Throwing in the Towel

Well, I'm throwing in the towel regarding NaNoWriMo. I started out with high hopes on November 1st that I'd finished, but that's also the day I started my new temp assignment.

Which requires me to not only go in earlier but to drive farther.

It's been a struggle to write in the mornings because I'd have to get up at 3:30 a.m. to get in a good writing bout and have enough time to get ready for work and get there in time. Sure, I get off ealier, but evenings are always touch and go for me, depending upon how crappy or stresseful the day has been.

That's why I liked writing in the mornings.

And, I should not have tried to do NaNo knowing I had a 30,000 word novella to revise in November for a submission deadline of 11/15.

So, I'm pulling out of NaNo. I've "won" it twice before so I know I can do 50,000 words in a month. And I did 0ver 50,000 words in October and, as a result of starting and participating in the 1,000 Words a Day Group, so far, since September 1st, I've written 117,252 words.

So I know I can do it. It's just that November has been something of a bust. And months, weeks or days where things just don't go as you planned do and will happen.

The important thing is not to let that become an excuse just to give up altogether.

Here's a link to a page that talks about setting and achieving goals. The idea is that when planes fly to their destination they are, apparently, some degrees off of course.

One Degree Difference

I've been more than one degree difference off course of my goals this month. That's for sure! But that's okay. I'm still going to keep flying.

And I'm mixing metaphors right and left in this blog post, aren't I? *grin*

Ciao!

Thoth: The God of Writing

This is an image of Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing. He is credited with the invention of writing and the alphabet and was scribe to the Egyptian gods.

I'm invoking him today in order to report on my writing so far.

As of yesterday, for October I've written 38,734 words and I've written on average this month 1, 937 words a day. That's compared to my overall total for September which was 38,192 and an average of 1,539 words per day.

Yes, I'm obsessed with Excel! *grin*

Now, once I start revising many of those words will be thrown out onto the compost heap. But I've come to the realization that in order to get the words that will, with hope, stir the reader, I've got to write a lot of garbage. There's no getting around it. I've got to write and I've to write every day.

Others may not have to write every day, but I've learned it's pretty much a necessity for me now.

Someone said (can't remember who) that you've got to write a million words before you can even think you've really hit your stride as a writer. Don't know if that's true or not. But if it is I've got to write steadily for at least three years to have written a million words.

So, here I go. :)

I'm 50% done with the draft of my 30,000 word novella. Really need to pick up the pace on that in order to reach my goal of finishing the draft before NaNo starts. My prepping for my NaNo novel is proceeding apace. Again, need to get a move on that too since NaNo starts next week and don't want to be caught short.

Speaking of NaNoWriMo go to link below to see the lists of authors who will be inspiring us NaNoWrimers to write in November!

List of Authors - Pep Talks for NaNoWriMo

I'm reporting in at 70 Days of Sweat and am finding the daily posts by the sponsors to be very helpful and inspiring and reading the comments of those who are also trying to sweat along with Sven is also motivating.

The 1000 Words a Day list is still going strong and has also proved a great source of motivation for me. Thanks, guys!

Saw a new episode of Torchwood last night. (Well, new for me.) Love that show! And Captain Jack? Well, what can I say? He's hot! Was an interesting one about one of the characters having the ability to hear other people's thoughts and the implications of that.

Ciao for now.

Sweating Again....

I've signed up for the Seventy Days of Sweat, which starts today. When I saw that suggestions were being offered for those of us doing NaNoWrimo, and since I'm already writing on average 1,499 words a day anyway as a result of the 1,000 Words/Day List, I thought, what the heck? Why not?

Sounds like it will be fun. I tried to sweat with Sven the first time around but was unable to. But this time I'm ready!

Oh, as for Elizabeth: The Golden Age?

The critics were right this time. At least for me, it was a disappointment. All it did was make me want to watch the HBO DVD starring Helen Mirren as Elizabeth I. Highly recommend that instead of going to see this version.

Now, off to start sweating. I mean writing.

Update on Writing.

For the past month and a half I've been getting up at 5:00 a.m. to write before I leave for work.

I've done that every work day so far and, the more I do it-----no, it does not get any easier! LOL!

But I'm doing it.

As a result, this month, so far, I've written, 20,458 words, with an average of 1,860 words a day.

I finished the first draft of my short-short and I've completed, so far, 20% of the first draft of my 30,000 word novella.

And getting ready for NaNo, of course.

This is also as a result of the 1,000 Words a Day list. It's really helped me to stick to my writing goals knowing I have to report in every day to the list.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age starring Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth the I and Clive Owen as Sir Richard Raleigh is opening tomorrow. And I am so there! Going to go see it this Sunday afternoon.

Ciao for now!

NaNoWriMo

I'm going to be participating in NaNoWriMo, this year. That's National Novel Writing Month for those not familiar with it. It starts on November 1 and lasts until November 30th. In that time period you have to write 50,00o words or, 1,666, words a day and complete a novel. Or in my case the first draft of a novel.

I started participating in NaNo back in 2003. I didn't finish that year, but I did finish in 2004 and 2005. I didn't participate in 2006.

This year my plan is to get a draft of a 75,000 word novel done by doing the 50,000 word in a month challenge.

It's a lot of hard work but it's also fun. And if you do sign up, there's a forum where you can post and read messages from people all over the world who are participaiting.

Plus there are local chapters where you can meet and greet face to face. Some people have gone on to publish their NaNo novels. But for most people it's a chance to write like mad for 30 days in November.

As for my writing this month, it's going well. I do credit the 1,000 Words/Day list. It's really helped me to stay on focus. I can't say enough about it.

Speaking of, time for me to get back to my writing before I head to the salt mines.

Have a great Thursday!

October 1st and 1,000 Words a Day

It's October 1st and, at least here, pumpkins are everywhere. Although with the rather warm weather we've been having it doesn't quite feel like fall

As for this blog, with hope, things won't be so hectic this month and I can at least post once a week.

September was a BUSY month. I drafted, finished and submitted all three of the projects I was working on. Two 13,000 word stories and one 4,000 word story.

And, I have to say, it was thanks to the 1,000 Words a Day List that Joely and I created.

As a result of that list I wrote 38,192 words in September which is 10% of the list's goal of helping its members write 365,000 words in a year.

I averaged 1,273 words a day and, as I said, I not only finished my projects by writing every day, but I got up early and wrote before heading to work and I also wrote when I got home.

And, so far, the members of the list have reported that it has helped them also with their writing.

So we're entering October with a renewed sense of purpose. I have two projects I want to finish by the end of the month and, this year, I'm going to do NaNoWriMo and see if it can help me get a jump start on writing and finishing a novel.

Happy Monday and Happy October 1st

1000 Word A Day Update

Just an update on the 1000 Word a Day Club.

It will be starting on September 1st. I think that's appropriate. It's back to school time for many and it will be a great time for us to start putting our butts to the chair and writing.

I'm considering not only having a blog but perhaps starting a Yahoo Group.

But I'll let you know if I decide to do that.

Again, the rules are going to be very informal. The only thing I'm going to insist on is NO NEGATIVITY.

I think we all get enough of that in our daily lives. *grin*

Positive thoughts, supporting each other and writing. Those will be our watch words.

As for my own writing, my goal is to get those 1000 words a day, and more, done this weekend. I've got to finish up a 10,000 word story that I want to submit the first week of September.

So butt to chair and fingers to keyboard!!

Ciao!

The 365,000 Word Finish LIne

Joely and I have been talking about starting a 1,000 Words-a-Day Club. In a previous post I talked about how much writing one could achieve in a year by doing this.

The object would be, of course, thus the name of the club, to write 1,000 words a day. Now, the setup of the 1,000 Words-a-Day Club would be a very informal one.

I'd create a specific blog for the club and the idea would be that you would let us know, if you want, whether you reached your goal of 1,000 words for that day.

You could also talk about how you got your 1,000 words done. What methods or tricks or inspiring tools you used.

On the other hand, if you had difficulty reaching your goal, you could talk about that also. It would be a way to see what works and what doesn't work for you. What days the writing seemed to flow and what days it didn't. And perhaps the other members of the club could help you find ways to meet the goal.

Again, it would all be very informal. No deadlines. No pressure. Just do your best to hit 1,000 words a day.

I've already started keeping track of my 1,000 words a day but I won't officially start the club until September 1st.

So, if anyone is interested in joining my little club just leave a comment here.

Ciao!

1,000 Words a Day

Writing goals. Setting them, keeping them.

I've been struggling to set the right writing goals for years.

Should I do a page a day? Or how about two?

No, maybe a paragraph a day. Or would word count work better?

So, maybe, 1500 words a day. Or a thousand? Stephen King is said to write 1,500 words every day except his birthday, Fourth of July and Christmas Day.

Now, I know for a fact that, even with having to work full-time, I can get at least a 1,000 words done a day. I can even push that to 1,500. And on the weekends, for example during NaNoWriMo, I can do 3,000 to even 7,000 words in a day!

So I know I can do it.

But, as always, it's the doing. In all the hurly-burly and hustle-bustle of life in the 21st century, those words you mean to write that day never really manifest.

But, dagnabit, it can be done. Even with a full-time job or whatever responsiblities one is saddled with we all know that it can be done!

Then why, gosh-darn it, is it so gosh-darn hard!

I grind my teeth everytime I go a day without writing. I know for a fact, Jack, that the days I write I'm less stressed than the days I don't. Yet I can go days, even weeks without writing.

Am I just lazy? Well, no. I mean, I've written loads of words. I used to write fanfic back in the day and I'd write pages of that stuff.

Is it fear? Fear of what? Looking like an idiot? Writing caca? Or maybe it's the fear one feels if suddenly faced with your heart's desire.

Maybe it's just a huge, noisy carnival of fears.

1,000 words a day.

Now, let's think about this. Write 1,000 words a day and in a year you'd have.....ta da!....365,000 words.

That's four 80,000 word novels.

Three 100,000 word novels.

Eighteen 20,000 word novellas.

Forty-eight 7,500 word short stories!!

Adds up, doesn't it?

Maybe I should start a 1,000 Word a Day Club or something. Everybody commits to writing 1,000 words a day.

You'd think anyone would join?

How about you? *grin*