Ready for Tomorrow

Although, today has been a productive satisfying day, writing-wise and otherwise, I have decided to forgo daily progress reports... The time spent logging how I spent my writing time takes away from the actual progress.

Perhaps, I'll try weekly reporting...

Today, I made it to the keyboard by 7:00 a.m. Played catchup with emails and blog visits from yesterday.

At 9:00 a.m., I reviewed mentor/coach's comments for Chapter 10 again. (One thing I am noticing is that the comments for the first draft are incisive and minimal. First things first, I address the comments, then start working down the list of items on the Revision Checklist.)

With short breaks through the day, the steps on the Revision Checklist for tomorrow include AutoCrit Analysis, Pacing, and Dragon NaturallySpeaking Reading the chapter aloud.

Tomorrow should be another productive day, with finishing Chapter 10 and diving into Chapter 11 (formerly the last scene of Chapter 9).

Today is the Day: Tuesday - September 3, 2013

With longer appointments than expected, today was a bust revision-wise.

However, Dean Wesley Smith has completed 50,000+ words of a novel in 12 days.

Inspiring and exciting!

So much so, I signed up for Dean's 3-week Your Strengths and Weaknesses: A Personal Workshop beginning October 7th.

My upcoming doctor's appointments are October 7th and 8th, so I have much to look forward to...hopefully leading to less fatigue, better focus, and and improved writing skills.

BTW, Dean's advice is when you have an off-day of writing, tackle your goals the next day, don't play catchup, and keep moving forward.

Therefore, Chapter 10 will welcome me to the computer in the morning.

Today is the Day: Monday - September 2, 2013

In attempt to help with my focus and concentration, which is skewed due to dratted health issues, I am blogging each day as to my writing/revision progress.

Writing-wise, a slow day yesterday, yet I discovered I need more accountability of my time away from the computer and am experimenting with shorter stints.

TimesUpKidz software is assisting in keeping me from working hours and hours without breaks by spacing computer sessions enforced breaks of at least 10 minutes throughout the day.

Up until midnight last night, I made it to the computer at 8:00 a.m. I started this blog post first thing and will add to the post throughout the day.

One thing I did late in the day yesterday was sign up for Savvy Author's Revision Hell, which begins on September 9th and runs through September 22th and is described as: We'll split you into hellacious teams and motivate you through two grueling weeks of revisions. Finish your draft and report to Hell on time. (I am not sure what I've gotten myself into, but desperate times of focus and concentration calls for desperate measures.)

During the first session, I blogged, reread the chapter, and opened up the necessary files, such as the Revision Checklist. For the first break, I made breakfast and ate, then by 9:30 a.m. dove back into revising Chapter 9.

Half way through the session, Hubby let me know the hummingbirds were truly swarming around the feeders on our front porch.

Spurred on by the hummingbird's activity, I returned to the keyboard and started working on the revisions listed on the Revision Checklist.

By 1:00 p.m., I abandoned the 1-hour time limit per session. Today, at the 1-hour mark, I felt as if I was just getting started.

I then listened to a meditation about Write the Feeling by Mark David Gerson. Next, I focused on the character's feeling at the beginning of the chapter. Once I connected with the character's emotion, the rest of the process listed on the Revision Checklist began to flow.

NOTE: Go back and connect more deeply with characters emotions in Chapters 1 thru 8.

2:30 p.m., enjoyed BBQ Ribs in a late lunch with Hubby, then dove back into revisions.

From 3:30 to 5:00, I expanded Chapter 9 with my putting-in tendencies (sparse first draft, then I fill in and layer emotion, setting, etc.) to become two chapters. The second part will fit into the story a little later as possibly Chapter 11.

Took a quick 15 minute break.

5:00 p.m. - After running Chapter 9 through the AutoCrit analysis and adjusting pacing of the chapter, I listened as Dragon NaturallySpeaks read the chapter, then added the chapter to the working file. Revision of Chapter 9 complete at 7:00 p.m.

A non-writing project looms this evening, with an early morning appointment tomorrow. Today's method was much more productive.

So, tomorrow, not limited time on the computer, making a conscious effort to take spaced out breaks, and I revise Chapter 10.

Not bad for my second day of Today is the Day routine.

Today is the Day: Sunday - September 1, 2013

Inspired by Author Dean Wesley Smith, who's at it again with a year-long Public Writing challenge, I intend to maintain a daily writing progress journal. Right now, due to continual health issues, keeping a daily tally of my writing and revision, may be just what I need to provide self-accountability and encouragement.

So, today is the day I write AND write about writing.

Behind schedule on Book #2, Series #1, this morning I made it to the keyboard at 7:30 a.m.

For the first 1-1/2 hour session of the day, I read through Chapter 8, and fleshed out some of the movements and dialog.

I took a short break for breakfast and to gather books for donation for our local library.

During the next 1-1/2 hour revision stint, I listened to Dragon NaturallySpeaks software read the beginning, middle, and end of the chapter, and adjusted the pacing of the sections for each section, in line with the overall pacing of the book.

During the next break, I surfed the net, read a few articles, listened to the radio while eating an early lunch.

12:30 p.m., back at the keyboard, I started this blog post and made a few notes of what non-writing tasks I want to accomplish today.

Then, I pulled up the next chapter, addressed my mentor/coach's comments from her earlier first draft review, printed the chapter out, and read the chapter.

Next, item-by-item, I started working through my revision checklist. (I've learned that if I work my way through the checklist the revision of each scene/chapter is well-rounded.)

I received a welcome phone call from a dear friend and took an early break to visit on the phone with her.

The next break, I decluttered my office, boxed up paperwork scattered from looking for hard-copy documents last week, and took a video of the hummingbird swarm on our front porch.

For the next revision session, I continued to work my way through the revision checklist. Items on the list include weather descriptions, visual cues (hair/eye color, height/weight, etc.), senses layering, anchoring the characters in the scene, review of scene aspects, visceral reactions, foreshadowing, AutoCrit analysis, pacing, and copy editing.

Next, I took a break to reflect on what addition work the scene needed and took a short afternoon nap. 15 minutes or so this time of day (between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. seems to rejuvenate me for a more productive afternoon and evening writing sessions. This from a reformed non-napper.)

I made it only part way through the checklist when Hubby invited me out to dinner. A great Mexican meal and a quick shopping trip.

Home and weary, so in a quick overview of today, I see that I did only three (3) 1-1/2 hour revision sessions in which I completed the last part of Chapter 8 and made it 1/4 of the way through the revision checklist for Chapter 9.

Adjustments I need to make tomorrow include shortening the sessions to 1-hour stints, blocking the internet until the chapter is finished, and setting a timer for tasks away from the computer.

In keeping track and making this blog post a method of accountability, I've learned why I have not been completing revisions for two (2) chapters per day. I am also aware that I am definitely battling concentration and focus issues, which is affecting my productivity big-time.

Time to replan and regroup.