The last week of January is here already? Wow! Look what you've accomplished. You've learned a few new tricks about setting reasonable goals and you understand how important it is to track your progress.
One thing I haven't addressed is your approach to writing. Some writers cringe at setting goals and tracking their progress because they are organic writers, or for lack of a better term, pantsters. They write when they feel like it, and they write what they feel like. They may write several books or stories simultaneously, and they rarely write from the start of the story to the finish.
Others, like myself, are plotters. We gather background information, analyze our characters, and sketch outlines before even thinking about writing. And we tend to write from beginning to end.
Then there are the writers who fall in between. They need a loose idea of where the book will take them but aren't hung up on all the details.
We all have our own style. I'm not advocating one way or the other. However, I am encouraging you to set goals and keep track of your progress no matter what your writing style is. I only care that you have decided in advance how many pages or words you will write and what days you are writing them.
Why do I care about this?
Well...
If you want to get published and stay published, you have to meet deadlines. You aren't going to have all the time in the world to write the next book or story. And--here's a harsh reality--your life is going to be filled with the exact same activities when you do get published as it is now. In fact, life will be even busier because you'll have to fit in revisions, line edits, promotion, and a million other things on top of your normal activities. So if you can develop a consistent writing schedule, you'll be ahead of the game.
Wait a minute, I don't plan on getting published...
Well, if writing is your hobby, you still should have a consistent writing schedule or you'll probably lose interest. How fun is it to work once a month on a story you can't even remember? Or to never finish the story? Not much fun.
But how much fun is it to set a writing schedule, stick to it, then print out your work and review it in six months? It's pretty awesome!
We're writers.
We write.
There. I hope I've convinced you to set goals and track your progress.
Join me on Wednesday when we'll be discussing re-evaluating your goals.
And...
Get Motivated! It's Monday!
Showing posts with label tracking progress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tracking progress. Show all posts
Monday, January 26, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Don't Let That Calendar Languish!
Have I convinced you to keep track of your progress?
No?
Let me ask you: can you remember what you ate for lunch two days ago? What about three weeks and two days ago? If you can--wow! I, unfortunately, can't! However, I can tell you exactly how many pages I wrote three weeks and two days ago because I kept track of it.
When I'm feeling unproductive and scattered, I look back at my calendar. Wonderful, powerful feelings surge through me as I realize how much I've accomplished.
When I feel powerful, I want to write more. When I feel scattered, I want to dive into a bag of Doritos and not pop out until the following season. Trust me, I'd rather feel powerful.
But, I forget to write things down...
That's okay. Keeping track of your awesomeness is a habit--probably a new habit. You can train yourself to track your progress. Write a sticky note with the words I'm awesome on it and stick it to your calendar, journal, laptop, or wherever you'll be sure to see it when you've written. That note will serve as a reminder to write your pages down. Or if you think that's a dippy idea, promise yourself a Hershey's kiss every time you log your pages. (Don't forget to put a bowl of Hershey's kisses next to your calendar!)
Many experts agree that habits can be formed after 21 repetitions. For some people it takes longer; for others it takes less time. By rewarding yourself, you increase the odds of success.
Now you just doubled your awesomeness! You acquired a new habit and successfully tracked your writing progress!
Join me on Friday. I'll be sharing a few links that make me smile.
And...
Write Already! It's Wednesday!
No?
Let me ask you: can you remember what you ate for lunch two days ago? What about three weeks and two days ago? If you can--wow! I, unfortunately, can't! However, I can tell you exactly how many pages I wrote three weeks and two days ago because I kept track of it.
When I'm feeling unproductive and scattered, I look back at my calendar. Wonderful, powerful feelings surge through me as I realize how much I've accomplished.
When I feel powerful, I want to write more. When I feel scattered, I want to dive into a bag of Doritos and not pop out until the following season. Trust me, I'd rather feel powerful.
But, I forget to write things down...
That's okay. Keeping track of your awesomeness is a habit--probably a new habit. You can train yourself to track your progress. Write a sticky note with the words I'm awesome on it and stick it to your calendar, journal, laptop, or wherever you'll be sure to see it when you've written. That note will serve as a reminder to write your pages down. Or if you think that's a dippy idea, promise yourself a Hershey's kiss every time you log your pages. (Don't forget to put a bowl of Hershey's kisses next to your calendar!)
Many experts agree that habits can be formed after 21 repetitions. For some people it takes longer; for others it takes less time. By rewarding yourself, you increase the odds of success.
Now you just doubled your awesomeness! You acquired a new habit and successfully tracked your writing progress!
Join me on Friday. I'll be sharing a few links that make me smile.
And...
Write Already! It's Wednesday!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Keeping Track of Your Awesomeness
If you've been following this month's blog, you'll know we're talking about goals. Last week, we set annual goals then broke them down into monthly and weekly goals. We also got down to the nitty-gritty and decided what days and how many pages per day we'd write.
This week we're talking about accountability, or what I refer to as: keeping track of your awesomeness! Last week you took on a tough challenge. Setting goals can make the strongest writer quake! So pat yourself on the back for getting through it.
How can you be sure you'll stay on track, though? Many writers have periods of great productivity followed by long periods of doubts, writing woes, and plain old procrastination. How will accountability get you through all the stages of writing? It's so easy to not write when we're in a funk.
One powerful motivator is to track your progress. Do you remember that free calendar I mentioned last week? (For those of you just joining the blog, you can print a free calendar by clicking here: http://www.printfree.com/Calendars.htm) Use it to write down how much you got done that day. For example: I wrote 9 pages of my latest novel last Monday. Once I finished writing, I jotted down "9 pgs" under 1/12/09. You can also mark time spent researching or whatever you do related to writing that day.
Another great idea is to keep a writing log. I keep one for each novel I work on. It can work well for short stories or articles as well. A writing log can be as simple or as complicated as you want it. My writing logs are just Word files saved in the same folder as my current manuscript. Each day I write, I log the date, the chapter I'm working on, the number of pages I wrote that day, the total number of pages I wrote since starting the novel, and the total word count of the novel. It takes two minutes. Honestly.
I hope you're not thinking isn't that just more work?
Keeping a written record of your writing progress is like keeping a written record of how fantastic you are. You'll be surprised at the end of any given week to see how much you wrote. You won't feel like a big failure because the proof will be staring at you in black and white.
As time progresses and March rolls around, you're going to look back through your calendar and see all of the Tuesdays you wrote one page. Or you'll know at the end of April that you already wrote over a quarter of your novel. And what about November when your eyes will bug out as you realize that you've already finished your goals for the year!
Join me on Wednesday for a discussion on not allowing your writing log and calendar to languish.
And...
Get motivated! It's Monday!
This week we're talking about accountability, or what I refer to as: keeping track of your awesomeness! Last week you took on a tough challenge. Setting goals can make the strongest writer quake! So pat yourself on the back for getting through it.
How can you be sure you'll stay on track, though? Many writers have periods of great productivity followed by long periods of doubts, writing woes, and plain old procrastination. How will accountability get you through all the stages of writing? It's so easy to not write when we're in a funk.
One powerful motivator is to track your progress. Do you remember that free calendar I mentioned last week? (For those of you just joining the blog, you can print a free calendar by clicking here: http://www.printfree.com/Calendars.htm) Use it to write down how much you got done that day. For example: I wrote 9 pages of my latest novel last Monday. Once I finished writing, I jotted down "9 pgs" under 1/12/09. You can also mark time spent researching or whatever you do related to writing that day.
Another great idea is to keep a writing log. I keep one for each novel I work on. It can work well for short stories or articles as well. A writing log can be as simple or as complicated as you want it. My writing logs are just Word files saved in the same folder as my current manuscript. Each day I write, I log the date, the chapter I'm working on, the number of pages I wrote that day, the total number of pages I wrote since starting the novel, and the total word count of the novel. It takes two minutes. Honestly.
I hope you're not thinking isn't that just more work?
Keeping a written record of your writing progress is like keeping a written record of how fantastic you are. You'll be surprised at the end of any given week to see how much you wrote. You won't feel like a big failure because the proof will be staring at you in black and white.
As time progresses and March rolls around, you're going to look back through your calendar and see all of the Tuesdays you wrote one page. Or you'll know at the end of April that you already wrote over a quarter of your novel. And what about November when your eyes will bug out as you realize that you've already finished your goals for the year!
Join me on Wednesday for a discussion on not allowing your writing log and calendar to languish.
And...
Get motivated! It's Monday!
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