Simply Simple Writing Tool

After many months and much struggle, I am FINALLY progressing on the revisions to the series. In addition to feeling better physically, I attribute one factor for moving me forward: Progress Tracking.

With a simple spreadsheet, I track what time I turn on the computer to what time I wrap up my writing for the day.

With just a little info, such as:

• Day (Mon - Fri)
• Date (7-Mar, for example)
• Start Time
• End Time
• Time Spent doing What / Where / Distractions
• Total Daily Hours
• Total Writing Hours

I also track my daily progress.

On a second spreadsheet, I track, by chapters, HOW MUCH progress I make a day. Zero chapters, a quarter of a chapter, two chapters, etc.

At the end of the day, I tally how much time I spent writing and on non-writing tasks.

Using this simple method, I have produced, even with coming down with upper respiratory crud and being on cold meds, more in the last few weeks than I have produced in the past few months combined.THIS method is why I wrote my first drafts so quickly. No clue, why I didn't see the correlation before...for some reason, I separated first drafting and revision in my mind, as well as the processes I've been learning along the way.

I'm not sure why I tend to make thinks more difficult and challenging than they need to be...perhaps because I enjoy a good challenge, so I'm subconsciously upping the stakes... No clue, but at least I'm moving forward at a steady pace.

Tracking my time, like I did back when I had to keep tabs on specific project work on my former day jobs, has turned out to be quite an inspiring tool for me. Reminder: Keep It Simple.

SMART and Realistic Goals

For 2012 and 2013, I tended to overreach with setting writing goals, especially considering the ongoing health issue I battled. For 2014, since my main goal is to learn to gauge and set realistic goals for my writing and publishing venture, I am turning to SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Recorded, Timely) goal setting practices. 

Specific:

• Who: Me, myself, and I, plus a coach/mentor, editor, and final proofreader
• What: Publish entire Series #1, Launch Series #2, Launch Series #3
• Where: In front of a computer, with a pen for markup, or on Neo
• When: January thru May or June, publish one book in Series #1 per month,
  Launch Series 2 in late spring, early summer,
  Launch Series #3 in summer/fall time-frame
• Which: Requires daily goal setting and sitting butt in chair and writing/revising, also requires focus and concentration), with limited internet interaction
• Why: Life-long goal, Beginning of building a backlist to be able to write books as a living

Measurable:

• Units of Measurement: Completed chapters, books, tasks, stages

Attainable:

• Day-by-day production schedule and accomplishments

Recordable:

• Track stages, task completion, chapters completed, etc.

Timely:

• Realistic estimates, plus additional time added as a buffer, such as:
  - Complete of workshops in formatting and promotion through January into mid-February
  - Revise Book #2 in January
  - Contact e-distribution company in January
  - Publish to CreateSpace in February
• Set Project completion goals and break down into Monthly, Weekly, Daily goals:
  - Forward Book#2 for final read-through, 1st week of January
  - Format Book #2 in editable format, 1st week of January
  - Revise 1 Chapter per day, 2nd week of January
  - Gauge pace of revision at week's end, end of 2nd week of January
  - Schedule tasks for next week, end of 2nd week of January
• Today
  - Listen to Chapters 26 thru 29 via Dragon NaturallySpeaks
  - Polish Chapters 26 thru 29
• Tomorrow
  - Listen to and Polish Chapters 30 thru 32
• Next Day
  - Listen to and Polish Chapters 33 & 35

Okay, in reviewing, all current goals look realistic and reasonable. At the end of each day, I will evaluate where I stand, then at the end of each week, to step out the task steps for the following week. Reasonable, possible, doable.

May 2014 be prolific, positive, and real.

prACTice (End of Year Wrap Up & New Year Assessments)

Right dab in the middle of the word "practice" is the word "act" or  prACTice. It's odd you know, writing is the only efforts I know of where you are supposed to be able to "just write." Yet, with my efforts to write full-time this past year, I have discovered: 1) not all workshops are equal in that some have more take-home usable value than others, and 2) while practice may not make perfect, the practice of writing is what makes a writer a writer. So in other words, there are writerly tools that one must learn AND to write, one must--wait for it--perform the act of writing.

2013 was not a wash for me writing-wise. Far from it, yet due to health issues, I did not accomplish anywhere near what I had hoped to complete. On the positive side, I did finish the first drafts of five (5), count 'em, books. I completed the skeleton of a five-book series. Of the five, I finished, which means thoroughly revised and edited, Book 1 of the series.

Finally, in December of 2013, a treatment for my health issue presented itself. I don't even want to think of how many doctor's later, BUT I am now truly on the road to wellness. The next few months will reveal the effectiveness of the medical procedure, but the odds are in my favor that this is the solution that I've been seeking.

At least I've trudged my way through the revision process 1 and 1/2 times, so revising and editing the rest of the series should be a more realistic endeavor. (Basically, at least two weeks after the medical procedure, I now have the energy and the focus to actually perform writing and editing tasks. So far so good!)

Where I had planned to be by the end of 2013...well, much farther along of course, but it's a cliched water-under-the-bridge scenario at this point. Considering the degree of illness and how unwell I was, I did the best I possibly could to keep plugging.

My December 2013 and January into 2014 are filled with these online workshops, after which upon completion, I will be where I need to be to be to reach my goals in 2014.

Where am I now? (To get somewhere, you have to know where you're coming from...)

• First draft of entire series complete (Books 1 thru 5)
• First book in final read-through
• Second book half way through revisions
• Workshops in progress for Pacing and Pitches

For January 2014:

• Workshops scheduled for paperback and ebook formatting
• Workshop scheduled for promotions
• Revision of Book #2

First half 2014:

• Publish entire Series #1
• Set one-book-at-a-time goal
• Start new series

  Second half of 2014:

• Evaluate where stand with publishing
• Set realistic monthly goals
• Publish on regular basis

That's it, one month at a time, going forward.

For 2014, if I could give up-and-coming writers outright advice, I would suggest saving your $'s and taking ALL of the workshops offered by Dean Wesley Smith. From the very foundation of going from idea to story to formatting for paperback and ebook, the courses provide DIRECT instructor-to-student feedback. These courses are the most solid, sure, and expedient way to get where you need to be. Bluntly put, you get upfront feedback and a shortened learning curve, so more bang for your buck.

With better health, which includes more focused concentration and energy, on the horizon, I am looking forward to 2014 and to the publishing adventures it will bring.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May you find your ACT in prACTice and your 2014 be blessed!

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: 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.

Tracking Time & Keeping Time

When a writer figures out she's spending more time on the internet than writing, she's got an issue. A big one.

In my former job, I tracked my time to keep up with billable hours and kept a tally of hours of what I worked on when.

Using the same method, in 30 minute increments, instead of 15, I used a daily calender to track the actual time I'm spending writing and in doing other things.

Since I've starting tracking my time, my writing productivity has increased. I had no idea how much time I spent doing what. I was amazed when I tracked a few days to discover how much time I allowed to slip away.

I added the windows clock gadget to my desktop so that I can easily reference the time. The calendar that I use shows 1 day per page, with 24 one-hour time blocks. I drew a line down the middle of the page so that I can track the first half and second half of the hour.

For the first day, as embarassing as it is to share, my time in a 12-hour period included:

• Phone = 2 hours
• Cover Design = 1-1/2 hours
• Internet = 1-1/2 hours
• First Drafting & Writing Related = 4 hours
• Breaks, Puppy play time, Meals = 3 hours

After I winced and flinched and cringed from this time-suck revelation, I disected the time spent.

Right off, I see limiting internet and designing covers for future books equated to 3 hours, added with phone time with several friends (after all writing is an isolated activity), the total now goes to 5 hours.

In looking at the time actually spent doing what and evaluating how to better manage my time, what if I space phone time with friends over several days. What if I talk with Person A today, Person B tomorrow, Person C, the next day, etc., limiting phone time to 1 hour per day.

Okay, I just gained another hour of writing time.

How about the 1-1/2 hours on the internet? How about limiting that to 1/2 hour during the work day, then unlimited after the 12 hour mark. Self says that's acceptable, so okay. Another hour salvaged.

In regard to cover design for future books, seeing possible covers helps me to get a better handle on the stories, but do I need to spend 1-1/2 hours ever day to do that, with the next story scheduled for several weeks in the future. Although I enjoy designing covers, the answer is: Not really.

So, in reviewing time spent, I reclaimed 3-1/2 hours of writing time. In the next few days, I will be experimenting with tracking my time and applying these changes in my behavior and actions.

Yep, I'm going to keep tracking time, because I plan to keep my time for the thing I want to do most. Write.

Back to Basics (Progress Tracking & Scene Direction Made Simple)

While previously a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and a Microsoft Word table listing chapters served as tracking devices for my writing, now that I am heavy-duty first drafting, a printed sheet from a Word calendar template and a notepad serve as my guideposts for writing goals and tracking and for scene direction. While diving into first drafting, I need simple.

I jot down what chapters I plan to write when for the entire month, leaving a couple of days off per week to accommodate non-writing time and potential appointments, then make adjustments at the end of each day. I check off completed chapters, and then use another color of ink to adjust chapter numbers if a chapter happens to roll over to the next day. Simple.

For each scene, I hand write (well print, since my penmanship tends to lack readability) a bulleted list of what might possibly happen next in the scene, potential happenings, possible conflicts, dialogue snippets. At the bottom of the page, I note word count when I pause to reflect on what's next in the scene. (Again, simple.)

The calendar and note page are nothing fancy, and with the exception of the examples included in this post, are for my eyes only.

The calendar gets messy, but I am able to discern where I stand and what adjustments I might need to make to the schedule. My notes are sloppy, yet I get an idea and gist of what direction the chapter might go or needs to take.

The information on both pages is flexible, ever changing, and helps me keep track and view the first draft status and where the next chapter is possibly headed. Both sit on my writing table for easy referencing. Nothing fancy or complicated, yet they work. Oh so simple!

Did I happen to mention that I love and appreciate simple?

Review Time (Writing Full Time & Loving It!)

The journey during these last few months of writing full time has been enlightening and painful, yet satisfying and fulfilling.

In attempt to keep track of when, where, and how I reached self-defined writing goals, I have tracked my journey over the last nine months, to include progress or lack thereof. Health issues have served as stumbling blocks, yet in looking at the dates of launches and completions, I have made steady, if at times plodding, progress.

First Draft of Book #1 in five-book series:


The first first draft of Book # 1 Development Edit and Review. (Majorly developmentally flawed. Back to square one with planning, plotting, and redevelopment of series):


Second First Draft of Book #1:


First Draft Book #2 & Revision of Book #1 (Revision of Book #1 placed on hold):


First Draft Book #3:


First Draft Book #4 (scheduled completion date):


First Draft Book #5 (scheduled launch & completion date):


Revision time-frame for Series #1 (scheduled launch and completion date):


In looking at the time-frames for each book, I am able to see the blocks of missed writing due to illness, as well that when health issues are not a factor, the time-frame between launch and completion of first drafts has tightened.

A five-book series completed in little over a year. (If all goes well, in 14 months to be exact.) Not bad at all!

In September and October, I will draft and revise a standalone book.


Then in November, I will begin Series #2. This go around, instead of first drafting an entire series up front, I will write the first draft in November and revise in December:


My 2013 writing journey all mapped out. Glancing back and looking forward makes me smile; therefore, I must be headed in a positive direction.

For 2014, I am debating completing Series #2 straight out, as in completing and self-publishing each book as they are completed, or alternating writing each book in Series #2 with a standalone book. (I have two story ideas for standalones that keep surfacing, and I am looking forward to writing each.)

No regrets, no pondering or slogging through what ifs. In review, I am happy with my progress over the past few months, and am looking forward to writing onward. (Yeah, this writer gal is writing full time and loving it!)

Writing a Book Fifteen Minutes at a Time

With each fifteen minutes I write, I jot a tick mark at the top of my chapter notes page. Four vertical marks and a diagonal mark across indicates five fifteen minute increments or 1 hour and 15 minutes of drafting time. Sitting before the keyboard, those fifteen minutes and only those fifteen minutes are my focus.

For fifteen minute stints, prepare by gathering and having ready the following:

• Mechanical Timer, Digital Timer, or Phone App (Alarmed is my personal favorite)
• 9.5" x 6" spiral notebook (not as intimidating as 11" x 8.5" size for notes)
• 2 Pens (One neutral color, such as standard black or blue, the second a bright color, for instance gold, orange, green, etc.)
• Neo OR 11" x 8.5" spiral notebook OR Laptop OR Computer Keyboard (whichever works for author's personal preferred first drafting needs)
• Drafting Location (being away from the computer and internet, writing on the Neo on a lap desk in my Writing Room while sitting on the Chaise Lounge works best for me)

 The process is as follows:

1. Set timer for 10 minutes
2. Make bulleted list, on 9.5" x 6" spiral notebook page with neutral colored pen, of possible scene direction, conflicts, happenings, and occurrences in current scene and/or chapter
3. Stop making notes when timer alarm sounds
4. Set Timer for 15 minutes
5. Write for that 15 minutes and only for that 15 minutes
6. Stop writing when timer alarm sounds
7. Jot down a tick mark for the completed 15 minutes at top edge of notes page
8. Check off, with bright colored pen, any items from your bulleted list that you used in your scene/chapter
9. Reset timer for 3 to 30 minutes (depending on needs of author for use of break)
10. Take at least a short break, even if only for a few moments of deep breathing and closing of eyes [Longer breaks may include short housework stints, exercise (Oxycise serves as my personal outlet), reading, a few minutes of television viewing, checking email, etc.]
11. Repeat Steps 1 thru 3, should direction of scene/chapter falter or additional potential ideas are needed
12. Repeat Steps 4 thru 11, until first draft of scene/chapter is completed
13. Repeat Steps 1 through 12 for next scene/chapter

I so wish I had found, understood, and applied this concept years ago. However, I have the technique in my writing toolbox now. Using this process, even with incurring a health issue that slowed productivity and lessened output, I've written 15 chapters in 10 days, fifteen minutes at a time.