Big picture and details

Good morning everyone,
I love Sundays. I've already had one day to relax and get the housework done. Then Sunday comes. That's the gravy day. It's the good stuff. It's what you soak into your biscuit and savor.

I love rainy days. The days you stay at home, listening to the rain on the tin roof. And today, I have both. That makes it extra special. So, I'm off to a good start. Now, to make the best of the time I have.

As you may have realized, my hobby is writing. I love to write and it doesn't matter what it is. It doesn't matter if it is my current WIP or something new. If I am sitting down, using words to create my own world, I am happy. I may not be the best writer, but I'm working on it. I want others to read my words and fall happily into the world I made and feel the emotions I had swirling in my being when I arranged the words in that order.

I'm sure many writers struggle with the same things. My current struggle is to have enthusiasm to continue my work. I have my world on paper. I have their actions, what they say, what they think. When I read it, as a reader and not as the writer, the emotions aren't there. Some are, but not all. I find I lack the dedication to keep trying. I get bored going over the sentences and paragraphs to find the right words and the right order to get the feelings across.

The enthusiasm is there one day, and gone the next. I think of the story in it's entirety and know it is a fascinating story. It is exciting, fun, and spectacular. My problem, I admit, is dealing with the small details. I have never been detail oriented. A successful writer has to control every detail, down to every comma and contraction. The big picture is made up of tiny details, and I have to control every one of them.

My goal for today is to concentrate on the details. The more I work with them, the easier I hope they will be in the future.

Keep the Faith

Increase Word Count- Update

How can I know if I have increased my word count if I never took note of how much work I've done in any given time?

Well, this week I began to take notes on how many hours and how well focused I was during those hours. I am not always working on a rough draft, so keeping track of word count isn't that accurate. (IMO). So I have started a 1-10 scale. 1 being I should give up and do something else, to 10 being the most focused and best quality writing possible. Since I believe there is always room for improvement, I will probably never rate myself at a 10.

I have noticed the number of hours I sit down at the computer is less than normal. Several times I've had that nagging feeling "I gotta write", but I knew my mind was elsewhere and if I sat down, I would be checking facebook, reading blogs and visiting numerous other sites instead of actually writing. So, I have made myself stay away from the computer during these times. But I do find, the hours I set aside for writing, I am better focused. Yay.

I also read where some writers go other places to write. Yesterday I went to Starbucks to check it out and see if I would like to go and write. It cost me $8 for a blueberry scone and a venti caramel frapuccino, with an extra shot of espresso. ouch! There were several people there with laptops. Some college students and some businessmen. I could do that, but I think I could only write if I found a table with my back to the wall. The idea of someone reading over my shoulder just creeps me out. One day I'll try it. I'm not sure it will work, I'm to much of a people watcher and may have to many distractions. But, I do have to try new things to see if it helps.

I'll keep you informed.

Keep the Faith.

The Plan-Update

Okay, it has been a few days since I started working to focus on my writing. I've thought on how I can individualize it to my writing style. I don't normally worry about getting my 'word count' up there, because I do spend a lot of time editing, and reediting a paragraph. How can I be happy about working those same 100 words for one hour? Well, I'm not going to stress over that!

I am choosing to rate each time I work. On a 1-10 scale, 1 being a very distracted writing session, which I should give up writing and relax on other things, to a 10. A 10 being a totally focused, I accomplished a lot session. So, my goal at the end of each day should be 2 high numbers. The first number being the approximate hours worked each day.

I'll let you know at the end of the week, how I fare.

Oh and if I didn't mention it, this is not a 'you do it and you are automatically like Nora Roberts", it is a constant evaluation and reevaluation of your time and effort.

Keep The Faith

A Plan to Increase Word Count

I started to title this 'A plan to Increase Productivity'. For some reason, I don't look at word count as proof I did a lot. It is more of a feeling. Some days I don't really write, I spend time editing. Some days, I can rewrite a sentence in a few seconds, some day it takes me five minutes to find the right word. So, with these variations, what is a good way to gauge a good day of writing?

Today I came across a blog by Rachel Aaron. She has a system that helped her increase her word count from 2,000 to 10,000 words a day. Hey, if I can increase my productivity, I am all for it.

http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/how-i-went-from-writing-2000-words-day.html

To summarize briefly, she shows a diagram of a triangle. The three things she shows around the triangle, is Knowledge, Time, and Enthusiasm. Well, this just seems common sense to me. But, I have always had the motto, 'If so-and-so could do it, so can I'. Obviously, I can't say, If Neal Armstrong, walked on the moon, so can I. But the point is, I know what I can physically and mentally do. If someone did it, then it is possible I can do it. In this case, I know it is possible to increase my word count.

I just have to focus my energy and do it. So, this is a two part blog. This next week, I am going to take Rachel's advice and see if my word count increases.

So, another thing motivating me, is knowing I have to post my success or failure.

I see I got sidetracked, so back to explaining her technique.

Knowledge, is knowing ahead of time what you are going to write. I've heard many people talk about 'down time' being important for writers. We fantasize and work on our story while washing dishes, driving and working. I do this often. But there are still times when I turn on the computer and I sit at the screen. Rachel suggests taking a pad of paper and writing down brief summaries of the scene. When you write it out, you can see if the scene will work in your story. It actually saves time because, I have actually written large portions of a story, only to use the delete button and find myself lost again. What I like doing, is 'what if' scenarios. My critique partner actually helped me learn this. We ask ourselves, what if the hero does this? We spend a few minutes doing this over and over, and then we have an idea where the scene needs to go.

Time, is writing at the correct time for you, and making sure you are not disturbed and have no distractions. When I say correct time, I mean if you write more productively in the evening, try and have your writing time in the evening and not in the morning.

Enthusiasm. This may seem elementary, but Rachel brought up a good point with this one. I have noticed many scenes in my story I am not excited about. If I can't stay excited with it, should it be in my novel? If the scene isn't it's best, and most exciting, I need to rework it. This may mean deleting some scenes and playing with the plot, trying new 'what if' scenarios. If it makes a better novel, isn't it something I would rather do?
Enthusiasm comes naturally when scenes come together and work great. It is harnessing the Enthusiasm we originally felt when the idea of the book first took shape in our minds.

So, there it is, quick and simple. I'll let you know next week how I improved (or bombed)

Keep the Faith

Reading Labels

This isn't something I really want to openly admit, but the bathroom has gotten really bad. The show with the women that go into homes and clean would love it here. It has been the object of discussion several times with my husband. For years we used straight bleach for cleaner. We have a squirt bottle we use, and we just squirt it on the sinks and shower, let it sit a few minutes, and wipe it down. Quick, simple, and effective.

But slowly over the last year the tiles and grout in the shower have started to turn black. Last month my husband poured a half gallon of bleach on the shower, driving me and the dog out of the house in the process, and to our amazement, it didn't help.

A week ago, I spoke to my sister and complained about the shower. She told me about a pumice cleaning stone she recently bought. She said it was wonderful for getting hard water stains out of her toilet. Naturally, I rushed right out and bought one. It took me all of 30 seconds to scrub a quarter of the shower down. The tiles looked wonderful, but the stone couldn't adequately clean the grout. Also, there is a reason only part of the shower got clean. The stone is soft. It crumbled under the pressure of my scrubbing.

This week when shopping, I bought 3 more. I would have bought more, but that is all they had. So, today I decide I am going to spray the shower down with bleach and then finish scrubbing the tiles. I know, you ask, what about the nasty looking grout. I didn't know. At least let me do what I can.

So, I start by pouring the bleach in the squirt bottle. Oh, and you have to empty the bottle every time and run water through it because bleach will mess up the squirt nozzle. So, I am ready to pour the bleach in the bottle, and I read on the bleach label. "Fabric Safe Bleach". What??  If it is safe for clothes will it properly clean like it always has??? NO  Thus explains my suddenly nasty bathroom. It also explains why my whites are no longer white. I had even broke down and bought some Oxyclean for the whites, which does not work like the commercials say.

So, I had to jump in the car and run to town for real bleach.

So, Read the Label!!!!
I am a label reader, or so I thought. I read the labels of every food I put in my body. I never thought to read the label on bleach.

Which gets me thinking more. If it doesn't clean like bleach, is it bleach? It it doesn't whiten like bleach is it bleach? How much can they legally change something and still call it by its old name? I don't have the answers, but I have two gallons of something called bleach that, in my opinion, is not bleach. 

Multi-tasking

I have a list of things I want to do. Read more, write more, exercise more, clean more, cook more. I can add things all day long, but I will always have only 24 hours in a day. Notice I didn't put on the list 'go to work more', but since I need to eat and pay the power bill, I have to include work in my things to do.

Many people are great multi-taskers. I'm not one of those people. If I try to do too much, I forget something and it never gets done. I do better at picking one task and completing it before moving on. The many projects around the house left unfinished proves this.

I recently read a comment from a blog that inspired me to merge two important things. Sorry to say I don't remember which blog. It took a while for me to realize what she did, I can also do.The comment was that she built a stand over her treadmill to hold her laptop. So, as she is writing, she can walk slowly, thus getting her exercise also.

I got up this morning, prepared to pull out my unused treadmill. As I enter my dining room, where several unused exercise equipment is stored, I see it will nearly take an act of congress to move everything around in order to use it. But, I see my exercycle, sitting much closer to the doorway. I also have a laptop table, sitting in the bathroom, unused. (Yes, getting rid of unused items has been on my to do list a while)

So, for the last three hours, I  have been exercising and writing. Okay, so half that time I've been surfing the web and exercising. But the point of this blog is. Look to see how you can accomplish more in a smaller time frame.


Keep the Faith

Unread Book Review

My first book review, and I haven't even read the book. 

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks. 

 Okay, you may be wondering why I would write a review about a book I haven't read. Well, I have a big issue with this book. It is a long story and I'll explain. 

My family is from Rodanthe. Growing up we would spend summers at my Grandmothers house in Rodanthe. My fathers parents were from there, their parents were from there, their parents were from there, etc... You get the picture.

If you aren't familiar with the area, let me explain the wonders of Rodanthe. It is on Hatteras Island on the coast of North Carolina. Years ago, the only way to get there was by boat. My Grandmother told us of her having to take a boat to get to school in Manteo. Eventually you could take a ferry to the island, and then there was the bridge.  Years after the bridge was built, the area continued to grow and prosper.

I remember sitting on the porch as a child at night and you could only see the light of the moon on the water. And it was quiet. No cars traveled the roads. The only neighbor was my aunt, a quarter mile down the road. Peaceful

But that was years ago.
Has anyone visited there? It is a tourist trap now. Busy, People everywhere. It just isn't the same Rodanthe I fell in love with.

So, what about this book review? I was talking with my cousin. She still lives in Rodanthe and has a nice souvenir shop. She was telling me about all the tourists that have come since the book was released. One woman that had terminal cancer came and sat in front of the house that was portrayed in the movie. She was planning on staying there until she died. She was there for several days before the police came and took her away.

My question is how can a writer touch people like this? I admit, I haven't read a Nicholas Sparks novel, but I have watched a movie. (No, not this one)

Can writing this good be taught? Or do you have to be born with the talent?

My goal as a writer is to touch my readers. Not just tell a story that lingers in my head. So, if you know the secret, feel free to leave a comment.

Keep the Faith