I was just over visiting a new blog I love. The author is Jennifer Greenleaf. Jennifer is a sweet gal and we share a lot of the same interests though we are miles apart on the map.
Today Jennifer talked about how even with a 2013 business plan in place, her January is not off to a good start. She is one of those people who've been plagued by a virus since late December. I know how much those things can bog you down. As she says, you have to keep reminding yourself it's beyond your control and keep moving forward. Her post inspired mine.
I was telling Bob a couple of days ago that I figured out why I just can not seem to get a foothold on my January. He is always gone the first three weeks of January - usually leaving right after New Years Day. This year, he was HOME the first three weeks.
Now understand, Bob does not do anything to prevent me from following my dream. He is the absolute most supportive man I could have ever asked for. He has always made sure I have what I need to keep plugging away at my career. The challenge is, because he is gone three weeks at a time, I value the time I have with him and want to spend my time with him. Yeah, imagine that. I actually want to spend time with the man I married. LOL
JANO helped me focus on at least getting my nighttime writing in. Now, with him gone for three weeks I'll be laying the foundation for the rest of my year. My editor at Polymer Cafe has already told me she will take all I want to submit and I've had a couple other good leads.
Saturday, we have the Wrap-Up party for JANO 2013. My art blog hop will be over with as of Sunday night (If you're a paper crafter, you'll want to check that blog hop out beginning Saturday to win some cool stuff!- KellysCreativeDreams )
If you made GOALS for 2013, NOW is the time to evaluate your progress.There is still plenty of time to make adjustments so you stay on track!
Happy Writing!
Angela
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
FINDING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY
I think I've talked about this before, but I feel it bears repeating for those of you who've recently joined me.
Whether you are writing as a second job - or your only job, if you write as a business you need to write EVERY DAY.
The common mistake I think writers make is they try to 'fit' writing in with their daily routine. This sets them up for a fall, regardless of their intentions. If writing is a job (as opposed to something you do for fun and if being published happens - yippee) then you have to SHOW UP every day. This doesn't mean you might come to work, or you come to work when you feel like it. Show up means you schedule a time when you will park your butt in your chair and write! Whether it's during your lunch hour at Job 1 or at night while your husband is watching TV, pick a time and park it!
Okay, I'll step off the soap box now and help you with what I think might be your biggest obstacle in the over-all plan of showing up for Job 2.
Do you know your most productive time? That is, when can you sit down to write and get the most accomplished?
I used to belong to a group where we met in a Yahoo Instant Message chat room all day on Fridays. Some had other jobs and could only meet in the evening or during their lunch hour... but they showed up! Others of us were able to participate all day long. We began at 9 a.m. and went until 10 p.m. We did 30 min word sprints with 15 minute breaks, broke an hour each for lunch and dinner. Because time zones varied, some of us might be writing while others were eating and vice versa. But we were writing!
I was able to write every day. But by tracking my word count for each sprint, I noticed something. I found my MOST PRODUCTIVE TIME - or MPT.
My word counts for sprints early in the day were very low, barely breaking 200 words in 30 minutes some times! But as the day wore on, the word counts slowly climbed. Then about 4 p.m. I found them jump drastically, writing as much as 800-1000 words per sprint! Wow! So why was I unable to do that all day long? I have no clue. Sometimes Why isn't as important as just knowing the What.
What I discovered was that my brain does not process big chunks early in the day because I'm multi-tasking the other house stuff. You know, the dishes, laundry, floors, etc that we have to deal with every day. But by 4 p.m. when real life was out of the way, I could dump the words and focus on my story.
So now, I use the daytime for short pieces. Short stories, blog posts, promotion, transcribing interviews, etc. Basically, all the things concerned with the freelance end of my job. Then at night when the words can flow in bigger chunks, I sit with my novel and write like crazy for about 3 hours.
Here's my challenge for the next week. Every time you can sit and write, whether it be at home, at work, during the kids' sports game, whatever... make note of the situation and your word count. Do this every day for a full week. At the end of the week, look back at which times you were getting the most words written. From this little assignment you will find your Most Productive Time (MPT) and how to make the most of that time to be successful at your job.
Happy Writing
Angela!
Whether you are writing as a second job - or your only job, if you write as a business you need to write EVERY DAY.
The common mistake I think writers make is they try to 'fit' writing in with their daily routine. This sets them up for a fall, regardless of their intentions. If writing is a job (as opposed to something you do for fun and if being published happens - yippee) then you have to SHOW UP every day. This doesn't mean you might come to work, or you come to work when you feel like it. Show up means you schedule a time when you will park your butt in your chair and write! Whether it's during your lunch hour at Job 1 or at night while your husband is watching TV, pick a time and park it!
Okay, I'll step off the soap box now and help you with what I think might be your biggest obstacle in the over-all plan of showing up for Job 2.
Do you know your most productive time? That is, when can you sit down to write and get the most accomplished?
I used to belong to a group where we met in a Yahoo Instant Message chat room all day on Fridays. Some had other jobs and could only meet in the evening or during their lunch hour... but they showed up! Others of us were able to participate all day long. We began at 9 a.m. and went until 10 p.m. We did 30 min word sprints with 15 minute breaks, broke an hour each for lunch and dinner. Because time zones varied, some of us might be writing while others were eating and vice versa. But we were writing!
I was able to write every day. But by tracking my word count for each sprint, I noticed something. I found my MOST PRODUCTIVE TIME - or MPT.
My word counts for sprints early in the day were very low, barely breaking 200 words in 30 minutes some times! But as the day wore on, the word counts slowly climbed. Then about 4 p.m. I found them jump drastically, writing as much as 800-1000 words per sprint! Wow! So why was I unable to do that all day long? I have no clue. Sometimes Why isn't as important as just knowing the What.
What I discovered was that my brain does not process big chunks early in the day because I'm multi-tasking the other house stuff. You know, the dishes, laundry, floors, etc that we have to deal with every day. But by 4 p.m. when real life was out of the way, I could dump the words and focus on my story.
So now, I use the daytime for short pieces. Short stories, blog posts, promotion, transcribing interviews, etc. Basically, all the things concerned with the freelance end of my job. Then at night when the words can flow in bigger chunks, I sit with my novel and write like crazy for about 3 hours.
Here's my challenge for the next week. Every time you can sit and write, whether it be at home, at work, during the kids' sports game, whatever... make note of the situation and your word count. Do this every day for a full week. At the end of the week, look back at which times you were getting the most words written. From this little assignment you will find your Most Productive Time (MPT) and how to make the most of that time to be successful at your job.
Happy Writing
Angela!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
BEGINNING 2013...
... with a slow start.
I had that one week between Christmas and New Years to breathe. Afterwards it has seemed like I just can't catch up. But I'm gaining ground.
The first thing that caught me was JANO 2013. Now I KNOW JANO comes around every January first. And I also knew I would be the chairperson this year. So why did I still feel as if I were not prepared? I should have been. I knew what my JANO project would be and was (still am) excited about it's prospects. I was also able to get all the necessary book work in order for tracking the JANO participants. But the other things I wanted to also kick off the first part of the month seem to be dragging behind like the tin cans on the bride and groom car. I know they are there... I can hear them banging for my attention. But I'm trying to move forward while they continue to follow me.
Every day brings me closer to eliminating one of the cans. Like updating this blog. I had intended to talk all month about my JANO progress. I wanted to share the 'Rapunzel meets Fifty Shades of Grey' concept and how I was enjoying my first foray into a true erotic novel as an author. Instead, I've spent the time actually writing the novel. There's a concept. Although I'm not making the progress with this one I did in Nano, I am still finding the footings that I hope will be the basis for a great four-book series.
One of the things I am doing new this year is not just talking about my goals in a standard post but I am making them a permanent part of my sidebar. As I accomplish the items, I'll make notations. Together we can track my progress.
For now, I'm late to a writing sprint.
Happy Writing!
Angela
I had that one week between Christmas and New Years to breathe. Afterwards it has seemed like I just can't catch up. But I'm gaining ground.
The first thing that caught me was JANO 2013. Now I KNOW JANO comes around every January first. And I also knew I would be the chairperson this year. So why did I still feel as if I were not prepared? I should have been. I knew what my JANO project would be and was (still am) excited about it's prospects. I was also able to get all the necessary book work in order for tracking the JANO participants. But the other things I wanted to also kick off the first part of the month seem to be dragging behind like the tin cans on the bride and groom car. I know they are there... I can hear them banging for my attention. But I'm trying to move forward while they continue to follow me.
Every day brings me closer to eliminating one of the cans. Like updating this blog. I had intended to talk all month about my JANO progress. I wanted to share the 'Rapunzel meets Fifty Shades of Grey' concept and how I was enjoying my first foray into a true erotic novel as an author. Instead, I've spent the time actually writing the novel. There's a concept. Although I'm not making the progress with this one I did in Nano, I am still finding the footings that I hope will be the basis for a great four-book series.
One of the things I am doing new this year is not just talking about my goals in a standard post but I am making them a permanent part of my sidebar. As I accomplish the items, I'll make notations. Together we can track my progress.
For now, I'm late to a writing sprint.
Happy Writing!
Angela
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