Progress on the Journey

Thank you for all of your great ideas on how to balance blogging and writing. I REALLY appreciate all of you who gave advice and shared openly about your struggles.

Now, time to check our progress on the journey. For those who've been around my blog long enough, you know what I ask every Friday: Did you meet your writing goals for the week?

I wrote my usual 2500 words during the week on my WIP. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but if you look at my side bar, you'll see my progress is steady!

What about the weekend? Do you have any weekend writing goals? That's another one of my usual Friday questions! Since I don't have a lot of writing time during the week, I make a concentrated effort to get extra done on the weekend. I know many of you do too. Tell us your weekend goals in the comments and then on Monday I'll ask you how you did!

I want to encourage you (and myself) to keep writing. We will always have other things pulling us from our writing, especially blogging. Natalie Goldberg in Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life says this:

• There is no excuse. If you want to write, write. This is your life. You are responsible for it. You will not live forever. Don't wait. Make the time now, even if it is ten minutes once a week.

• Keep your hand moving. When you sit down to write, whether it's for ten minutes or an hour, once you begin, don't stop. If an atom bomb drops at your feet eight minutes after you have begun and you were going to write for ten minutes, don't budge.

• There is difference between procrastination and waiting. Procrastination is pushing aside or putting off writing. It is thinking the moment is tomorrow. Waiting is when you are already in the work and you are feeding it and being fed by it. Know the difference between the two. Don't procrastinate. Write now.

And remember: Writers write; everyone else makes excuses! Bickman

It Takes Time

One more week, one more step forward!

Did you meet your writing goals this week? Eileen did you write 5000 words? Jill did you get 10 pages done a day? Katie did you get your 4 scenes written? Everyone else, did you accomplish what you wanted?

Now for you weekend writers, if you want some accountability this weekend, leave your writing goals in the comment section. Then on Monday I'll ask you to report back on how you did! My weekend goal is the usual 1500 words on my WIP.

I had a difficult time this week writing 5oo words per day because I'm doing preliminary edits on my MS at the same time. I know everyone says write it all, then edit. But I'm realizing just how beneficial the re-reading and minor editing is.

I started writing my novel last September so none of the beginning chapters are fresh in my mind. Re-reading has helped me pick up on threads and symbolism I need to remember to weave through the ending. It's also helped me catch some of those dreaded repeats that slip in!

I just purchased Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook. Here are a few encouraging words from the introduction:

• Don't be satisfied with merely being good enough to get published; don't measure your success in terms of an agent or seeing your name on a cover; instead, put together a novel of real depth, one that has something to say of lasting power.

• If you churn out minimally acceptable fiction, you may get published but you will never become a brand name; you may not even survive your second, third, or fourth books.

• The secret of success is dazzling readers--spinning them a story they will never forget.

• Writing a breakout novel is a journey, an awakening, an education. Get the full benefit. You don't expect to get your B.A. after just one year of classes. On the journey we're aiming for a Ph.D.

• Give yourself the space you need to achieve true mastery. It takes time.

What a fitting end to all of our discussions about waiting! I know we all want to become great writers, not just mediocre. And. . .that. . .takes. . .time. . .

Friday Flame

It's confession time! Did you meet your writing goals for the week?

For those of you full time weekday writers, did you make your word count (Jill, others)? Eileen sent me a note yesterday that she made her 5000 words this week! Great job finishing early, Eileen!

And for those of us who try to cram extra writing into the weekend, what are your weekend goals? Tell us in the comments, then on Monday we'll hold you accountable! (My weekend goal is to write 1500 words and edit one chapter.)

If you're like me, I do a whole lot better when I know I have to report my progress back to others! It sparks a flame inside that keeps me moving!

Here are a few words of encouragement from Bickman's 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes:

• You CAN sell without an agent.


• Publishers ARE looking for new writers.


• Beginners DO break in every year.


• Your next story WILL be better.


• Your luck is NOT worse than most.


• Persistence WILL win out.


• The struggle IS worth making.


• You DO have enough talent.


• Anything you still need to know CAN be learned.


• Tomorrow WILL look brighter.

Recite the above truths to yourself this weekend. And remember: He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Phillippians 1:6

Light the Flame

Have you started to make consistent progress on your WIP or other writing goals? Has it helped to have a little accountability from other writers?

If it has, then let's keep going. Let's continue to light the flame under each other. Tell us in the comments what your goals are for either the weekend or for next week. And then next week we'll check back with you to see how you did.

As usual, my weekend goal is 1500 words on my WIP. Since I write 500 per week day, my weekly total usually amounts to 4000 words. I also need to revise 3 chapters on my WIP to send to the lady who has started editing it.

For those who don't have any writing goals yet, tell us what's holding you back from developing them!

Here's what Bickman has to say about PERSEVERANCE in his book 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes:

• Writers write; everyone else makes excuses.


• Nothing short of a genuine tragedy in your life should be allowed to intrude into your regular work as a writer of fiction.


• Writing can be tremendous fun and wonderfully rewarding. But writing is hard work.


• All the excuses, all the complaints, all the alternatives to work must be fought through; the real writer will work. And regularly.


• Consistent, persistent, even dogged work, day in and day out, is the professional's way.


• All writer's get discouraged, tired and worn down. The good ones don't make excuses. They keep going.

Now if that list isn't a flame to light your writing fire, then I don't know what will! I pray each of us will persevere with our writing through the weekend and next week.

P.S. Eileen, did you make your word count goal this week? How about you, Jill? (You knew I'd ask, didn't you?!)

A Map (Part 2)

Some maps give the big picture. Other maps are full of tiny details, showing everything from street names to house numbers.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King is one of those Maps full of tiny, practical details. In a previous post I shared a few of their suggestions. Here are a few more tips:

· Beats: Don’t interrupt a scene with too many beats (bits of action); when using beats make sure they are fresh and unique instead of pointless, repetitive, or cliched.

· Rhythm: Break up large paragraphs into smaller ones; white space on a page is inviting to a reader and shorter paragraphs/sentences can add tension to a scene.

· Repetition: Keep on the lookout for unintentional word repeats; pare down interior monologue that has turned into a rambling of the character’s mood or feelings.

· Proportion: Don’t spend too much time describing every precise detail of character action; leave some things to the readers’ imagination.

· Stylistic Tricks: Cut out as many –ing and as phrases as you can; use –ing sparingly within a subordinate clause; try not to use an –ing participle construction at the beginning of a sentence.

I hope these tips point your writing in the right direction!

A Map (Part 1)

In the days before GPS and Trip Maker, everyone needed to study a map before starting a journey. Without a map (or in some cases several), a person might end up wandering around and get nowhere near the destination.

I just finished reading Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King. I’ve read a ton of writing books (six in the last six months alone). And this one is a Map.

Easy to read and practical, this book provides a wealth of editing concepts. Here are a few:

· R.U.E. (Resist the Urge to Explain): Instead of telling your character’s emotion, cut the explanation; if needed, rewrite to show it.

· P.O.V. (Point of View): Describe only what your “head” character can see or hear; establish POV right away in the first paragraph, preferably the first sentence.

· Dialogue Mechanics: If you must use a speaker attribution, use the character’s name first, then “said” second (Jody said instead of said Jody).

· Realistic Dialogue: You don’t often “hear” stiffness in dialogue when you silently read your work; read it aloud to help find naturalness and rhythm.

· Interior Monologue: When giving readers and idea of what’s going on in our characters heads, use interior monologue sparingly, interspersed lightly in a dialogue scene.

On this writing journey, we’ll be better prepared if we study our maps—those good writing books that guide us and keep us on the path to publication.

What map has guided you?