I am about five hundred words from the fifty-thousand word threshold. Very exciting. And very unnerving at the same time. I have a strong urge to do anything else.
But I will press through. After all, I promised myself I would work on a chapter a day. If the next chapter were a rewrite or just edits, I'd be off the hook. But it's not. The next chapter is a new one that needs to be inserted at the spot I am at now.
I usually write in the mornings after consuming an extra large cup of hazelnut coffee. Today was different. Workers started banging on my front porch while I was still sleeping. Last night I caved in to my aches and pains that have been keeping me up and took a muscle relaxant, which left my mind sluggish this morning even after two extra-large cups of hazelnut coffee.
So I didn't work on my novel this morning...but I made that promise to myself right in front of you.
I need to do edits to the previous five chapters - they are marked up but not typed. Everything in me wants to finish them first before I write another word. I think I will cave into that need and finish up the edits to the previous chapters first.
But tonight I really want to write my fifty-thousandth word. It may be a long night....
Showing posts with label Motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motivation. Show all posts
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Word Counts
I have written a considerable amount of longer fiction over the last year. But I have never been one for word counts or keeping track of the count, although some of my writing friends do. I normally write a chapter at a time and try to keep moving along in the limited time I have to write.
But I'm starting to get the value of the word count. If a novel is defined as a work of fiction starting at 50,000 words and you are planning on writing something you would like to call a novel, it's good to know how many words you have written, especially if that matters to publishers.
Today, I am happy to say my current work in progress is 10% of a novel. I have four chapters totalling just over 5,000 words. That makes me feel good. I feel like I have made a solid bit of progress. I have the characters, setting, and plot completely planned out. All I have to do is write the words.
I think I will set mini-goals for myself of 5,000 words. When I get to that point, I will treat myself in some small way - or just brag about it here. I also divided my novel up into sections. I'm almost done with section one. I see no harm in overlapping treats for myself - a treat for every 5K and another for completion of a section (there are 5 sections in this one). I think the treats will be in the form of lattes or maybe cookies. If I time it just right, maybe I can have both together.
I hope the words are flowing for you all too. For the fiction writers out there, how do you keep yourself motivated when writing longer stories? I am particularly interested in motivation techniques that don't add on pounds - all I can imagine is food treats (yes, I was a pudgy kid).
But I'm starting to get the value of the word count. If a novel is defined as a work of fiction starting at 50,000 words and you are planning on writing something you would like to call a novel, it's good to know how many words you have written, especially if that matters to publishers.
Today, I am happy to say my current work in progress is 10% of a novel. I have four chapters totalling just over 5,000 words. That makes me feel good. I feel like I have made a solid bit of progress. I have the characters, setting, and plot completely planned out. All I have to do is write the words.
I think I will set mini-goals for myself of 5,000 words. When I get to that point, I will treat myself in some small way - or just brag about it here. I also divided my novel up into sections. I'm almost done with section one. I see no harm in overlapping treats for myself - a treat for every 5K and another for completion of a section (there are 5 sections in this one). I think the treats will be in the form of lattes or maybe cookies. If I time it just right, maybe I can have both together.
I hope the words are flowing for you all too. For the fiction writers out there, how do you keep yourself motivated when writing longer stories? I am particularly interested in motivation techniques that don't add on pounds - all I can imagine is food treats (yes, I was a pudgy kid).
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Motivation to Clear the To-Do List
This morning my husband did something that frustrates and irritates me as a wife but fascinates me as a writer. I absolutely don't think this is the appropriate venue to criticize my spouse, so I apologize in advance.
With a simple to-do list in hand, which he requested, and an asterisk marked next to each of the simplest yet most urgent things that have been ignored for weeks, my husband decided to do something not on the list. He did it to make me happy. He attacked the plumbing in the kitchen sink. When he turned off the cold water to the faucet, the valve broke.
I don't understand the physics of it, but whenever a valve is turned in our 30-something year old house it is guaranteed to break. This is why I told him I would call the plumber. Calling the plumber was at the top of my to-do list, not because I think he isn't competent to replace a faucet, but because the nature of plumbing seems to be that it is never easy and takes literally hours, even for the most skilled plumber.
It's Sunday, a sacred day for plumbers, a day no help could be found. After 10 years working in IT, I am a natural at risk assessment. My mind came up with worst case scenarios. The replacement part for the valve might not be the right size. The main water shut off valve could break too. If he can't fix it and the temperature drops tonight, the pipes could rupture. How will I brush my teeth?!!
On top of all this panicking about whether he will eventually be able to fix the valve (which I have to say was not the issue with the sink to begin with), my kids and I all needed showers before we went out for lunch and bowling with friends at noon, which we had planned for several days. We needed to leave at noon to be sure the baby could get a nap. Friends were on their way. By noon, my husband had hope. Before 1:00, he had success and soon everyone was out the door, except for me - I stayed back to give the babes a nap.
My irritation with this Sunday morning drama is probably clear, but what is fascinating is what motivated him to go rogue and take on something that he didn't even need to do, while leaving the list of easy yet urgent things mostly untouched. As a writer, I am thinking of writing a story about a guy who has a list in his hand and does anything else, anything to avoid doing the list. Does following the list make this character (not my husband of course) feel like he has no free will? Does it make him feel like he has no control? And would it make a difference if he made the list instead of someone else?
It seems to me that there are two kinds of people in terms of motivation. There are people who have a need to get the things on the to-do list done first before they can relax enough to do what they want to do. I fall into this category - I cannot write or chill out or enjoy anything until everyone's needs are met, even if these needs are simply laundry, a clean carpet, or a tidy place for us all to play a game of cards. On the other hand, if my husband or anyone else told me what to do, I too would want control over it. I would say, "Don't tell me what to do," even if it was something I already planned to do.
The other side of this seems to be people that don't need to knock off the to-do list before they do other things. It's really curious to me, and I certainly haven't figured it out. My daughter has a similar behavior pattern - if she is asked to make her bed and put away her clothes, often the closet gets cleaned out first. It's great for her to clean out her closet - but the bed still didn't get made.
This personality type definitely would make for an interesting character in a story, someone so different than me. As a writer, I would need to write from a third person perspective, no omniscience whatsoever, and watch what happens while I write it, leaving me and the reader to figure it out on their own or maybe just guess. I wonder if I could pull off writing with a lead character so different than me - it would be fun to try. But first I need to finish the dishes.
With a simple to-do list in hand, which he requested, and an asterisk marked next to each of the simplest yet most urgent things that have been ignored for weeks, my husband decided to do something not on the list. He did it to make me happy. He attacked the plumbing in the kitchen sink. When he turned off the cold water to the faucet, the valve broke.
I don't understand the physics of it, but whenever a valve is turned in our 30-something year old house it is guaranteed to break. This is why I told him I would call the plumber. Calling the plumber was at the top of my to-do list, not because I think he isn't competent to replace a faucet, but because the nature of plumbing seems to be that it is never easy and takes literally hours, even for the most skilled plumber.
It's Sunday, a sacred day for plumbers, a day no help could be found. After 10 years working in IT, I am a natural at risk assessment. My mind came up with worst case scenarios. The replacement part for the valve might not be the right size. The main water shut off valve could break too. If he can't fix it and the temperature drops tonight, the pipes could rupture. How will I brush my teeth?!!
On top of all this panicking about whether he will eventually be able to fix the valve (which I have to say was not the issue with the sink to begin with), my kids and I all needed showers before we went out for lunch and bowling with friends at noon, which we had planned for several days. We needed to leave at noon to be sure the baby could get a nap. Friends were on their way. By noon, my husband had hope. Before 1:00, he had success and soon everyone was out the door, except for me - I stayed back to give the babes a nap.
My irritation with this Sunday morning drama is probably clear, but what is fascinating is what motivated him to go rogue and take on something that he didn't even need to do, while leaving the list of easy yet urgent things mostly untouched. As a writer, I am thinking of writing a story about a guy who has a list in his hand and does anything else, anything to avoid doing the list. Does following the list make this character (not my husband of course) feel like he has no free will? Does it make him feel like he has no control? And would it make a difference if he made the list instead of someone else?
It seems to me that there are two kinds of people in terms of motivation. There are people who have a need to get the things on the to-do list done first before they can relax enough to do what they want to do. I fall into this category - I cannot write or chill out or enjoy anything until everyone's needs are met, even if these needs are simply laundry, a clean carpet, or a tidy place for us all to play a game of cards. On the other hand, if my husband or anyone else told me what to do, I too would want control over it. I would say, "Don't tell me what to do," even if it was something I already planned to do.
The other side of this seems to be people that don't need to knock off the to-do list before they do other things. It's really curious to me, and I certainly haven't figured it out. My daughter has a similar behavior pattern - if she is asked to make her bed and put away her clothes, often the closet gets cleaned out first. It's great for her to clean out her closet - but the bed still didn't get made.
This personality type definitely would make for an interesting character in a story, someone so different than me. As a writer, I would need to write from a third person perspective, no omniscience whatsoever, and watch what happens while I write it, leaving me and the reader to figure it out on their own or maybe just guess. I wonder if I could pull off writing with a lead character so different than me - it would be fun to try. But first I need to finish the dishes.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Dreams
When I was a kid, even a young adult, I was very motivated to succeed - not for very good reasons, actually very neurotic ones, but still there was nothing and no one that would get in the way of my success. As an adult I still have a sense of accomplishment from those early achievements, a sense of identity for having achieved them with no help from others, and a strong inner drive - oh, and still that same neurosis that makes me feel like a failure if I am not achieving something.
I don't want to pass that same flavor of crazy down to my kids, but I do want to see them have a dream and work toward it, no matter what it is. I think having inner drive is important in terms of their career ambition and their ability to get scholarships for college as well as keeping them focused on what matters to them and hopefully keeping them out of trouble. I don't want them to plan their lives right now or torture themselves if they don't exactly meet their dreams, I just don't want them to feel like life is going to hand it to them. They are very lucky to have everything, to have parents that could likely pay for expensive college educations and that are willing to pay for any extracurricular activity that will potentially help them in life. I think it's not always the best thing to have things handed to them. My kids have everything but don't seem all that driven - I think they don't get it that they have to work for it, that no one is going to hand them success in life. They are kind of lazy.
My pre-teen son does actually seem more driven and less lazy than the rest at times, but there's definitely a limit to it. He wants to be on time for track practice and spends hours in 90 degree heat running and jumping into sand pits because he loves it and wants to be great. He has his first big track meet this weekend. In his mind, it's over after the meet, goal achieved, no more need to practice. I say keep going to practices to see how good he can get even if it's the only track meet he will compete in this summer. He wants to be a doctor - he actually had my c-section videotaped by the anesthesiologist so he could see it and can't understand why everyone else doesn't especially want to watch it over and over (or at all).
There are definitely limits to his motivation - he is after all a nine year old boy. He doesn't want to work extra hard to make sure he gets in the upper level math class next year and only does the track events he knows he's good out without trying to get better at the others. He wants to build legos and ride his bike and play video games for hours. I can totally see his potential (as well as that of his siblings). I say play but leave some time for smartness every day. Yeh, I know, I'm a total buzz kill.
As a person who crammed and then forgot everything minutes after the test ended, I am a now believer in moving forward a little every day. Like the movie, Groundhog Day, you have to spend time every day building character. Each day may seem like the one before it, but if you work on your dream everyday, slowly you will achieve it. I want my kids to see their dreams. That's my dream - despite the opposition, I will keep working on that every day.
I don't want to pass that same flavor of crazy down to my kids, but I do want to see them have a dream and work toward it, no matter what it is. I think having inner drive is important in terms of their career ambition and their ability to get scholarships for college as well as keeping them focused on what matters to them and hopefully keeping them out of trouble. I don't want them to plan their lives right now or torture themselves if they don't exactly meet their dreams, I just don't want them to feel like life is going to hand it to them. They are very lucky to have everything, to have parents that could likely pay for expensive college educations and that are willing to pay for any extracurricular activity that will potentially help them in life. I think it's not always the best thing to have things handed to them. My kids have everything but don't seem all that driven - I think they don't get it that they have to work for it, that no one is going to hand them success in life. They are kind of lazy.
My pre-teen son does actually seem more driven and less lazy than the rest at times, but there's definitely a limit to it. He wants to be on time for track practice and spends hours in 90 degree heat running and jumping into sand pits because he loves it and wants to be great. He has his first big track meet this weekend. In his mind, it's over after the meet, goal achieved, no more need to practice. I say keep going to practices to see how good he can get even if it's the only track meet he will compete in this summer. He wants to be a doctor - he actually had my c-section videotaped by the anesthesiologist so he could see it and can't understand why everyone else doesn't especially want to watch it over and over (or at all).
There are definitely limits to his motivation - he is after all a nine year old boy. He doesn't want to work extra hard to make sure he gets in the upper level math class next year and only does the track events he knows he's good out without trying to get better at the others. He wants to build legos and ride his bike and play video games for hours. I can totally see his potential (as well as that of his siblings). I say play but leave some time for smartness every day. Yeh, I know, I'm a total buzz kill.
As a person who crammed and then forgot everything minutes after the test ended, I am a now believer in moving forward a little every day. Like the movie, Groundhog Day, you have to spend time every day building character. Each day may seem like the one before it, but if you work on your dream everyday, slowly you will achieve it. I want my kids to see their dreams. That's my dream - despite the opposition, I will keep working on that every day.
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