Monday, November 29, 2010

Always Another Plateau to Reach

Many of you had an extraordinary month. You pushed yourself to achieve big goals. Maybe you reached them, maybe you didn't, but you didn't sit on a plateau this month. Isn't that what we always aim for? Forward movement?


The thing about plateaus is that there is always another one to reach. It's okay to rest on one for a bit before pushing onward. It's unreasonable to expect your brain or body to give maximum effort every day of every month. However, we can keep our eyes upward with the next leg of our journey in sight.


What did you accomplish in November?


Join me on Wednesday to kick off the return of One-Minute Vacations! December is so rush-rush; I hope you'll stop by for a quick breath of relief!

34 comments:

  1. I like the idea of always moving forward in some way, and use my weekly itineraries to be sure I do that. It doesn't matter if it's a major project, or smaller writing tasks, as long as something is happening moving me along with my writing ... querying, submitting to a journal, blog posts ... They all work for me :)

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  2. This was very refreshing for me, Jill. Especially since I feel as if I've rested awhile on my most recent plateau. It was freaking me out, to be honest. Making me feel a bit guilty. But this morning I took a step off. I'm starting the upward climb again. Thanks for the reminder that it's okay to rest!

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  3. In November, I submitted to the Golden Heart contest (I know you did, too!) and took an online plotting class to help solidify the outline of my next book. Wow. Those 2 steps felt good to remember and write down. Thanks, Jill.

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  4. Yay for November!

    I managed 32K words on my ms so far, and I had a wonderful time with family over the holiday.

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  5. November was my resting time. I didn't accomplish much regarding writing but I spent lots of time with family. This month I will probably start making my goals again and then in January and I can get back to work!

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  6. November was a fun month for me, Jill. While I relaxed a bit after months of intense work, I rejoiced in some great news. My CP Jody Hedlund hit the CBA fiction best seller list with her debut novel, and YOU were offered representation by Rachel Kent. I love happy dancing and was delighted to do some on your behalf.

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  7. November been a tough month for me! I learned how to dress with one hand though! There are seasons for healing which I am in and I know a season of accomplishing is on the horizon.

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  8. I wrote a synopsis and ripped up the kitchen floor (not sure if the latter was such a good idea),

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  9. Joanne: I love weekly itineraries too. It's so easy to forget how much I've done in a week!

    Katie: We can't keep climbing without giving our bodies and brains time to rest. Don't feel guilty!

    Patrice: Woo-hoo!! I know you're going to have so much fun writing book 2!

    Erica: How wonderful! Isn't that what we all aim for--high word count and quality family time? Nice job!

    Cindy: Good for you! I'm glad you're rested and ready for the next leg of your journey!

    Keli: Aww, thanks! And I'm happy you took a break after all that hard work you did!

    Lynn: I know Nov. was tough on you, but how terrific that you had the surgery. It was a positive step!

    Patti: You're wild! Synopsis and new floor? Whew!!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  10. I'm definitely on a plateau right now-- partially because I am between projects and not sure which direction I'm going to be heading next. Hope all is well!

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  11. Well, my November goals haven't gone as well as I'd hoped, but then again it's not over yet. I may aim to finish my draft tomorrow, however short, rather than drag out to hit a word count.
    How about you?

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  12. So true, Jill. This month I participated in nano, and I crossed the finish line this morning. It felt great! There's still more story to write, but I love that I accomplished this huge task.

    Thanks for the inspiration!

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  13. Despite my company for two weeks, I got a huge number of words completed on my book.

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  14. It is nice to rest on those plateaus for a bit before moving forward! November has been a good month for writing several new Bible study/devotional entries for my WIP. So excited to have nailed down a format for each entry that I really like. Looking forward to your December mini-vacations! Have a blessed week!:)

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  15. I completed another WIP. I'm letting this one cool before I jump into edits. In fact this might be the one I let cool for months. Sometimes you just need distance. ;)

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  16. Erin: I know how you feel. It's really hard when I'm not 100% sure of the direction I should take. I tend to set short-term goals until I have a better feel.

    Wendy: Don't you have little ones at home? Any progress is terrific with kids under foot!

    Julie: Awesome!! You must feel SO good right now! Congrats!

    Terri: Can't wait to read them! Yay!

    Maria: I love playing around with formats, and I'm so glad you found one you love! It makes writing much easier, don't you think?

    T.Anne: Sometimes you do! The book I'm preparing to revise has been sitting for ten months--I needed every one of those months!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  17. While I didn't "win" NaNo, I wrote 30,000 words, which is HUGE for me. I loved the daily progress and feel soooo good!

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  18. I am finally meeting a huge goal. I'm a little late, but I'm two scenes away from completing a HUGE round of edits on my manuscript. I've already reread the manuscript and am putting final touches on these two scenes tonight or in the morning. I AM SO EXCITED. This is the round of edits I took on after the professional edit. And it was crazy hard. I even changed my ending. So, by tomorrow night, I hope to be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

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  19. Hello! This is my first visit to your blog and I am so interested in your bio! :) I'm a software developer / Christian blogger / mommy / writer-wanna-be :)

    I'm following your blog now and look forward to your posts!

    Blessings!
    Melanie

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  20. Hmm... I finished my workout program and started a new one. WOOHOOO!

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  21. Sherrinda: 30k!! That's huge!! Congratulations!

    Heather: You must be so relieved! Edits--especially after feedback can be exhausting. Hope you treat yourself when you're 100% done!

    Melanie: Welcome! I'm so glad you stopped by! Looking forward to getting to know you better.

    Kristen: Workout?--but it isn't January. ;) Ha! Ha! No, seriously, that's awesome! I started this ten minute boot camp nightmare a few weeks ago. I can't believe ten minutes can hurt that bad!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  22. It's funny how sometimes making forward progress feels like struggling through quicksand, and then suddenly the barrier is removed and I speed forward. November was mostly a slow, hard month for me, but this past week has been really great and productive. And not just in writing, but in all kinds of areas!

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  23. I accomplished quite a bit in November. I started a new project. I joined Facebook and Twitter. I can't complain. Now for the next step!

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  24. I got a lot done in November, but not the revisions I had hoped for. :o(

    Your one-minute vacations sound awesome, Jill!

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  25. I managed to plan my blogs ahead from November through December. I haven't done that before.

    When the ideas come, you just have to catch them.

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  26. Hmmm, what I love about accomplishment is that it can be so subjective. Makes me feel less guilty. *grin*
    Do you think a plateau can be subjective too??? *grin*

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  27. Rosslyn: November was not super productive for me either! But I feel good about what I did get done, and that's what counts. So glad to hear your productivity kicked in!

    Susan M: Yay! Good for you getting into the social networks! It's fun catching up with everyone there. You had a great month!

    Jackee: Oh well. December right? :)

    Nancy: Great motto! And great job getting posts ready. It's a time saver!

    Jessica: Absolutely! This is writing, not math--it's all subjective!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  28. I need me a vacation. Can't wait! :O)

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  29. I started a new project this month, visited grand kids, and prayed a lot.

    Love,
    Jen

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  30. Hmm, I worked on my query. GOT IT RIGHT. I hope. :)

    And I lost my synopsis that you helped me with when my computer crashed. So I redid that. Now my Christopher has mouth surgery, tomorrow morning December 1st and I am deep in prayer.

    Oh, I started my new WIP, for real.

    Love your new pic. You're beautiful, girl.

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  31. Hi Jill -

    I worked on a super-secret blog project with two friends, which will start on Wednesday.

    I took a break from the computer for four days. Now, I'm refreshed and ready to dig into some additional writing projects.

    Oh, I also made some Christmas and just-because-I-love-you gifts.

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

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  32. I didn't get much writing done in November, but I made huge steps in finding happiness in my life. I spent a lot of time with family and friends in November. It was a great month, probably the happiest month in the 27 months we've lived here. :-)

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  33. I LOVED reading the comments! Such amazing folks are gathering here!

    Those two deadlines met their match, thanks to fabulous critique partners.

    I will NEVER forget what they did to help me get things down.

    Patti

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  34. О! Gracias por publicar esto, fue muy útil y le dijo a una gran cantidad

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