Write a book with Holly Lisle

I have been stuck in planning mode for so long. I'm doing Holly Lisle's Think Sideways course, but I'm plodding and dragging and just feeling stuck. The course is great. I'm just having a hard time doing *anything*, not just that.

Enter a new venture by Holly. She calls it "Write a Book With Me." And it's pretty darned brilliant. Simple rules, simple goals, an easy place to post your progress. No pressure. Lots of fun. Lots of words. And I just realized that, even doing the bare minimum 250 words a day five days a week I will have a draft finished in four months (80 working days which works out to 16 weeks). And with a load that light, I can easily keep up with my course work.

I am not going to start on the course novel just yet. I think I'm going to pull out one of my back burner ideas and work on that. I'll tell more about that on Monday once I have some plans in place.

Deadlines, Schedules, and Staying on Task

This week in My Writing Life…
I am trying something new that is working really well for me. I’m using Microsoft Outlook to keep track of the writing tasks I want to do each day. And so far it’s fantastic!
I have always known that I am highly responsive to external deadlines. External rewards, too. I work really well under pressure, as long as that pressure comes from outside of myself (like during NaNoWriMo, for instance). But keeping to my own deadlines and schedules? That doesn’t work so well for me. Until now.
My beloved mentioned that he has to set reminders to tell him to go on his breaks and go to lunch because otherwise he gets really wrapped up in his projects at work and forgets to leave his desk. I was intrigued with the idea of getting my computer to tell me when to do things (yes, I know I’m way behind the times on this—I just never looked into it!). I mentioned wishing I could get my computers to do this for me, and he told me that I can, and that I’ve had the program for years. Years! And I had no idea what it was for! (Oh yes, I am embarrassed, but oh well…)
Last week, I decided to try Outlook and find out if it would be useful for me. The first two days, I only put a few things on the calendar, just testing it out. And I found that having that little chime sound as the little reminder note pops up acts for me the same way an external deadline acts. It keeps me on task and keeps me moving!
I am spending much less time fooling around on the internet (although I do schedule myself some e-mail and online play time). I’m not playing much solitaire at all. I’m definitely not spending an hour or more at a time just vegging in front of the computer when I’m feeling unmotivated or indecisive about what to work on. I am amazed and thrilled by this! I’ve even set a reminder for three different times during the day that pops up and asks me, “Are you doing something you want to be doing?” Even if I am vegging out when that pops up, I can’t go back to it after that question.
I’ve decided I’m going to get a PDA, maybe for my birthday, so I can have my little, tinkly reminders with me even when I’m not in front of the computer. Because when I’m at home, I’m not in front of the computer that much, so it would be nice to have something reminding me that I meant to pull out my notebooks and write or pull out my writing books and study or whatever.
So what have I accomplished in the last nine work days by using Outlook? I’ve started my read-through and summary of Blood of the Mist. I’ve started the rework of the plot. I did all three of my blog posts on the correct days last week. I’ve read through some books I’ve been poking at and meaning to really read. I’ve pulled out a short story I want to revise and send out, and I’ve started working on it. I’ve sent e-mails I keep putting off and then forgetting. In other words, I’m doing all the things I want to be doing! I expect I will smooth out my system and really make a lot of headway as I find new ways to use Outlook, but even this early in my experiment I am seeing real benefits from this.
So that’s where I am right now. And a reminder just popped up telling me it’s time to do some work on my short story, so I’m off to do that. Next week, I'll report on the writing books I’m working with right now…

Groups and conferences and things to aim for

I have started this post several times over the past week, but my excitement about my new writers’ group keeps getting in the way! I don’t really know what I want to say about it except, “I’m so excited!” Somehow, that doesn’t seem like quite enough.

I feel as if having a regular group to meet with in person is really going to be a huge boost to my writing. I’m thrilled that, after several years of wanting this and a couple of failed attempts to form a group, there is finally a group of us who want to do this. Hurray!

So, what happened at the first meeting? There were five of us, with the possibility that two other people will be joining us at our next meeting. We talked about what we all want to do with our writing. We talked about what stage in our writing careers we’re in right now. And possibly the most exciting thing to me—we set goals of what we want to accomplish by the next meeting! Pledging to do something by a certain date, and knowing that people are going to expect a report from me, is a great way for me to make sure I don’t put off my writing for other, less important things. I really work best under external deadlines.

That said, I haven’t done much in the past week—the next meeting is a bit too far away for me to be feeling the pressure yet, plus I’m trying to get things ready for this weekend. I am going to the Willamette Writers’ Conference here in Portland this weekend. I’m really excited about this, too. I am thrilled at the chance to go hang out for three days with other writers, socialize, network, take some workshops…I think this is going to be a really great conference. The course list is huge and has so many good things on it I won’t actually be able to fit them all in.

But never fear (I say this mostly to myself). I am starting to feel the deadline coming up, and the story is stirring itself and wanting some attention. As a matter of fact, I have already reworked my opening scene. The new idea is much better, and I think the finished scene is going to be good. So the writers’ group is already working its magic on me.

Next week, expect a report on the conference as well as a report on writing progress! For now, I’m off to check on pen refills…

Reinventing Myself

I am a writer. It's true. But if I’m a writer, why is this blog so sparse and spotty? Neglect. Procrastination. Not acknowledging that this is writing, too. But it is. This is important. It feeds my need to string words together. It keeps the pump primed so words can flow just as surely as freewriting or journaling or doing writing exercises or working on a story.

I’m mentioning this because right now I’m doing a lot of reinventing in my life. I am reinventing how I approach writing. I am reinventing what sorts of writing “count” toward being a writer. I am reinventing myself as writing teacher, website owner, blogger, author, creative encourager, observer, creative person. I am actively reaching out, manipulating my world, creating the life I want to be in the middle of.

It is exhilarating. Exciting and scary and uncertain, a lot like being at the highest point on a roller coaster, but without the assurance that you’re on a track that will take you through the thrills and land you where you want to be. But this is all right.

Uncertainty is part of life for everyone; there are no sure bets. I will have no less uncertainty in my life if I stick with a dull day job I don’t like and never spread my wings. The uncertainty would just not be quite so tied in with the deeper parts of me. But where’s the thrill in that?

This next bit feels a little silly, especially because, at least for right now, I am mostly talking to myself here. But I’m going to write it anyway.

I hereby rededicate this blog and myself. I promise myself that I will write—here, in my journal, on my computer, everywhere. I will accept and nourish and cherish myself as a writer.

What will I write here? Probably a lot about word counts, maybe lack of word count in the beginning as I settle into my new schedules and routines. Lots about books I’ve read, articles I’m looking at, things I’m thinking about writing, courses I’m thinking of taking or teaching. And in November, I'll write about NaNoWriMo.

I will write about my journey, even when I don’t seem to be moving forward. I will write on Tuesdays and Thursdays and sometimes other random times. I will write here and everywhere, and I will make it an adventure. I hope some of you will join me on the trip.

Lost week

This week is officially declared lost. The past two nights, we had to do some major cleaning because our landlord needed to bring in an insurance inspector because he's switching companies. Between that and preparations for our friends' wedding this weekend--the week is over, I have no writing done on any of my fiction. Right now, I'm too exhausted to care. It's Friday night, not even ten o'clock, and I am thinking of going to bed so I don't fall asleep here on the sofa.

In better news, I just joined a really cool writing group called Book In A Week. It's not as insane as it sounds--you don't have to actually write a whole book in one week, although you can give it a go if you like. Essentially, the challenge takes place one week a month starting on the first Monday of that month. You set a page goal for yourself the week before the challenge starts. During the challenge week, you post to the group about your progress ever day. The rest of the month seems to be for doing whatever--editing, writing, planning, etc. Then it starts all over the next month. You can write on works in progress, too, so it should be a good way to keep going on a story. I think this monthly, intense challenge with a bit of downtime after is going to be really good for me since I work so well under external deadlines.