Sunday, January 24, 2010

Making it a Job

So I've been reading quite a few blogs lately focusing on how to treat writing like a job, and it got me thinking about how I write.  When I first started with The Evolution of Janie, I set daily goals for myself, laid out a week in advance.  If I did more than I planned wonderful, if not oh well.  It was on a white board and I just swiped my finger through the black ink and not a trace of my failed goal remained. Well, apart for the stain on my finger.

But after finishing my first draft of Janie, my goal board collapsed.  I hemmed and hawed, until one day it drifted off my immediate radar.  November brought Nano and Janie disappeared entirely, eclipsed by Songbird and the delight of having a novel complete in a month.  I threw myself into it, writing every night and finishing my 50,000 words in 30 days.  Tha problem?  The story wasn't done and any accountability walked out the door as December came marching up.  It took me another 40 days to finish the draft of Songbird and then the editing began and I'm thinking will always be there. 

Yet I can't stagnate.

I've started my new novel (the first of a trilogy) and have rediscovered  yWriter 5 - it was free and although it doesn't do everything I want it to, it has the absolute one thing I need:  a daily word count target.  I put in my ultimate target and when I want to have it complete by and it gives me my daily target, my overall completed percentage and I have something to keep me focused. I'm competitive, even if it's only against myself.

So make it a job? Yes, but a job where I can win suits me better.

If you're interested in where my new work is going, I've updated my WIP and added in brief descriptions each book in The Gifted Trilogy

On my iPod:

Halo/Walking on Sunshine mashup by The Cast of Glee

I really should spellcheck before I post!

6 comments:

  1. We all have our ways of getting the job done. :) Nowadays, I write as and when I can knowing I have a deadline I'm supposed to meet. Some days I miss showing up for work, but on others, I compensate by writing as much as I can.

    I've eased off on my NaNo project too, but I hope to get back to it before it's NaNo time again.

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  2. I'm stillibbling away on my Nano project - slowly but surely. :)

    I love the white board idea. I know you stopping using it, but I might take it up. Than and a trifold posterboard with color-coded index cards.

    You sound like you think you could be making more progress? You sound mighty organized/dedicated to me. Keep it up! :)

    Best,
    Corra

    from the desk of a writer

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  3. stillibbling = still scribbling

    Than and a = That and a

    (sticky keyboard)

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  4. Is it sad that I read those typos and knew exactly what they meant? :)

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  5. I'm slowly getting there organized! I don't think I've written anything since Tuesday but I'm feeling motivated today! Maybe I'll be able to catch up on my goal! Keep going with the Nano project!

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  6. Good Luck with finishing it! I think sometmies taking a break puts everything into perspective :)

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