Posts tagged as:

writing goals

On Writing: Getting Productive

March 10, 2011 Writing

It’s taken me a little while, but I’m finally recovered from my recent four months of nonstop deadlines.
And I’m ready now to plunge back into seriously writing.
I intend for this year to be a really productive year when it comes to my writing. Last night, I came across this post at Dean Wesley Smith’s blog: [...]

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Making Magic: Appreciation

November 23, 2010 Creativity

(Photo credit)
I am immersed in deadline after deadline right now, and in days of yore (I’ve always wanted to use that phrase in a post!) I would have let myself be pulled into a static, drone-like existence, working long hours day after day, late into the night.
No fun, no creativity, no laughter. Just work, work, [...]

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My Real NaNoWriMo Goal

November 6, 2010 Writing

So it’s still the 6th day of NaNoWriMo, and right now my word count is at 20,381. This is good, but actually not quite where I was hoping to be by today.
This year, I decided on a different NaNoWriMo goal. Rather than aim for 50,000 words, what I’d really like to do is get [...]

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The Day Before NaNoWriMo Starts

October 31, 2010 Writing

I know. Most people think of October 31 as Halloween. I have a seven-year-old, so you’d think I’d be sitting here thinking about Halloween and taking him out trick-or-treating tonight too.
But no, not me. All I can think is this: today’s the last day before NaNoWriMo starts!
I haven’t done that much prepping, partly because my [...]

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Validation, Plot Lines and A Goal (Of Sorts)

September 27, 2010 Writing

I’ve started working on my fantasy WIP, ELEMENTAL, again. It’s the one I started a while back, and found myself writing not only from two viewpoints, first person and third person, but, somewhat to my horror, in two different tenses, too.
I had put the five scenes I’d written on the backburner, because in my worry [...]

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The Spam Treasure Trove: Finding the Perfect Name for Your Character

August 11, 2010 Writing

Here’s what’s been happening with me, writing-wise, ever since I wrote last about my latest writing goal to write for at least 15 minutes every day.
I got stuck. And I got stuck not because I wanted to be inspired and wasn’t, and not because I didn’t want to write – I got stuck because the [...]

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Two Beginnings, Two Tenses: My First Four Days of WFMAD

August 8, 2010 Writing

I’m heading into day 5 of my new goal to Write Fifteen Minutes a Day (WFMAD), so I thought I’d post an update.
My stats so far:

Day 1:
27:58 min
520 words

Day 2:
34:54 min
969 words

Day 3:
44:26 min
1089 words

Day 4:
22:13 min
648 words

So, over the past four days I’ve written for two hours, 9 minutes and 30 seconds, and have [...]

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Creative Genius, and the WFMAD (Write Fifteen Minutes a Day) Challenge

August 4, 2010 Writing

I’m still taken by surprise at how simply making a decision to commit, that intention to be, can garner such quick results.
Yesterday I did some blog hopping, and found a lot of writer blogs, people working on their novels, finding the time to write every day – and I came away so inspired. Inspired, and [...]

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Camping … Or Should I Say, Writing and Reading

July 22, 2010 Books and Reading

I’m hurrying to finish up an indexing deadline today, because tomorrow we are off on our camping trip!
I mentioned on Facebook that we are going with every car charger known to man, so hopefully the fact that the site doesn’t have an electrical outlet won’t be particularly bothersome. (I know, I know – electrical devices [...]

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[TSS] Reading Breaks

May 16, 2010 Books and Reading

I am nearing the end of a very big indexing assignment – it’s been taking up most of my work time for the past two weeks, and I’m scrambling to finish in time for the Tuesday morning deadline.
One thing I’ve been learning about working productively is the value of taking breaks. And since I’ve been [...]

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A New (Old) Writing Goal

May 11, 2010 Writing

I’ve embarked on a new writing goal – new for right now, but it’s the same writing goal that worked so well for me last year, when I finally managed to finish up the first draft of the novel I’d started for the 2008 NaNoWriMo.
My target? 20 minutes a day.
The main difference this time [...]

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Enter: Marcus

December 17, 2009 Blogging and Blog Events

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my 20 minute writing commitment post. I felt so inspired after reading all of your comments – and suddenly, it really did feel very much like “it’s only 20 minutes”.
So I took roughly 20 minutes today to work on Waverley; I am now 1200 more words [...]

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The 20-Minute Writing Commitment

December 16, 2009 Writing

Earlier this year, I did something that, for me, was extraordinary.
I finished the first draft of my first novel.
I’d like to say something elegant like, “this novel was 20 years in the making”, but it wasn’t. It was more like “it took me 20 years to get myself seated in that chair, in front of [...]

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Saturday Thoughts

October 3, 2009 Books and Reading

I haven’t done a Saturday “this is what’s going on with me” post for ages, so I figured it was about time. And after this week, I actually might be posting something like this regularly on Saturday – because starting next Saturday, I’ll have more time.
The Big List of Book Giveaways
Why will I have more [...]

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BBAW: Now, and Next Year

September 18, 2009 Blogging and Blog Events

Today’s the final day of BBAW! This has been my first year participating in the fun, and it’s been such a blast. My Google Reader is filled to the brim, bursting with a lot of really wonderful new blogs I’ve discovered this week, too. Here’s the final prompt for the week, and it’s a good [...]

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On Writing: Almost There

August 29, 2009 Writing

Today’s word count: 5,760 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 117,895 words
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I’m almost there. No, really, I am.
My guys are hot on the trail of the killer now, and my kind-of-paranormal character is in grave danger. The two circumstances are on the verge of colliding, forming the next to last scene, with the last scene to [...]

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On Writing: Okay, No Celebrating Today

August 28, 2009 Writing

Today’s word count: 3,153 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 112,135 words
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It turns out I was being a little optimistic when I wrote last night that I’d probably be finishing up the first draft of NANTUCKET today.
I actually did mean it yesterday. When I wrote, “watch this space tomorrow”, I was certain there were only a few [...]

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On Writing: Tantalizingly Close

August 27, 2009 Writing

I know I haven’t posted any updates lately about my progress with NANTUCKET. I’ve had that handful of final scenes to write, and procrastinating like crazy about it. Altogether, since I last posted about my writing, I’d only sat down to the computer maybe about three times, each time writing between 1500 to 2000 words. [...]

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How’s the Writing Going, You Ask?

August 5, 2009 Writing

July 30 word count: 5,030 words
Aug 1 word count: 881 words
Aug 4 word count: 1,593 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 98,210 words
The writing’s been going slowly. To be honest, I’ve been having trouble sitting down to write lately. I had an incredible day on July 30; over the course of two sessions at the computer, I [...]

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Writing Goal Update

July 29, 2009 Writing

I haven’t written lately about how NANTUCKET’s been going – it’s because every day I keep thinking, yes! today’s the day I’ll finish this baby, wrap things up, print it all out and lock it away for six weeks to expand and meld together on its own (I’m assuming the unread manuscript must do something [...]

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I Didn’t Write Today

July 23, 2009 Writing

Yesterday’s word count: 927 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 80,101 words
*************************************************
Didn’t meet my writing goal today. Word count: 0
I also didn’t meet my 2,000 words a day goal yesterday, either. I did, however, write first, meeting my other writing goal – making my writing a priority. Yesterday I was wrestling with the end of a rather [...]

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How Many More Words?

July 21, 2009 Writing

Yesterday’s word count: 2,448 words
Today’s word count: 2,079 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 79,174 words
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I know. NANTUCKET’s word count makes it look like I’m nearly done, that maybe in a week you’re going to see a post here entitled “I’m Finished!”. (Or, more likely, “I’M FINISHED!!!!”)
But the truth is, I’m only in the middle of my [...]

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Insight Du Jour

July 20, 2009 Writing

Today’s word count: 2,286 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 74,647
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Today’s been filled with lots of work; out of two deadlines due tomorrow, I have one completed, the other still to go. I’m tired, though, and have decided to call it a night, trusting that I’ll have no problems finishing up the second deadline tomorrow.
One of the [...]

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Today’s Writing Goal

July 19, 2009 Writing

Today’s word count: 2,545 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 72,361 words
It’s nearly 2:30 in the morning and I am tired! However, I did make my writing a priority, and did finish writing early this afternoon, before tackling any other work.
Then I worked on deadlines. And then, suddenly, I remembered something – tomorrow’s Sunday! And I hadn’t [...]

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Writing vs. Working

July 17, 2009 Writing

Today’s word count: 2,409 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 69,816 words
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Day 4 of my goal to make my writing a priority. Yes, I worked on NANTUCKET before I blogged or worked on my paying deadlines. And yes, it feels good, as I type this post this before I go to bed, knowing my writing is already [...]

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The “Write” Priority

July 16, 2009 Writing

Today’s word count: 2,266 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 67,407 words
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Please excuse the pun. I couldn’t help myself.
Today is Day 3 of my latest writing goal, which is to make my writing a priority. While my daily word count goal of 2,000 words has been a huge personal success, in that it’s gotten me back into [...]

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One Challenge of Writing By the Seat Of Your Pants

July 15, 2009 Writing

Today’s word count: 2,502 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 65,141 words
I do like writing without really knowing where the story’s going. I really do. But I’m starting to realize I need to do something to get a handle on my various characters in NANTUCKET, keep track somehow of everything they’re each doing.
I’ve got characters still stuck [...]

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Jumping Back Into Writing, and Priorities

July 14, 2009 Writing

Today’s word count: 908 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 62,639 words
Well, not really “jumping” back into writing, I guess. “Easing" back into writing is more like it. I fell a 1000+ words short of my 2000 words a day goal.
And I guess I could fix that right now, but I’m also experimenting with shedding my [...]

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On Writing: Slowing Down

June 24, 2009 Writing

Today’s word count: 857 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 61,731 words
HARPER total word count: 5,435 words
I’m going to slow down a bit for the next little while. I’m really enjoying getting ready for my vacation, and I plan to write a lot while I’m away. But in the meantime I’m going to write something every day, [...]

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On Writing: Do You Keep a Journal?

June 23, 2009 Writing

Yesterday’s word count: 0
NANTUCKET total word count: 60,874
HARPER total word count: 5,435 words
I didn’t make my writing goal yesterday; I didn’t even attempt it. At 1:30 am I was still working on my deadline, and the choice was there: keep plugging away and be free and clear for the next three days, or put the [...]

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