A Bump in the Road (Writing Onward!)

Just like slowing your car for a BUMP AHEAD sign on the highway, I've been forced to slow my writing pace; however, SLOW does not mean STOP.

Goals all worked out and tasks targeted, the past few weeks, I've been writing material better and faster than I've every produced, then unwelcome health issues interrupted my writing flow and are serving as a bump in the road.

Just like on a day job, I have only a few days built into my schedule for unexpected hitches and glitches (such as illness or unexpected family demands); therefore, since writing is my job, writing is a MUST.

Even unwell, when I write, I feel filled up and fulfilled. There is a connectedness to words and to story that makes me feel whole. For me, writing is like coming home.

For today, I have quartered my daily goal. Yet, today, I write.

2012 Writing Overview

200K?!?! Until I sat down to tally my word count for this blog post, I did not realize that I had written over 200,000 words during the past six months. Since this word count consists of actual first draft words written and does not take into account time spent on revision, I am shocked and a bit taken aback that I was able to produce anywhere near this level of words.

Since most of my days during the last six months have consisted of many your-not-doing-enough moments, the actual realization of what I actually HAVE accomplished is still sinking in.

In setting my initial goals, I did not take into account three factors: 1) a more extensive learning curve than expected, 2) prevalent heath issues, and 3) the very real adjustment of leaving a demanding full-time job.


With all three of the above factors addressed and taken into account, it should be interesting to see what 2013 brings.

Onward!

“The skill to do comes from the doing.”

“The skill to do comes from the doing.” The saying is attributed to both Cicero and Emerson.

Whoever said it and whether it's baking, writing, wildlife tracking, or any other learned skill, for me doing is key.

Lectures, presentations, reading, etc., give me a starting point, but until I particapate in a hands-on experience, generally I don't "get it."

Give me a recipe and in the process of mixing ingredients according to the recipe insructions, I will learn to bake.

With the assistance of Rock Your Plot, I am learning to plot novels.

Workshops, courses, and how-to books may have jump-started the learning, but the skill comes from the action of doing.

By writing books, I am gaining the skill to write books.

I must have lots to learn and much more skill to gain because I have much, much more writing ahead. Back to doing!

Uplugged and Plugged In

No phone. No internet. No television. No other interaction, other than between my story and me. It took taking limiting the time I spend writing each day (i.e., a drive down Only Street), and unplugging from all electronics during that time, for me to be able to hit my natural writing stride.

For many years, I've wondered what it would be like to do what I was meant to do. It took almost as many years for me to make a choice to make writing a priority, then a few more to be able to make writing a priority.

I won't dwell on what I could have done or should have done. That's the past. It can't be rewritten or changed (although I've got a great story idea for a book along those lines). Although I have plans for the future, all I truly have, all any of us have, is today.

By unplugging, I am plugging into that writer part of myself that I knew was in there somewhere. After all this time, I've come home.

Only Street - Reverse Scheduling

No that's not a typo. I didn't intend to write "Lonely" Street, although writing tends to be a solitary task. Only Street represents where you go when, instead of scheduling out your time until you become nonproductive, you schedule only specific blocks of time to spend on a project in a given day.

This Reverse Schedule is based on limiting time spent on a task, rather than spending an extended amount of time on the task. Basically, in order to increase productivity a particular task is performed ONLY during that limited time frame.

For instance, I will set three (3) to (4) hours aside for writing a day, and will only write during those set-aside hours. When those 3 or 4 hours are up for the day, no more writing for that day.

During my Reverse Schedule, I am allowed only to write during those set-aside 3 or 4 hours a day. If all goes well, I will add additional set-aside hours later on in the day; however, for now, I'm working an a reverse schedule am cruising down Only Street.