December Second.
Yup, I love it when a month starts on a Sunday. Feels like the month is full of possibilities as far as goals. (Last night I weighed myself. I was down 6 pounds. I woke up in the middle of the night and realized, no, I have been that exact weight far too long.)
How did you do with NaNoWriMo?
Did you accomplish your goals?
Me? Not so great. Two of my goals were dependent on other people and nothing happened with those. But I figured out the plot to the novel I was working on, wrote a bunch of pages and figured out a few twists and turns.
What got in my way? Sure there was the surgery and family matters and replaced doorknobs and tires and that kind of stuff. You know how it is. You deal with it ALWAYS. Life.
But it was more the way I looked at life and my priorities and my writing. It was more important to me to clean and organize and unpack. (Yes! I am still unpacking. If we get the heat fixed, my girls and I want to settle in this house for a few years.)
Here’s the deal–I’m now working with four publishers. (One is for that cute series I’m writing with Cheri Pray Earl.) But I am NOT writing effectively. So I am going to try something I have tried before. The One Hour On, One Hour Off. It’s exactly what it sounds like. One hour on writing–only writing–strictly writing–not Facebook or email or phone calls–just me and the computer and the story and the best words I can put down. (I want to send the first 30 or so pages of this novel to Steve to send to Paula so she can see if she wants this book.)
The next hour I do what I must with the girls or cleaning or Mom or email or whatever.
I have learned two things with this kind of goal setting (though I haven’t really ever done it effectively. Hmmm. Sound familiar?)–
Number One: be strict about what you are doing.
So I’m gonna.
I’m gonna tell the girls today.
Map out my hours.
What I plan to do with them.
And then STICK TO IT.
If I’m halfway cleaning out a closet when the bell rings–I get up and go back to the computer to write.
Number Two: realize that I may have to be lenient.
Because ALWAYS, my girls come first.
And so do some of my friends.
But not the cleaning.
Or email.
So I will track how it goes today and let you know.
Happy December!
Happy Writing!
I’m off on my hour!
End of Day Goal: 4 hours, total, writing
And thanks for the SNOW Ann Dee (or Cam?). Love you both.
Throwing Up Words 