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News & Contests

June accountability, July goals

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Last month, I was a little worried about my goals because I had some other big plans. So, how did it go?

GoalsJune accountability

  • Start editing the newest novella. Hoping to make it through the first quarter or third.—DONE. I got through the first quarter of the paper edit and entered about 2/3s of that onto the manuscript, and sent it off to my critique partners. Unfortunately, my paper edit included one note “add an entire new chapter here.” Which I have yet to do. Bet my crit partners loved that part.
  • Read through Tomorrow We Spy again and apply latest round of critique notes; send to beta readers—I had to push the readthrough back to the end of the month, after the beta round, but I did incorporate my critique partners’ notes and sent it off to beta readers! So DONE!
  • READ. A lot. DONE! My husband and I left our kids with my mom and took our tenth anniversary trip, cruising to Juneau and Skagway, Alaska, then driving (and riding a train) through the Yukon, then visiting Fairbanks, Alaska, and Denali National Park before ending in Anchorage. It was fantastic! But more later—when I have pictures. For now, I’ll just say, because of all the driving and flying, I read eight books. Woot!
  • Think about website and marketing stuff even more. There was definite thinking.
  • Get beta reader feedback and incorporate, getting the novel ready to go to my editor—beta reader feedback is trickling in, and I’ve finished the readthrough. Notes are incorporated and I’m about to click send!!

Woot!

July goals

I spent almost half of last month preparing, traveling and recovering. This month, I’ll get to spend a couple weeks with my family visiting. I’m super excited—but I’ve still got to fit the work in!

  • Get a cover. The fun part!
  • Edit the next half of the rebelliovella and send to critique partners.
  • Get back edits, incorporate, and proof.
  • Format and typeset.
  • Read two books on marketing.
  • Keep thinking about website stuff. Seriously. Maybe even think about doing something, eh?

What’s up for you this month?

Photo by Celestine Chua

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News & Contests

May accountability; June goals

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Last month, I was really daunted by my goals, things I’d been chipping away at way too slowly for months. So, how did it go?

GoalsMay accountability

  • FINISH THE NOVELLA—DONE. Sort of. You see, one of the reasons this novella was so tough was that . . . it wasn’t a novella at all. I deluded myself even after I passed the projected 30,000 word count halfway through, even when I hit 50,000 words, even when I finished at 62,000 words. I could cut it back, I told myself. Other than all these scenes I need to add . . . So now I have a new problem: when am I going to find time to edit a full novel??
  • DO THE EDITS—done. They’re not all entered, but the last few are sitting there in my file waiting for me.
  • Do rewrites on Saints & Spies—with the novella turning into a novel, I decided to move this a little later.
  • Participate in a sale event (more on that coming up later in the month!)—check! Not as successful as my last big sale, but still a big bump!
  • Think about marketing & website stuff.—did some of this. More to come.

Whew! That looks like a ton of progress!

June goals

I know, the month’s half over. But here’s what I wanted to get done starting at the beginning of the month.

  • Start editing the newest novella. Hoping to make it through the first quarter or third.
  • Read through Tomorrow We Spy again and apply latest round of critique notes; send to beta readers.
  • READ. A lot. I need to recharge!
  • Think about website and marketing stuff even more.
  • Get beta reader feedback and incorporate, getting the novel ready to go to my editor

I think I can?

What’s up for you this month?

Photo by Celestine Chua

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Writing Life

April accountability; May goals

Normally, I post about my goals on the first Friday of the month, but with all my conference posts last week, it seemed like a pretty full week blogging-wise.

GoalsApril accountability

Reporting on my goals for last month

  • Top priority: finalize my presentations for (and attend) the LDStorymakers conference!—Yep! It went really, really amazingly, wonderfully well. My classes were all packed, and I was almost moved to tears to see so many people as dedicated to learning about the craft as I am.
  • Second priority: Finish those last 5 Whitney reads!—Yes! Just in the nick of time, too. But now I’ve read almost as many books this year as I did last year—and I want to read more! It’s so much easier and more fun than editing!
  • Seriously, write that dang novella.—Um, no. I got some words here, but this is still not done.
  • Deep edit Spy Another Day 3 and incorporate cultural feedback.—My cultural feedback was delayed, but honestly, I had to put this project on the back burner myself, too.
  • Reread Saints & Spies to begin the publication phase!—No.
  • Write new stuff for next writing craft book.—just no.

May goals

You guys, I’m struggling a little here. I’ve had this novella on my to-do list for I don’t know how many months, and it’s really dragging. Plus I can’t find it in me to get these edits after working my editing fingers to the bone for the last year. I love the story, but I really don’t want to work on it anymore. I’ve given myself time away from it, and all that’s done is make me want even more time—and I’ve kind of promised this book is coming out this summer. I want to keep my deadlines—my commitments. I’ve already dropped one book from my production schedule, and I feel like if I drop any more, I’ll lose what little momentum I have.

So, this month, I must

  • FINISH THE NOVELLA—I have finally started to move the needle on this! Yay!
  • DO THE EDITS
  • Do rewrites on Saints & Spies
  • Participate in a sale event (more on that coming up later in the month!)
  • Think about marketing & website stuff.

Normally, with only five things on my list, I pat myself on the back for my reasonable expectation. But considering how long some of these “list-cicles” have already been on there, and how little progress I’ve made, I’m definitely daunted this month, and already feeling the pressure.

What’s up for you this month?

Photo by Celestine Chua

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Writing Life

How to make life really, really hard for yourself.

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So if you haven’t been around these parts for a while, you’ll find out right now that I’m slogging through the sequel to I, Spy.

I think it’s trying to kill me.

I think it might succeed.
Reaching out for Help
After taking possibly the longest time ever to write a book (for me), I still came out with one of my messiest first drafts—which I didn’t have a chance to read start to finish until after my crit partners had their ways with it.

Leaving me with even more work post-crit than ever. Sigh.

So I’ve retooled the romance plot line, the main plot line, the villain’s motivations, settings for several scenes . . . one excruciating page at a time. I’m just now digging into my critique partners’ more granular notes, and STILL it’s taking forever. I spent most of the day Friday and Saturday working (writing is giving yourself homework forever) and only slogged through 100 pages.

Kill KeyOnce again, the little black marks on an electronic page had defeated me.

And if the story ended there, this would be another chapter in How to Make Life Really, Really Hard for Yourself for Dummies. Finally, I looked down at that little counter at the bottom of the screen and did a little mental math.

During those two-day long slog of 100 pages, I’d added over 3000 words. 3000 words requiring in-depth research (real restaurants’ menus, a chase scene, tourist spots), editing, refining—work.

Suddenly my defeat turned into a victory. Yeah, it’s been a lot of work, but I’ve accomplished a lot. More importantly, my book is becoming so much better.

So how do you make your life really, really hard for yourself? Work single-mindedly toward a quantitative goal without ever taking stock of what you’re really accomplishing.

What do you think? Do you ever make life really, really hard for yourself? Come share!

Photo credits (via Flickr & CC): Reaching out for help—Andy Munzer; Kill Key—Jeff Keyzer

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News & Contests, Works

March-a-thon final report & April goals

I use the first Friday of the month as my writing goal accountability here—come join in!

March accountability

marchathon 2013So for March, I set some lofty goals to conquer as part of the March-a-thon I ran for my writers’ support/education group. Here’s my progress report:

  • Project A: incorporate feedback and take this to finished product. Verdict: took longer than it should have, largely due to technical issues, but accomplished!
  • Project B: finish first draft (~28,000 more words). Verdict: Weep. 18,000 words to go.
  • Project C (novella): get ready to send to critique partners Verdict: Finished the paper edit early in the month, but the type-in took forever. Still in progress.
  • Project D: blog posts! Verdict: I’ve gotten ahead in most of my series, so I’d have to say accomplished—but I’d never say no to a guest post!
  • Read my library books before they’re due! Verdict: accomplished!
  • SUPER SECRET PROJECT: Verdict: accomplished! Look for more about this on Monday!

I was also able to keep up with my critique partners, which was actually quite the feat this month. (I forgive you 😉 )

Though on any given day, it felt like these lofty goals were completely unattainable, I actually accomplish quite a bit! The daily pep talks from my group and our live chats & Twitter #marchathon Saturdays were a big help.

Lesson of the month: no matter how long it took in the past, everything can take longer than you expect.

April goals

After pushing myself very hard, I’m giving myself a break. So in April, I’m hoping to:

  • Finalize my presentation for LDStorymakers next month.
  • Get those last 12,000 words done? Maybe?
  • Take care of business (yay. taxes.)
  • Do a final read-through for each of my critique partners
  • Finish inputting the paper edits and incorporate my critique partners’ feedback on my novella
  • Read!

It sounds like a lot, but I’m hoping to limit myself to one or two tasks a day (not including reading; that’s not a task!).

Anticipated lesson of the month: sleep is really important.

How did you do in March? What do you hope to accomplish in April? Come share!

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News & Contests, Works

Get a jump on your goals with the March-a-thon!

Looking for a pick-me-up for your writing this month? Come join me in a March-a-thon—but first, how I did last month.

February accountability

marchathon 2013I was really hoping to finish this first draft in February, but (sigh) it didn’t happen. But I’ve been keeping careful track of what I did do:

  • Critiques for my CPs
  • Blog posts (yay!)
  • Newsletter
  • Travel for my cousin’s wedding and spend time with my visiting grandparents
  • First read through on the novella I finished last month
  • And, yes, I did write!

So, in the interest of accountability, how much, exactly, did I write in February? 31,275 words: not too shabby!

Saturday night, I made out a list of all that I need to get done in March, and the deadlines for each task. Then I did the math to figure out how much I need to write or revise or whatever to get it done on time. Woot!

But once again, I’m facing a lot of work. Luckily, I’ve got just the thing to push me onward . . .

March-a-thon!

For the second year in a row, I’m running a March-a-thon! It’s primarily for Authors Incognito, an online writers’ support group where I’m serving as Education Director. We’re setting lofty goals for March and encouraging others with pep talks and other fun events.

What does this mean for you? I’d love for you to join me in the “public” side of the March-a-thon. Come share your goals for March!

Here are mine:

  • Project A: incorporate feedback and take this to finished product
  • Project B: finish first draft (~28,000 more words)
  • Project C (novella): get ready to send to critique partners
  • Project D: blog posts!
  • Read my library books before they’re due!

Did I mention we’ve got more family stuff this month, so I’m looking to finish this all by the 23rd?

I’m crazy.

You can come be crazy with me! We’ll have regular check-ins here each week and I’ll keep you posted about public sprints on Twitter. Come join in!

How did you do last month? What are your goals for March? Ready for a March-a-thon? Come share!

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News & Contests

Predicting the future: plans for 2013!

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Happy New Year! I hope your holiday was fantastic, and didn’t involve, I don’t know, your first trip to the ER in 25 years or something like that (yay! Pleurisy!). I love a fresh beginning (and a clear bill of health 🙂 ), but I don’t particularly feel inclined to make New Year’s Resolutions (basically ever). However, I do have big plans for this year.

Over the last year and a half, I’ve really become devoted to scheduling to help achieve my goals easily, and this year is no different.

2013 fireworks

Blog schedule in 2013!

Last year, I created a blog schedule with themed days, which I sometimes even stuck to. Each month, I’d write out post ideas for each of those days. This made blogging pretty easy! So I’ll try to continue that pattern this year, but I’m changing up my days a bit. In 2013, we’ll look at:

  • Mondays: ups & downs of the writing life
  • Tuesdays: the Neverending TBR pile
  • Wednesdays: Writing craft
  • Thursdays: TBA
  • Fridays: all kinds of fun

I’ll also be working on several writing guide PDFs this year, including last year’s marketing series, and updating some of the older PDFs throughout the year.

Writing in 2013

Naturally, I’ve got big plans in writing, too. I actually made up a day-by-day production schedule last month—leaving the end of the year a little open, but still. Kinda scary, huh?

If I can keep up with my schedule, I’ll finish two new books and a short novella this year. Unfortunately, I’m already behind in my schedule (I really hope this isn’t indicative of the future!), so I’ll probably be playing catch up a bit this month—but I’ll writing that novella and starting on one of my novels. My production schedule also takes into account lots of editing and critiquing—but I actually tried not to push myself too hard.

Writing slower

Yes, shockingly, one of my goals for 2013 is to write slower.

I wrote two new novels in 2012, in a combined total of less than six weeks. I kind of love letting my fictional worlds consume me, and I found that writing so much, so quickly had some definite advantages in quality (no, really!)—but also some distinct drawbacks.

To put it bluntly, writing isn’t my only—or even my most important—responsibility. I’ve got three small children, and I’m not going to plant them in front of the TV forever. So one of my most important goals this year is to be more careful about my writing time. I’ll still shoot for a decent amount of words when I’m drafting, but it’s less than half of my 2012 daily drafting goal. I really don’t want to spend more than ~4 hours a day on my work, and most or all of that while my kids are at (pre)school or asleep.

I absolutely believe you have to guard your work time—but novels aren’t the only things I’m working on right now, and I’m pretty sure my fictional characters can wait much better than the real characters who awe weawwy, weawwy hungwy!

What do you think? What do you hope to achieve in 2013? Come join the conversation!

Photo by Kotomi Yamamura

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Technique, Works

“Making” time

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I think anybody who’s really made an effort to write understands that it’s not about wishing you had the time, or even finding the time, but making the time to write.

With three kids under five, free time is a joke. My efforts to make time to write are hurting my well-being and my family. (This is because that made time never seems to start until 11 PM, and Baby has a special “Mommy’s exhausted” alarm clock that rings at 5:30AM.) (And 2AM.) (And midnight.)

So I’m thinking it’s time for a change. For a long time, I’ve been attracted to the idea of getting up early to get most of my writing in. I love the idea of having a thousand or more words written by the time the kids attack get up. (I also like the idea of actually being out of bed before they get up 😉 .)

So last night, when I was up too late already, I saw Kelly Stone’s guest post about writing schedules. And the early morning schedule was the very first one listed (of seven—seven different writing schedule options).

So I’ve undertaken the challenge, starting this morning. (Ooooor not. That special “Mommy’s exhausted alarm” kicked in from 12-1AM and 5-6AM, and that pretty much killed the what I thought was very reasonable 7 AM wake-up time.) As part of my challenge, I’m going to make myself accountable to report on what time I actually get up (and what I do thereafter). I’ll Tweet about it (I know, that really makes you want to follow me) and put a note in a post if I’m blogging that day.

Do you have a goal for your writing schedule? Have you ever tried to change?

Photo by Grant MacDonald

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