own unique voice which makes them a little difficult to study, whereas I have a myriad of books to choose from to see first person POV done right. I guess eventually I'll figure it out or die trying.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Bits and Pieces: Turning off the Brain
Occasionally I suffer with crazy long bouts of insomnia. No matter how exhausted I am during the day by the time bedtime rolls around I can't fall asleep without help. My brain just won't shut off. I think of all the things I should be doing at that moment even if they are things I couldn't possibly do at midnight (like vacuum or plant flower seeds). Bedtime is the time of day that I am the most motivated to workout. And it's the time where scenes and lines for my current WIP and new ideas seem to bombard me. It is the most frustrating thing in the world because I have a day job that I cannot miss and I cannot be too tired for.
I've been looking for tips on how to shut my brain off at night. I've got a prescription from my doctor for a medicinal solution, but that's not always an option since I sometimes don't realize it's going to be "one of those nights" until well after my eleven o'clock drug cutoff (if I take them any later, then I'm near useless at work the next day and I might as well have not taken it and not gotten any sleep). One thing that's worked for me lately has been thinking about the most mundane thing I can come up with and repeating it over and over. Kind of like counting sheep, but without the change of the numbers.
I wish I had the luxury to stay up and work on things as late as my brain wants me to, but my body and my job won't let me. I'm sure that I'm probably missing amazing ideas so that I could get a decent night's rest. Perhaps I'll get lucky and on my next vacation I'll have one of these insomnia weeks and for the first time since they started I won't suffer.
I've been looking for tips on how to shut my brain off at night. I've got a prescription from my doctor for a medicinal solution, but that's not always an option since I sometimes don't realize it's going to be "one of those nights" until well after my eleven o'clock drug cutoff (if I take them any later, then I'm near useless at work the next day and I might as well have not taken it and not gotten any sleep). One thing that's worked for me lately has been thinking about the most mundane thing I can come up with and repeating it over and over. Kind of like counting sheep, but without the change of the numbers.
I wish I had the luxury to stay up and work on things as late as my brain wants me to, but my body and my job won't let me. I'm sure that I'm probably missing amazing ideas so that I could get a decent night's rest. Perhaps I'll get lucky and on my next vacation I'll have one of these insomnia weeks and for the first time since they started I won't suffer.
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