Hi Everyone,
As many of you know, I've been part of Savvy Authors April Boot Camp. I received a comment from an awesome blogger wanting to know an update. Well, here it is.
My month has been busy. I've spent tons of time writing, and thinking of writing, and yes, pretending to be writing. In other words, sitting at the computer yelling at myself to write with nothing magically showing up on the screen.
My goal for Boot Camp was to get me to start with X WIP and write all the way through to the end. It didn't work. I got so far, and I got stuck. I didn't stick with the same WIP because, it is a boot camp and I have to keep going or I will mess up our numbers. So, to keep going, I switch to another WIP. This is the one I started for NV last year and I didn't have enough conflict. I added more conflict and began rewriting. I'm not complaining, I'm glad I could continue, but I didn't accomplish what I set out to accomplish.
What has Boot Camp done for me? It has shown me how much time I waste in a day. I found much more time to dedicate to writing. At the same time, I spend many hours at the computer wanting to write that isn't productive.
So, I've been pondering Balance. How do I find the perfect amount of time to dedicate to my writing? I feel good having dedicated myself to writing. On the flip side, I have neglected other things. I look at my desk and see I haven't cleaned it since, you guessed it, March. I now have to wear slippers in the house. I haven't swept nor vacuumed the floor. I don't see hubby picking up a broom anytime soon.
It couldn't be as simple as when I have something to write--write. And when I'm not being productive, do something else. Is it?
Keep the Faith
As many of you know, I've been part of Savvy Authors April Boot Camp. I received a comment from an awesome blogger wanting to know an update. Well, here it is.
My month has been busy. I've spent tons of time writing, and thinking of writing, and yes, pretending to be writing. In other words, sitting at the computer yelling at myself to write with nothing magically showing up on the screen.
My goal for Boot Camp was to get me to start with X WIP and write all the way through to the end. It didn't work. I got so far, and I got stuck. I didn't stick with the same WIP because, it is a boot camp and I have to keep going or I will mess up our numbers. So, to keep going, I switch to another WIP. This is the one I started for NV last year and I didn't have enough conflict. I added more conflict and began rewriting. I'm not complaining, I'm glad I could continue, but I didn't accomplish what I set out to accomplish.
What has Boot Camp done for me? It has shown me how much time I waste in a day. I found much more time to dedicate to writing. At the same time, I spend many hours at the computer wanting to write that isn't productive.
So, I've been pondering Balance. How do I find the perfect amount of time to dedicate to my writing? I feel good having dedicated myself to writing. On the flip side, I have neglected other things. I look at my desk and see I haven't cleaned it since, you guessed it, March. I now have to wear slippers in the house. I haven't swept nor vacuumed the floor. I don't see hubby picking up a broom anytime soon.
It couldn't be as simple as when I have something to write--write. And when I'm not being productive, do something else. Is it?
Keep the Faith
It's really hard to write to a schedule. A writer's inspiration book I've been reading claims that writers with lots of time to write actually get less written because they're more prone to distraction. I don't know if that's true for everyone, but it's decidedly true for me.
ReplyDeleteI am starting to think that having an imminent firm deadline is the only way for me to shut off my internal editor enough to write.
That and writeordie.com. I use the webapp, and I've found I'm much responsive to stick than carrot. If that screen starts turning red, I throw words at the screen whether they're any good or not. I also use it in Strict/Kamikaze mode so that after 10 seconds if I am not typing again, it starts erasing my words.
Stick much more effective for me than carrot.
As for being stuck: sometimes I can get unstuck just by identifying the problem and writing down a question about the situation. Good luck!
Thanks for the update :)