Weeding The Garden (Tradeoffs and the Writing Life)

2013 brought challenges for my writing life.

First off, a situation arose in that when I traveled to an area with little phone or internet access, I returned to a personal attack on a social media site. Supposedly, I was an awful person for not responding to someone's texts and voice mails. "You never really know someone..." (Um, see above...limited access...hello!)

The odd thing was, that I had shared beforehand with this person about the upcoming trip and the possible lack of contact. Okay, while this person may have, for whatever reason, forgotten about the trip, bottom line was that he/she chose a victim role over true friendship.

Since my priority was and continues to be to interact with family, friends, and my writing in a healthy manner, in order to continue to do so without negativity and distractions, I found it necessary to weed such immaturity and neediness out of my life. So as sad, as difficult, and as hurtful as it was, I chose to cease contact with this person.

In order to avoid the continued, escalating drama, I had to let go of this years-long friendship. I was heartbroken and still miss that person to this day; however, I know for my own personal well-being and for the other aspects of my life (writing included), I made the healthiest possible choice.

As with any of life's choices, there are tradeoffs. Such as, in order to write, giving up:

• Television, except for a few prerecorded select shows;
• Drama-heavy people, even through I care for and about them; and
• Contact with with others, in order to claim writing time.

Health issues were also a challenge for me in 2013. After a year plus search for answers and help, in December I underwent a medical procedure that hopefully will lead me in the direction of better health. (If the rest of December and the beginning of January are an example, I'm most definitely on the right track.) The tradeoff of battling this illness was that I did not have as productive of a year writing-wise as I'd hoped. (Yep, tradeoffs work both ways.)

In order for the healthier aspects of ones life to grow, one must weed the negative out. So, in 2014, I shall continue to weed my garden, make tradeoffs, and write.

Onward!

Blocked and Loving It!

No, I am not experiencing writer's block, thank goodness!

In order to work on revisions, I blocked my access to the internet; thus, I achieved more in two days this week than I have been accomplishing in an average week.

LeechBlock, part of Mozilla Foxfire, blocks websites and internet access. So, right now, except for Autocrit.com, I only visit the internet a short time in the morning, mid-day, and then in the evening.

Numerous bosses over the years have delivered a similar message. If you're going to accomplish your goals, you have to pay the price. To get something, you've got to give (or give up) something. The definition of insanity... But I digress.

To achieve my writing goals, there are some things I have to give up in order to make the time to write. There's no other way to make the time, take the time, and use the time to write.

Television time is limited, housework takes a back burner, leisure time...well, I did go see an awesome movie one day this week. For the last two weeks, I've taken at least one partial day as a non-writing day in order to rejuvenate, maintain my enthusiasm, and keep my writing fresh.

Writing can be, and most times is, a solitary and lonely task. While performing writing-related tasks, connecting with others on instant messaging and social networking sites grants me an emotional link that is sometimes missed while working on single-person projects.

I so enjoy visiting with folks on line. Thank you Facebook friends and family, for your encouragement, caring, and patience for my single-mindedness on finishing this book series. I may slip away into the writing world for a while, but I'll check in and visit, so please do stay in touch and share with me what is going on in your lives.

An awesome portrait artist shared  this technique. She unplugs from the internet and paints for hours. To enter that creative sphere, she plays instrumental music, gets into the zone, and enjoys the process.

Well, blocked and loving it... I may just get this series finished yet!

Transitions - First Drafting a Book in 21 Days, BUT....

In mid-June 2012, I left my full-time job to write full time. Shortly, thereafter.... Not THAT kind of writing transition. The life transition I faced involved bringing my work ethic from working for someone else over to working for, well, myself. I thought no big deal, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Juggling work for the company that employs you involves set deadlines. A majority of my work involved proposal submission time frames. To produce a proposal, you follow standard steps, just as you do to produce a book. For a book: brainstorm, plot, character-sketch, generate log line, Story GMC, Scene GMCDs, write the first draft, then revise and repeat. Yet, the time that producing a book was taking...something was off. After all, I finished the first book, didn't I. I'd write the next and the next. I'd get there, some how, some way, some day. SOME DAY?

Yep, it was the set deadline that was missing. In the past fifty (50) days, I first drafted twenty-one (21) of those days. The other twenty-nine (29) days, I revised the first book in the series and struggled with the crud Hubby brought home from his travels. During those 29 days, I did not first draft and did not create new chapters for the series, yet in the 21 days that I actually did write draft material, I finished the first draft of Book #2. (Ta-da!)

Author Dean Wesley Smith's recent blog post, The New World of Publishing: How to Keep Production Going All Year, brought to light the importance of the production of new words. Revise, yes, but in addition to revision or any other writing-type activity, writing new words takes top priority.

To continue to write full time and in order to hopefully make a living doing the same in the not so distant future, I must produce new words. SO, I now I have set deadlines for my writing production, not just, duh, I'm going to write a book, then write another one. My deadlines are realistic and include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals to reach those deadlines.

It's taken me a while, but in 2013, I am transitioned, baby!

Shut Up and Write!

I bowed out of online writer's groups in order to use the time I was spending online to write.

Another reason, I chose to unjoin was that, truly, I don't see how I could, as a writer, spend such a tremendous amount of time and effort posting and "talking" with Facebook groups and commenting on blogs and have any energy or wherewithal to still actually write a book.

With all that posting and commenting, I doubt I would have any energy and focus, let alone words, left to write a book.

In fact, I know I wouldn't, that's why I've chosen to, except for occasional blog posts here on Alexa Writes Books, which tends to jump start my writing, and checking in with my critique partner, to not talk about writing (how, what, technique, suggestions) and keep my mouth shut and write.