Pity Party for...one?

We've been taught since we were infants to reach for the stars and work our butts off until we succeed. Knowing this, I've set many short and long-term writing goals for myself.

Now that I've hit the murky middle in my WIP, I've been feeling, well, a bit sorry for myself for not achieving more at this stage of my writing career. I question if I have any business writing a book. I studied Music Education in school. Am I kidding myself? This is my third novel. I really hoped my last MS would be The One. But despite the partial and full requests, it now lies restlessly inside a jump drive collecting dust while I lounge in a sea of self pity.  *cue Debbie Downer tones Womp Womp*.

When I'm feeling down like this, it's difficult for me to stay focused. (Think Doug the dog in the movie UP.) So last week when I sat down to write and instead found myself surfing the Internet, I swam across a life preserver. Yes, in the black hole of wasted time, there was a giant plastic doughnut in the form of a blog post I swear was written just for me! The post reminded me that I'm not alone and that every single writer--both pre-published and published--have felt the same anxiety. 

So readers I share this wonderful post with you if you haven't already read it. It's written by amazing author Dahlia Adler. Thank you Dahlia for reminding me that I'm not alone.

Dahlia Adler's Awesome Post

*Squirrel!* 

photo credit: Peter L Barker via photopin cc

Do You have Creative Outlets Other Than Writing?

I’ve always felt like I have a creative brain. For me, that means there’s about a million things I want to do or want to learn how to do, and all these things compete for my attention. And while I think it’s great that I have all these interests and ambitions, it’s also frustrating.

Fact: There will never be enough time to do it all. *sad face*

So that means I've had to (for now) limit my non-writing activities. So when I'm not writing, I run an indie nail polish shop on Etsy called Wikid Nails, where I sell my handcrafted nail polish. If you follow on me on Twitter you may have seen one or two a lot of my manicure tweets. (Guys, I have a serious glitter addiction. Just sayin'.) And during the fall, I hawk my wares at some of the local craft fairs as well. 

I also love to knit and crochet. Mostly I make fingerless gloves, yoga socks, and slouchy hats that I sometimes sell, but mostly give as gifts to friends and family.

There’s magic in producing something that simply did not exist before I felt compelled to create it.

Take knitting. Even though I know how to fashion the stitches, I’m still boggled every time I finish a pattern and have a completed project. I think, how the heck did I turn a ball of yarn into a pair of fingerless mittens?

Answer: magic. Duh!

Unfortunately, there’s no pattern for writing a book. (though if someone could get on that, that’d be awesome.)

The principal is sort of the same though, if you liken words to stitches. You have to string them together, over and over, twisting them and turning them until they become more than the sum of their parts. It takes time and practice, and little bit of magic, and in the end, something new exists in the world that hadn’t before. And you made it happen. Ah-maze-ing!!

I'd love to hear about YOUR creative endeavors outside of writing. Bonus points if you're an Etsy seller, too. And if you are, leave a link in the comments. I'd love to check out your shop! 

Prepare Yourselves: NaNo is Coming.

Five NaNoWriMo Prep Steps

It's mid-October. Leaves are falling, Halloween costume selections are dwindling, and it is THE TIME to get prepped for National Novel Writing Month. 

How much should you prep for NaNoWriMo? Some people prep for months. I do not. But I do think that whether you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser, having a few ducks in a row before November 1st couldn't hurt. 
 

Here are five, last-minute prep steps I'm taking to try and get my NaNo WIN. You still have a couple weeks, so if you haven't already, why not:   

 

1) Get your research out of the way. Whether you have just a vague idea of your story's setting (maybe near Devil's Tower?)  or you are absolutely certain your protagonist will need to know the hunting habits of a prehistoric mosasaur, NOW is the time to get those details in order. My NaNo project will feature a colony of bats. I know more waaay more about bats than I need to. But I won't waste any precious time in November looking up the average lifespan of a Townsend's big-eared bat. (16 years, btw)

2) Jot down a tagline. If you have a general idea about your storyline, you could try writing a one-to-two sentences summary. It could give you more focus. 

Example from the screenplay Pirates of the Caribbean: 

A 17th Century tale of adventure on the Caribbean Sea where the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow joins forces with a young blacksmith in a gallant attempt to rescue the Governor of England's daughter and reclaim his ship.

There are still plenty of holes to fill in the Pirates of the Caribbean example, but it gives you some framework. 

3) Make a few character sketches.  You'll be spending a lot of time with these characters over the next few weeks. If you have an idea who will be starring as your cast of characters, get to know them. There are lots of cool resources for character sketching. NaNo has a good one here. 

4) Let your friends and family know what's about to go down. Writing is a solitary venture. It's also time consuming, and NaNo's 1,667 words-per-day average is whole different level of involvement. 

WAIT. Before you go writing, could we make a 7-layer Jello Mold?

In my case, I'm married with two little kids. I am planning for easy dinners, packing lunches the night before, getting up reeeeaaally early, and have discussed all of this with aforementioned family unit. It's THAT KIND of commitment. 

5) Find Writerly Support. Connect with writing buddies on the NaNoWriMo site. There is a NaNoPrep thread where you will find lots of friendly writer peeps looking for buddies to encourage and support each other.  You can find me on the NaNo site as Arena26. (ICYW, that user name dates way back to a NCAA Online Bracket challenge that ended well for me.) 

How about you? Are you prepping for the NaNo plunge? Have you checked out the NaNo Prep resources on the official site? 

 How do you plan on achieving that NaNo WIN?

Tackling Goals

Gotta love football! 

For me, the fall is a super crazy, busy time of year. Last week, I sat down and made a list of the most important things that needed to get done. This turned into some real goal setting since I plan on participating in NaNoWriMo in November again! Yay! :)

When planning goals there are a few things to consider:

1. What can you realistically accomplish? Think long and hard about it.
2. Create a timeline for the project(s). 
3. Be specific. Finishing a novel in a month is great, but without the details, it might flop.
4. Design benchmarks to measure your project and keep things running in a timely manner.
5. Accountability! Set up specific times to check in with someone who will encourage you to stay on track. 

If you have big dreams, try whittling them down to what your schedule allows or to what you know you can do easily. Think on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. Divide and conquer! Check out Rina's mini task list blog; it's amazing. Sometimes those monstrous, looming projects are easier to manage in small doses! A back-up list is always great to have on hand too if you find you've achieved your goals ahead of schedule. 

And even though accountability is the last on the list, it's one of the most important things! When you share your dreams and ask others to either help by giving you the time to do them, or ask you about them, just the asking can keep you trekking toward your accomplishment. Whether it's telling your CPs, best friend, mom, or significant other, letting them know what's important to you encourages them to support you! Ask around, you could gain an accountability partner and be one for someone else.

So.... What do you want to accomplish before the end of 2014? We love hearing from you! :)

Give Your Brain a Break

A while back, I came across a blog or tweet that mentioned The Pomodoro Technique by Francesco Cirillo. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Pomodoro Technique, it's simply one way to produce more while avoiding the "my brain is fried" syndrome.

The Simple Steps:

1. Choose a project from your to-do list.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
3. Work on that specific project until the timer beeps.
4. Take a 5 minute break and work on something unrelated. (Check email, listen to a song, unload the dryer, stalk someone on Twitter...)
5. After four 25 minute increments, take longer breaks between projects.

It's a great way to redirect your thoughts, much like sniffing coffee beans between smelling perfumes. I unofficially started practicing The Pomodoro Technique, and I've noticed that my brain isn't as tired after 30 minutes of work. When I go back to my project after a short siesta, I have a fresh perspective.

Try the Pomodoro Technique if you're experiencing brain freeze, writer's block, or seem unproductive. I've also used this with my kids when we do homework. It works great for them!

Have you noticed a change in your writing since the summer has started? What do you do to help increase your productivity? Any tips to share?