Beginning Again

Round 2 April 2-June 21

I think Kait Nolan was reading my mind, or my tea leaves, or something when she wrote the kickoff post for this round of ROW80.  It's about discipline and protecting your writing time.  At the end she asks, "What kind of good habits to you want to establish?  What sort of discipline do you need to work on?"  And that's exactly what I've spent the past four days trying to work out for myself.

What good habits and discipline do I want to establish? Writing more days than not.  I won't say "every day" because I know that won't work out. Some days won't have that space, so I would just be setting myself up for disappointment, and I don't want that. But a regular, more-days-than-not writing habit? I can do that. And I won't require hours of writing each time I write. Fifteen minutes works for me.

I want the habit of setting my intention for writing each morning by making a note for myself of what I'm going to work on that day and when I'm going to do it.  I think a sticky note or index card in front of me with that promise on it will go a long way toward helping me not forget what I mean to do.

I want the habit of connecting with my writer friends when I'm about to get started by sending out a note (probably on Twitter) with my plan for that day's writing and an announcement that I'm getting started; when I'm finished I will wrap it up with another note to say what I got done.  I like the accountability of this--it doesn't require anyone else to have to pay attention to my check-ins, but it gives me the feeling that someone is looking, which means I'm much more likely to actually do the writing when I sit down.

The shiny new story idea!

And now for those ROW80 goals:

• Write at least 15 minutes each weekday; weekends are optional
• Participate in the ROW80 Twitter discussions and use bookending techniques there to help me stay on task
• Read and comment on blogs each check-in, even if I only have time for one or two.

This is pretty much the same as what I posted last Tuesday, but I've made a change in the book I plan to use to help me stay focused.  Since Tuesday, I've read three writing books and skimmed through four others, and one of them really spoke to me:  The 90-Day Novel: Unlock the Story Within by Alan Watt.  I'll be using the daily exercises from this book for my writing each day.

I like the freewriting aspects in this book; the questions feel like they are opening up my subconscious.  And more than anything right now I want to sink into my writing, pick up my beloved pen and notebook and immerse myself in words.  I need to do this, because a new story swept me away, and I've decided I'm going with it.  But I have very little to go on--a couple of images and that's about it.  Watt's book seems perfectly set up to help me dive deep and find this story.

I'm excited for this, nervous as always because I have not yet found that self-assurance I would like, but mostly feeling that flutter in my stomach that means something good and thrilling is coming.  I'm going to go meet it now.