Writing Goals #IWSG

The thing about writing goals is that they can change over time. Mine have. Originally my big dream was to get traditionally published by one of the big houses and become a household name.

Notice I called it a dream rather than a goal?

This is because I had no clue what it would take to make the dream a reality. Once that reality reared its slightly-quirky head, I formed more realistic, achievable goals--goals that were far more in keeping with what I actually wanted.

So what did I actually want?

I wanted to write my own stuff, my own way, at my own pace. I didn't want to be told no. And, because life is too short for nonsense and faffing, I wanted a faster process from finished manuscript to publication (without being silly about it, of course). Oddly enough, this means I'm going to have to wait just a bit longer before I'm ready to reveal to the world my debut young adult fantasy adventure novel.

There are decisions to be made, books two and three to be written, titles to decide and covers to be designed. I may even use a pen name.

So whatever your goals might be, it's ok to change them. I'm so much happier with my new goals now. I feel revived and enthusiastic, and I'm loving writing again.

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month the members of our group post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG, then please go HERE

And don't forget, the next #IWSGPit is Thursday July 19th 8:00am - 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Over a thousand agents and publishers have been invited to tune in that day. Polish your story and your Twitter pitch and be ready!

6 Ways to Celebrate Writing Milestones

This month's question posed to the writing community by The Insecure Writer's Support Group, is How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal or finish a story? A while ago I wrote an article for the group's website covering the 4 Reasons to Celebrate Your Writing Milestones. Today I will be talking about the ways.

1. A Special Beverage.
I have been known to crack open a bottle of champagne after finishing a novel's first draft. There is something momentous about finishing that first draft, getting past the doubts to get down the terrible words (and no longer having to chant the mantra, "The first draft doesn't have to be perfect. It's okay to have an ugly first draft.")

 

2. Chocolate.

Need I say more? Chocolate suits all occasions, but especially writing celebrations. 

3. Time to read just for the joy of it.
I don't know about you, but there are certain times when my writing is all consuming. When I complete a milestone, it's time to sit back and take a mini break. It's time to allow myself some me time. Reading is one of my favourite me times.

 

4. A Night Out.
I'm not what one would call a party animal. I like home. But occasionally, I love to go out and enjoy the city at night, a fine restaurant, the evening out. It's the kind of thing I do for a celebration.

 

5. A Walk through Nature.
There is something wonderfully revitalizing returning to nature, enjoying the fresh air, discovering everything it has to offer. It's awesome to get away from the computer for a while, and a great way to celebrate.

6. Write Something New.
Yep, sometimes I jump right into a whole new story. Often during a writing project, I'm bombarded by multiple ideas for other stories. So I don't lose focus, I write down the gist of the ideas then push them aside. When I finish a project, I finally have the freedom to explore those ideas that have been waiting not so patiently on the sidelines.

There are so many different styles of celebration. For example, spending quality time with loved ones, doing something I don't normally do, jumping up and down and shouting out to the world, sleeping in, playing a game. And the list goes on.

What do you do to celebrate a writing milestone?

Celebrating Milestones and NaNoWriMo

Today I'm posting 4 Reasons to Celebrate Your Writing Milestones on the Insecure Writer's Support Group website. I'd love to see you over there.

This Wednesday is also the first Wednesday of the month which means it's the Insecure Writer's Support Group day again when we post about our writing insecurities!!! If you'd love to be part of this supportive community, then please sign up here. We also have a thriving Facebook Group.

After a mad scramble at the end, I completed my NaNoWriMo challenge to finish 50k words in 30 days. I'm totally thrilled!! My hubby made me a chocolate cake to celebrate. Now all I have to do is write the rest of the novel and edit it within an inch of its life. Happy times!

Don't forget to visit me over at the Insecure Writer's Support Group website!

The Importance of Knowing Why You Write

When asked, 'Why do you write?' many of us will give a quick answer, 'Because I must.' While this, to a point, is often true, there's more to it than that. It's too easy to fall in love with the romanticism of the statement—that writing somehow has an irresistible hold on us, that we're slaves to the creative spark. But of course we're not chained to the muse at all. We can walk away at any time, and many of us do when the hard slog gets too much, when we allow life to distract us, when the excuses smother the writing urge.

When we say, 'I write because I must,' and don't go any further, we do ourselves a disservice. We need to go deeper, to understand where that need is coming from and what it truly is so when times get tough, we can weather through or save ourselves the trouble. Knowing the true reason, understanding that deep need, will also help us focus in the right areas of writing so, for example, we won't waste our time attempting the grandiose when really we'll gain the most satisfaction in the opposite direction, or vice versa.

Knowing the whys will help us understand what we want to get out of writing. Some of us write to work through a life issue. Some write for escapism, some to explore a concept, some for a little extra money on the side. There are countless reasons. No reason is invalid, even if you write in the hope of taking a slice of the fame pie. But each reason might change the way you write, how often you write, even what you write.

So, knowing why you write will help you work out the strategy to reach the true goals you want.

What are the reasons you write? 

The Importance of Strategic Goals

During April, I received two blog awards: The Liebster Award from Suze of Subliminal Coffee, and the Very Inspiring Blog Award from Mel Chelsy of Writings, Musings & Other Such Nonsense.  As part of the condition of accepting the awards, I'm supposed to answer a series of questions and share seven things about myself. As anyone who's been following me for any time will know, I'm a bit of a rebel when it comes to rules. Consequently I'll answer one of the questions and in the process share a little about myself. Suze asked the big question:

What are your goals?
When I first started writing seriously in my teens, my goal was to become a published author by seventeen. That age became twenty one. Then I gave up on age when that deadline slipped by as well. In my mind I became a failed writer. It didn't matter that I'd had short stories and art published in a variety of small magazines. It didn't even matter that I hadn't finished my manuscript. I thought I was serious about my writing and yet I hadn't achieved my goals.

Making manageable goals
So I changed my goals to something more manageable: Finish my manuscript. Before that point I'd been writing my manuscript off and on for seven years. It took me a further two years to finish it. My next goal was to get the wretched thing published. So without any industry knowledge, without the use of critique partners, and only one pass of editing, I sent it off to a total of nine publishers—all 600 pages of the thing (ah, the fearlessness of the ignorant). Not surprisingly I received only rejections and gave up.

All that glitters is not a goal
Many years later I came to realise that my goals weren't goals after all. They were wishes. A wish doesn't make things happen except in Never Never Land. Helpful goals are much like a business plan. Sounds boring, even painful, and lacks the magic of a wish, but a plan is far more effective.

Effective goals require a strategy

If I want [this] by [this date],
then I need to do [these] in [this] much time.

To write up a strategic set of manageable, measureable goals, I first needed to know what I wanted. I want to get published. Sure, but how do I want to get published? Authors have so many options these days: traditional, small press, self-publishing, agented or unagented. Even if I want to keep my options open, there are some things I first needed to do:

1. learn about the industry
2. learn about the craft
3. write a sellable manuscript
4. write the killer query
5. nurture my online presence
6. relearn to be fearless and send those queries
7. keep writing.

Each of the above points can be broken down further into a manageable strategy to achieve completion. And each point is a milestone. For example, finishing an outline is a milestone worthy of much rejoicing. If you're anything like me, you'll need your milestones. They give a great sense of achievement and they tell me I'm another step closer to achieving my dreams.

This post is getting long, so I'll stop there with a mere taste of what a true strategic plan looks like. Perhaps I didn't answer Suze question after all that, but I'm sure she'll forgive me.

What is your dream? How have you planned to make that dream come true?


Mel's book Adversarius, Shadow of the Rose: Book One is now available in paperback on Amazon

 

Resolutions for Writers #IWSG

Resolutions often feel like messages to self, sealed in a bottle and tossed into a wide blue ocean. Sometimes they make it back to shore, but mostly they don’t. They have a tendency to sink, no matter how much fluff and hot air we put in those bottles.

Does this mean resolutions are a waste of time? Absolutely not! Resolutions are an opportunity to restart, reshape and renew our hopes and dreams. But it does help to make make both long term and short term goals with a clear direction toward achieving them. Below is my list of resolutions for 2013.

• I will not let my doubts become a black cloud over my writing. Instead I will make a habit of listening to both the story and my heart, and I will write anyway despite the fears.
  
• The blank page will no longer intimidate me. Instead I will pour out my words and know it’s okay to make a mess. Besides, every mess can be cleaned up with a little work and determination.
  
• I will no longer allow my muse to rule me. She doesn’t have the power. I do. Therefore I will re-establish my writing schedule so I'll write whether or not I’m in the mood.
  
• I will not fall for the lie that writing is more important than reading. Instead I will dedicate a portion of every day to reading and I will read ten more books than I did last year.
  
• I will balance my social media time so that it doesn’t take over my day. That means setting a limited time per day for blogging, Twitter, Facebook and all the others.
  
• I won’t stop dreaming big, but I will add measureable, reachable goals to steer me towards those dreams. As my hubby often says, ‘Hope is not a strategy’.
  
• I will not let my doubts stop me from putting my work out there. Not everyone will love my stories, but that doesn’t matter.
  
• Perfection is unachievable. I will remind myself of that, work until I get close to perfection, then I will let go. Otherwise no work will ever get finished.
  
• I will not allow myself to get distracted from my goals… unless that distraction comes in the form of a golden ticket, or Johnny Depp.
  
• I will stop worrying about the things I can't control. Life is too short for silly things that will only age me faster and stunt my dreams.
  
• If I fail any of these resolutions, I will not call myself a failure and give up. Rather than tossing my messages in the bottle, I will hold onto them, read them and remember what I want.

What are your New Year’s resolutions?

This post was writing for Alex J Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers’ Support Group. We post on the first Wednesday of every month.


A Special thank you to Jarmila V. Del Boccio of Making the Write Connections  and Daisy Lancaster of Fresh as a Daisy Soap.

On Jarm’s fabulous blog I won a gift: a handmade soap from Daisy’s collection. I even got to pick from her vast collection! I picked the Avocado Rosemary Moisturizing Facial Soap  and it is amazing!! I love it. As a bonus, Daisy also sent me three wonderful samples: Lavendar Oatmeal, Luscious Lemon, and a Sweet Orange solid lotion bar. I highly recommend these. They are sheer luxury at an affordable price. Thank you Jarm and Daisy!

6 Benefits of Writing Every Day

Firstly I’d like to stress that if you can’t write every day then this doesn’t somehow make you less of a writer. However, there are some clear benefits of making the time to write on a daily basis. Here is what I’ve learned the hard way:  

1. Practice makes perfect: In so much of life it’s about quality, not quantity. In writing, however, I believe quantity is essential to achieve quality. By doing we learn, we stretch ourselves, we hone our skills. When we write only occasionally it takes us a while to loosen our stiff writing muscles. When those muscles have limbered up, our work becomes smooth and our words flow.

2.  For confidence: When we write a lot we grow in confidence—confidence in ourselves, our words, our stories. We gain the courage to step away from the current trends and write the stories our characters call for, those special stories caught in our heart.  

3. Less pressure to get it right first try: When we write now and then, our work tends to need to be good. We’ll agonise over the few words we have, we’ll stress over our rare moments of creativity, and we’ll feel like a failure if the work isn’t perfect. When we write every day—or, at least, frequently—then instant perfection matters less because we suddenly have more to offer. We’ve given ourselves more time to try different things, to experiment, to play. The pressure isn’t there and the perverseness of that simple fact means we tend to write better. Go figure.  

4. To build discipline: As most writers will tell you: Writing ain’t easy! A certain level of discipline is required to turn a writing hobby in a writing career. If it’s a career you want, then by writing every day you’ll practise the kind of discipline you’ll need to shape that career.

5. To ward off writer’s block: I believe that waiting for inspiration is one of the major causes of writer’s block. This is because inspiration is always late to a party and is never around when you need her. By making the decision to write every day, we can’t wait for her. We have to write anyway.  

6. To achieve those goals and dreams: The more we write the faster we write. My first novel took me nine years to complete because I didn’t write every day. I only wrote when I felt like it, which in the beginning wasn’t often. Now that I write close to every day, I’ve written three novels in two years and they are a gazillion times better than that first novel.  

What are some other benefits to writing every day? Do you think there may be some disadvantages?

--  
WINNERS: A big congratulations to LG Smith for winning an ebook copy of Justine Dell’s Recaptured Dreams. Congrats also to Tonja and Shelley for being bookmark winners!!!  

Note: I will return to posting on Wednesday 3rd Oct with an exciting giveaway and a post for the Insecure Writers' Support Group. In the meanwhile, I'll still be around the blogsphere.

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The Importance of Getting Published

Rachna at Rachna’s Sciptorium recently wrote a post about an author whose reason to get published was to win the Booker Prize. This author carefully researched the formula, worked hard and achieved her goal. You can read about it HERE. This got me thinking. It’s important to know why we want to get published. The reasons will vary, but knowing the reason will help us find a deeper satisfaction and focus. It will also help us to find the right avenue for publication.

Below are just a few reasons we strive for publication:

1. To hold the physical book. Our precious stories become more precious when they are bound and we can hold them in our hands. My gorgeous husband got the first book I ever wrote bound. It sits in pride of place on the bookshelf. Now my goal has changed.

2. To gain the interest of investors. My new goal is to write a novel that a publisher will like enough to invest their time and money into. I guess that’s why I’ve chosen not to go down the self-publishing route. I write because I must write, but I strive for publication to gain acknowledgement for getting it right.

3. To share our stories. We can have multiple reasons to strive for publication and this is another of mine. If this is your primary goal, then there are many ways of achieving this: traditional publishing, self-publishing, e-publishing, blogging, podcasts and the list goes on.

4. To fill a gap in the market. The business of publishing is selling books. If you are able to find a gap in the market worth filling, then this is a valid reason. This goal requires a lot of research and knowledge of the industry.

5. To get rich and famous. Some might argue this is not a valid reason simply because of the unlikelihood of it happening. The success of writers like J K Rowling is not the norm. But I say, if this is your thing then why not give it a go? It’s good to dream. I’d perhaps suggest avoid this as a primary goal.

6. To win a specific prize. As the author who wrote specifically to win the Booker Prize, this goal will help bring focus to writing.

What are your reasons for publication?

The Benefits of Scheduling Daily Writing Time

When I first started writing I avoided scheduling in time to write because it felt too much like school work. I believed it stifled my creativity and I didn’t like the rigidity of having to write on queue. I wanted to write when I felt inspired. The problem with this is I became reliant on that often elusive writing vibe. Other important priorities in life took precedence. I wrote less and, when I did eventually write, any talent I might have enjoyed had grown rusty.

It wasn’t until I started working with a daily writing schedule that my work improved. I discovered the joys of scheduling and the thrill of achieving goals. The possibility of completing a novel suddenly became attainable. Distractions didn’t sneak in as often, writing leapt up in my list of priorities, and I realised I didn’t need to hear the whisperings of my muse before I could write anything halfway decent.

The first draft of my first book took nine years to complete. The first draft of my first scheduled book took three months.

In summary, scheduling daily writing time:
Raises productivity;
Increases our writing priorities;
Reduces distractions;
Improves our writing;
Helps to make goals and deadlines achievable;
And pushes back those niggling doubts.

Why do you--or don’t you--schedule in writing time? How much time do you spend writing per day?

Pic: Big Ben, London, England

How to Keep the Doubts at Bay

Because of the amount of work involved in a writing career, because of all the rejections we have to face, because of the difficulty of breaking into the publishing world, writers are often bombarded by doubts. We doubt this is the right choice we’ve made for our lives, we doubt we are good enough, we doubt it’s all worth it. We have so many doubts I couldn’t possibly list them all here.

Doubts can cripple us if we let them. Doubts can cause us to give up. Below I’ve listed some ways to keep the doubts under control:

Positive Thinking. Every self-help book stresses the importance of positive thinking. Negative thinking will only drag us down. Rather than focussing on the fears and doubts, the what ifs, and the if onlys, we should focus instead on the reasons we love our writing. That passion for the written word, the love of the story, the fun of exploring ideas, concepts and characters, will fuel our drive and keep us going.

Attainable Goals. Sometimes we give ourselves goals that are too difficult to reach, or impossible to achieve in the time frame we’ve set. As I mentioned in my last post, the publishing world not only turns slowly, it can also overwhelm us. It’s important to take each step one at a time and to learn patience. Strive for possible goals, goals you have control over, ones you can guarantee through hard work, while keeping in mind your lifestyle.

Join Writers’ Groups. I can’t say it enough: The writing community is a powerful support system. We can learn so much from each other and gain strength from each other. Only other writers understand what it’s like to take on this insane career. Knowing we aren’t alone in our doubts, knowing we can still succeed despite the doubts, is invaluable.

How do you keep the doubts at bay?

Pic: Leeds Castle, England

The Measure of Success

Anyone else noticed the year has strapped on rocket boosters and is screaming past at an alarming speed? Eek. A short post to end February:

What is success?

Success is… when we’ve sold millions of copies of our books and our names are known worldwide.

Success is… when our names are printed larger than the titles of our books.

Success is… when our books are turned into movies.

Success is… when we’ve sold more than five novels.

Success is… when we’ve overcome the second novel syndrome.

Success is… when we’ve sold our first novel without going insane.

Success is… when we’ve completed a finished manuscript and we’re ready to query.

Success is… when we’ve finished the first draft.

Success is… when we’ve come up with an idea worthy enough to turn into a novel.

Success is… when we’ve decided to become writers and first put pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard).

Though we won’t all reach every goal, that doesn’t mean we can’t all become successful writers. As long as we keep writing, we’re already successful writers.

Do you have a personal goal you want to reach that will be your measure of success?

note: photo of the dungeon steps at Warwick Castle, England. (couldn't find any other useable pics of ladders or stairs) Such a cool place.

Keeping Track

Today I’m taking part in Patti Nielson’s Blogfest about keeping track of how much time we wrote or edited last week. This Blogfest was a great exercise. It reminded me how important it is to keep track of the time because it’s so easy to squander. Distractions have a way of creeping in and before we know it another day has passed and we have little to show for it.

If this Blogfest had happened a month ago I could have proudly posted my neat schedule and my 1000 words a day goal. However, now I’m in the editing phase and it’s harder to pinpoint goals while I’m still looking at the big picture, testing my plot, tweaking the characters and events. I needed to adjust my schedule and be both stricter and kinder with myself so I can get this done and feel good about it.

As it turned out I did an average of five hours a day on editing. It would have been higher but I didn’t start the week off well and I chose to take a day off and I didn't even bother to count the weekend because I've been down with flu. However, when I paid attention to what I was doing – yes, reading through the ms is editing; yes, thinking about plot is editing; yes, scrubbing out changes I’d just made is still successful editing – I felt so much better about my WIP. I may not have been able to point to fresh new pages of glossy print, but I did achieve a forward step on my novel.

So, my advice is to keep track. Give yourself achievable goals. Be kind to yourself. And keep writing!

Do you try to keep track of your daily achievements? If so, how do you keep track?

3 Ways to Manage Your Time

Time is a beast that every writer must tame otherwise it slips through our fingers with all too much ease. Family duties, job demands, and general living all have a stake in our time. On our list of priorities, writing has a tendency to drop to the lower ranks. Before we know it another year has gone by and we are no closer to finishing our novels. So what are some ways we can manage our precious time?

1. Prioritise. How important is writing to you? Are you happy with it to remain a hobby or would you like to make a career out of writing? These are the questions you need to ask yourself. If you want to make a career of it, then you have to treat it like any other job. When it is time to go to work, then you need to find a way of switching off from all other distractions and write.

2. Schedule. A great way of finding time to write is schedule a time to write. This not only helps you, but it also helps your family members. They will get used to the time you devote to writing especially if you have a regular schedule for it. They will even help you to stick to that schedule.

At this point I need to add that some people – me included – don’t like the rigidity of schedules. I can’t stick to one rule for schedules because I need a level of flexibility. I try to write every day. I try to start writing my WIP at 9.30am at the latest Monday-Friday. I take 30min lunch break (sometimes 40mins) and then I write some more until 2-3pm. If my writing is cooking then I’ll keep going. I don’t often write past 4.30pm, although it has been known to happen on that sweet rare occasion. Of course, that schedule goes out the window on the weekends, but that’s ok, as long as I find some time to write.

3. Make Goals. The best way I’ve found to manage my time is working with word count goals. My minimum goal per week is 7000 words. My daily word count is a loose 1000 words a day. Some days I can only squeeze out 400 words. That might sound sad and disappointing, but with my weekly goal, I can play catch up without having to bemoan the lack of progress. Some days I’ve written 1000 words in an hour so I keep writing and take great joy in the bonus words. With these relatively easy goals, I’m able to feel a sense of achievement with my writing and I’m able to push myself more if I’m close to a self-made deadline.

Of course, you don’t have to give yourself micro goals to help you manage your time. You can give yourself a broader goal. For example, you can tell yourself you want to finish your first draft by September.

When all is said and done, there is no point comparing yourself to anyone else. You have to find what works for you.

What are some tricks you’ve found that help you manage your time?