Category: Writing

Home > Writing

4 Ways to Meet Your Writing Goals

October 9, 2012 by in category Archives tagged as , ,

You may know this has been a hard year for me. Over at my blog, Routines for Writers, it’s been a hard year for all of us. We’ve talked about how to keep going, both personally and professionally. We’ve discussed whether we have any more to offer our readers or whether Routines for Writers has run its course. All three of us have struggled to keep writing through a variety of personal and professional setbacks.
There are so many cliches we could offer each other, and you, to keep writing and not give up. But here are four solid things you can do now, or anytime you need a boost, to keep going and accomplish your writing goals.
(I didn’t mean for this to be so long, but I wanted to share with you what has worked for me. Go to the end for the bullet points if you’re short on time, and come back and read the full post when you have time. 🙂 )

Writing Routines 

You can tell from the title of our blog that Shonna and Stephanie and I strongly believe in routines in general, and writing routines in particular.  Routines are habits you are acquiring on purpose. I choose to routinely run three days a week because I have a goal of beating my best time in the half marathon I signed up for in January. My habit thus far has been to overeat and carry a lot of extra weight that is not helping me with my running. For my January race goal, I have identified one routine, and one bad habit that I need to change into a positive routine.
In my writing, I have several goals regarding getting my current book into print format, getting my next book out as an ebook and in print, and submitting my superhero novel to Harper Voyager during their open submission period this week. In addition, my 2012 goals include increasing traffic to my web site/blog, creating more online classes to teach in 2013, and learning how to promote my books to increase sales.
It’s great to have goals, but you need to have a plan, too. Just like in Shonna’s post last Friday, I take my big goals and work backwards to break them down into pieces so I know what needs to be done every month to make the goals a reality at the end of the year. When I’ve got that list of monthly goal pieces written down, I can create routines that work for me that will turn the goal pieces into accomplishments. For instance, when my life was calmer, I wrote four days a week and did all my business-of-writing stuff on Fridays. It’s less important what you choose to do, perhaps, than that you create a routine that moves you toward your goal at a pace you can keep up.
Using the “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” metaphor, let me tell you that the training programs for running marathons and half marathons (I only do half’s) suggests running moderately short distances several days a week, increasing your distance slowly, and doing one longer run on the weekend. So I might run four or five miles a day three days a week, then an 8-mile run on Saturday. More 5-mile runs the next week, and then 9 or 10 miles that Saturday. This is the kind of schedule that you can keep up even if you have to get to work in the morning. And it’s a good parallel for making a writing routine as well.

Periodic Reevaluations

When life is going smoothly (or monotonously, depending on your perspective), it can be difficult to remember to check your progress against your goals before the year is up. Several of my friends and I have an unhelpful tendency to wait until November or December, then freak out and try to cram all the rest of the work into the busiest time of the year. Brilliant.
When I teach my goal setting and time management class (coming again in January), I encourage people to check their goals after a month to see if they were on a “get it done” high when they wrote out their list. 🙂 Then I suggest quarterly reviews, taking 15 minutes to see how close you are to where you’d planned to be. At these checkpoints, we can decide if we think we should readjust our goals, and do so if necessary.
Remember, goal setting is about making progress toward something you want. It is not about beating yourself up for what you haven’t accomplished! You need to sit down and think about why you haven’t accomplished what you set out to do, but only because you need to decide if you should change course or just change tactics. You also need to reward yourself for what you have accomplished. That will give you energy to keep on going. (I started a “Done” journal a year or two ago. I write down all my writing-related work that I do on any given day, bullet-point style so I can scan it easily. I haven’t done half of what I’ve set out to do, but I’ve done a LOT and the Done journal helps me stay upbeat.)

Willingness to Change

Depending on how your reevaluations go, you may decide you want to make some changes. It may be that your goals are fine, but the way you are going about trying to accomplish them needs to change. For instance, say you decide to take someone’s advice to get up an hour early to write every day, and two months into that new routine you are exhausted and cranky. You’ve got your pages, but people have started to avoid you.
You may decide that you need to write for half an hour during your lunch break, and half an hour in the car before you come home from work. That way you are getting the sleep you need, and no one feels like you’re ignoring them. I wrote part of Little Miss Lovesick that way. I find it almost impossible to ignore my husband – we’re  like little kids who just want to play when we’re together – and this way I made my goals quickly because there’s an end to my lunch break (hurry!) and the car is not an easy place to type and I’m hungry (hurry!).
This weekend, I did a periodic reevaluation for a different reason. My life has been in constant upheaval this year (and for much longer, really) and I knew I wasn’t going to make all my 2012 goals. I needed to see where I was and figure out what was most important to me to get done before the end of the year. I looked at the big picture and monthly goals for 2012 and sighed. Heavily. Then I wrote down what I most want to accomplish before the end of the year. Yikes! It’s still a lot! But I dropped several projects on my original goals list, promising myself I’d look into whether I still wanted to pursue them next year.
Due to my husband’s unemployment and our recent dedication to following through with our Financial Peace University goals, I’ve taken on some outside work. For every hour I take out of my writing week, I’ll have to make some adjustments to either personal time that will become writing time, and/or decrease my 2012 goals again. I just have to keep reminding myself that I’m willing to make changes now to accomplish big picture goals in my “regular” life as well as my writing life.

Decide Now to Keep Going Later

Perhaps one of the best things you can do to help you meet your writing goals is to decide now not to quit when it gets tough. Life is an ebb and flow of good and bad, hard and easy. When times get tough, what is your plan?
Yes, a plan will help you not to quit.
My plan for this particular hard time was to not quit writing altogether, to not focus entirely on the areas of life calling for my attention. My plan was to let writing time decrease, but to make sure I was still making progress every week. Every baby step counts, and I have to keep reminding of myself of that.
My current plan is to work on my writing career with “gazelle intensity” – a Dave Ramsey term he uses to get people totally focused on getting out of debt. When I’m not juggling bills or working temp jobs, I’m working 10-12 hour days to get back on track. I’m giving up some of my personal time and time with John (he supports this – yay!) and I’m focusing on making up some lost time. I started this a few weeks ago and I couldn’t believe how much I got done. I’m exhausted a lot, but it’s worth it because I’m seeing progress already. (I strongly recommend you take at least one full day off from work a week if you decide to do this. You need a full battery each week to keep up this kind of pace.)
The reason I recommend a plan for what you’re going to do when life takes some (or nearly all) of your writing time, and a plan for what to do if you get a windfall of time, is that you can be prepared and make good decisions that much quicker. A few years ago I walked one step at a time into a very deep writing rut. I didn’t know how to get out of it and I didn’t know who to talk to about it. I stopped writing, for the most part, pretending to most of my peers that I was still working away. But I bet I didn’t write 5000 words (outside of my blog) that whole year.
Ouch. If only I’d had a plan for what to do when something like that happened. But because I learned from that experience, when my mom died this year, and so many other pieces of my life seemed to fall apart, I had an idea about how to survive and continue. I decided back then that I would keep going now.

Bullet Points

To meet your writing goals, you need to:
  • Create writing routines that help you to keep going, step after step after step, getting a little done at a time so that you accomplish your annual goals by the end of the year
  • Periodically reevaluate your goals and your progress, at least quarterly, deciding if you need to make any changes
  • Be willing to make changes, either to your goals and/or your tactics in trying to accomplish your goals
  • Decide now what your plan is to not quit later when times are tough, and another plan for what you’ll do with extra time
I hope you take some time to reevaluate your goals and tactics this week. What can you reasonably accomplish in the next three months? Good luck! I’m rooting for you!


Kitty Bucholtz decided to combine her undergraduate degree in business, her years of experience in accounting and finance, and her graduate degree in creative writing to become a writer-turned-independent-publisher. Her first novel, Little Miss Lovesick, was released in September 2011 as an ebook and will be available soon in print format. Kitty has also written magazine articles, devotionals, and worked as a magazine editor. She is the co-founder of Routines for Writers where she blogs every Monday. Her next novel, Love at the Fluff N Fold, will be released in late 2012.
0 0 Read more

Writing Inspiration: Calls for Submission

October 4, 2012 by in category Archives tagged as ,

As we near the end of the year, many publishing companies look to start filling special requests for 2013. This month’s calls feature some sexy Valentine’s Day offerings from Brazen to Big Beautiful Women at Decadent Publishing.
For those writers who want a little more guidance, I’m teaching the Online workshop “Submission: Writing a Short Story for Anthology Call-Out” in November for OCC/RWA.
Hope these calls spark some creativity!
Pagan Holiday Stories
The Black Rose line at The Wild Rose Press is looking for stories relating to the Pagan holidays. *Yule (similar to Christmas)*Imbolc (candlemass)*Ostara (Spring Equinox)*Beltane (May Day)*Litha – Midsummer (Summer Solstice)*Lughnasadh (First Harvest)*Mabon (Autumn Equinox)*Samhain (End of the Celtic year) Length requirement: 20-40KHeat level: SpicyStories should involve characters that fit within the Black Rose guidelines.   Please submit this special call directly to Callie Lynn Wolfe, Senior Editor at callielynnwrp@aol.com
Place the words Pagan Holiday Call in the email subject line.  Submissions will be considered and a response given between 14-21 days of receipt of manuscript. Submissions are open now!
BBW romance!
Decadent Publishing is looking for stories featuring big, beautiful women who ROCK their size 12 or 22, who live out loud, love their curves, and enjoy the man (or men!) in their lives. IR, PNR, straight contemporary, ménage, erotic, sweet romance, SFR all accepted. For more information, visit http://www.decadentpublishing.com
I Do or I Do Not
Concept: Weddings and June go together. But does the couple? In this submissions call there has to be a wedding prominently involved in the story and some doubt whether the couple who is planning to marry will actually get married or if they will get married the way they planned. Whether they do or don’t is up to you but there must be a romance, lots of erotic heat and a HEA or HFN. Someone is going to end up with the right guy or girl at the end…and maybe even a wedding.
The bridesmaid might finally become the bride, the groom may run off with his best man, the couple who called it off years ago may change their mind again, the wedding planner may have to entirely switch the theme from over the top to an intimate wedding, the rehearsal dinner might poison the guests, the gold digger bride might end up a suspect in her fiancé’s murder at the eve of the wedding…it’s up to you.
We would like a complete manuscript in by Feb. 15. Novellas (20,001 words) and up are acceptable. You are welcome to consult with your editor beforehand, of course, or, if you have none, with me or Christy Lockhart. Turn the ms. in to your editor or, if you have none, to looseid.submissions @ loose-id.com and add I DO SUB CALL in the heading. Release date: June 2013.
Steaming up Valentine’s Day
Forget the flowers and stuffy boxes of chocolate—Entangled Publishing’s Brazen, the bestselling sexy romance imprint affectionately coined “the naughty little sister of Indulgence,” is on the hunt for scintillating Valentine’s Day seductions readers won’t soon forget.
Submissions must:
•                Revolve around Valentine’s Day.
•                Be 45,000 to 65,000 words in length.
•                Feature an alpha hero in either a heroic or high-powered profession.
•                Revolve around familiar story lines such as enemies to lovers, one night stand, mistaken identity, matchmaker, best friends to lovers, office romance, etc. Stories that utilize more than one of these tropes are preferred. 
•                Maintain strong sexual tension throughout.
•                End in a satisfying happily ever after.
•                Stories due Nov. 25

Brazen only accepts stories with high heat levels, from explicit sexual encounters to light BDSM. For more information, visit http://www.entangledinromance.com/2012/09/05/call-for-submissions-brazen-valentines-day/
In Search of…

Theme: You’ll never believe how we met
April is spring time. Flowers are blooming and spring fever is at an all-time high. Hormones are surging after their winter slumber.
What are your characters in search of? A handyman or a one night stand? SP is in search of stories that involve personal ads, want ads, dating services or internet hookups. The sky’s the limit for the type of ad/situation that brings two people together. Silver Publishing is looking for unique encounters.

Connection is the theme. How do your characters find each other? Must have romance and either a happily ever after (HEA) or a happy for now (HFN) ending.

Release: Thursday, April 18
Submission close: January 5; shared cover, individual releases; Length: 5-18k words; Heat rating: Any; Combinations: Any. For more information, visit the special submissions page on https://spsilverpublishing.com
Louisa Bacio
Love Knows No Bounds

4 0 Read more

October 2012 Online Class

September 26, 2012 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , ,

Conquering National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

with Alison Diem

October 15 – November 11, 2012
Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassOct12.html
COST: $20 for OCCRWA members, $30 for non-members
If you have specific questions, email occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com
ABOUT THE CLASS:
Conquering National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a course designed to help both new and veteran participants understand the NaNoWriMo program and use it to push their careers forward.
The first two weeks of class will prepare participants for the month of November.  Students create accounts on the NaNoWriMo website, learn how to post their word counts, how to find other participants in their area, and how to get started when the clock strikes midnight on November 1st.  They also will be provided with methods of how to break free of writer’s block, how to get the words on the page, and what to do if you get behind.
The last two weeks of class coincide with the first two weeks of NaNoWriMo.  Students will be encouraged to post daily word counts, discuss challenges while writing, and participate in writing sprints and brainstorming.
The goal is 50,000 words in 30 days and this is the class that will help you get those words on the page.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Alison Diem has been a NaNoWriMo participant for the past 10 years, “winning” four times.  She is a writer of intricate stories involving history, the paranormal, adventure, magic, mystery, murder, fantasy, steampunk, creatures that may (or may not) be real and any combination thereof. Also, dragons.
Alison admires the work of many and has learned much from every book she’s ever read, even the really, really bad ones. Especially the really, really bad ones. She does not like Twilight. At all.
She recently moved back to Ann Arbor, MI with her husband, Bear, and her kitty Harvey.
She is also very, very tall. You know, for a girl.  You can find her at http://www.alisondiem.com
Enrollment Information
Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassOct12.html
COST: $20 for OCCRWA members, $30 for non-members
Coming in November 2012
Submission: Writing a Short Story for Anthology Call-Out
with Louisa Bacio
This class deals with catering a short story specifically to a publisher’s request for submissions. Regularly, editors and publishers list upcoming anthologies and the types of stories they’re looking to include. 
Check out our full list of workshop at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html
Want to be notified personally two weeks before each class? Be sure you’re signed up for our Online Class Notices Yahoo Group! Sign up at the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.htmlor send a blank email to OCCRWAOnlineClassNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 
********** permission to forward **********
0 0 Read more

Poetry

September 24, 2012 by in category Archives tagged as

I majored in English in college—I have always loved stories.  I can’t even remember now what my period of interest was—maybe 19th century English and  French literature?  That sounds reasonable.  I read a fair number of novels, plays and…poetry.  Yes, I fondly recall a seminar in French symbolist and surrealist poetry.

Homework was reading poetry, and I remember how first I’d just read an assigned poem.  Then I’d go back and look up all the words I didn’t know or understand and translate it.  Then I’d read my crude translation to try to understand the sense of the individual words and the vision of the poem.  Read it again trying to internalize the meaning of the words as I read them.  Read it again out loud to hear the language.  It took hours to read a few lines of text on a page!

While I was wrestling with this class, I remember going to some event and chatting to two somewhat inebriated English graduate students and explaining that really, I just didn’t get all the hoopla about poetry.  And having them earnestly explain that poetry was it.  The pinnacle. The point.  The Ultimate in the pantheon of literature….

I didn’t buy it.  I figure they just liked to lord it over us lowly undergraduates and needed to pick something obscure and difficult (indeed often impenetrable) and pretend they understood the secret language, and others lacked the refined ear and were not worthy of the key to unlock this treasure.  ENC (Emperor’s New Clothes) I thought.  Nothing there.

Flash forward several years.  Had broken up with my college/post college boyfriend, moved to New York, gotten a job.  But  I was still connected with our collective friends when I found out from other sources that he was getting married to a woman who had banned all of his former friends (our friends) as a pre-condition.  He had to give them all up for her, and he did.

I  felt compelled to write to him.  It couldn’t be any kind of lengthy explanation of my disappointment in his actions: his willingness to betray long term friends to satisfy an utterly inappropriate perception of threat.  To roll over and allow for such bad behavior.  To not stand up for himself.  To be so utterly lacking in integrity.  No.  No explanations.

It had to be brief–no more than 3 sentences.  Expressive. Dignified.  Ruthless.

I wrestled with words.  Wrote and rewrote.  Crafted my note. Every word had to have resonance, had to have it’s own integrity and then when juxtaposed to another, and another, create a new and nuanced meaning.  I flashed back to my conversation on Poetry and realized…

Poetry is it.

It is the challenge of packing the world in a thimble, of making each word do double, triple duty or more.  Of creating a multifaceted object that you can turn and turn again, see through it, see yourself in it, see other dimensions within it.  Within yourself.

0 0 Read more

My Story Is Like The Princess Bride

September 19, 2012 by in category Archives

Mona Karel, member at large

No, it’s not about to be made into an iconic movie. No, it doesn’t have a classic line, uttered by an actor of impeccable reputation (“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.) And it’s not filled with whimsy and sly references. Nor, alas, was it written by an award winning Hollywood icon

If you’ve read Princess Bride, you know it’s supposedly a book read to a young boy when he’s ill, by his elderly relative. When the boy grows up, he looks for the book to read to his own children and finds that his elderly relative was only reading the good parts to him, and the rest of the book was deadly dull.

My mind has been like that elderly relative, remembering the good parts about this particular book and not the rest of the story. So when I offered it as an “exciting and polished read” I was talking about the book of my weak memory, not reality. I was sure I could do one last quick trip through this book, polishing it to a gleaming brilliance in just a few short hours.

Ummm, not quite. In fact not at all. I’ve transferred the book to my kindle. I’ve pulled it up on my desk top and my lap top. I’ve even printed it out on (gasp) paper. And still the words refuse to reorder themselves into any semblance of rational order.

See, when I first wrote this mass of gibbering, I knew nothing about writing. Not that I’m any great wealth of writing advice now but at least I have learned not to change point of view three times in one four sentence chapter. So I blithely typed away back then, having the hard bitten hero describe the heroine’s hair as: “It rippled in a shining pony tail down the back of her head and caressed her cheek as she bent to help a young mother arrange bags and a sleeping baby. Chestnut with golden highlights, her hair crowned a proudly held head.” Yeah, right. He’s going to have those exact thoughts right before he pulls out an Uzi and sprays the room.

Okay, so I have a little bit of a POV problem. I could say I have a characterization issue but it’s most likely a need for DEEP point of view. So maybe I “man up” his observations and make him the rough, gruff grunting type. Nope.  Still doesn’t feel right.

Instead I’m going to try going through the beginning of the book again, and this time force myself to stay in the heroine’s POV for a full scene. I might even go for the gold, and keep it in her voice for, are you ready? One. Complete. Chapter.

Yep, I just might try that thing. And maybe I’ll even make a real book out of this story, you just wait and see! One day we’ll be quoting lines from this book as if–sorry, I do get carried away sometimes.

Mona Karel is the writing alter ego of Monica Stoner, who had her first book published after only twenty something years of writing.  She has two books out now from Black Opal Books, and if she can ever get this one cleaned up she’ll be on her way to a Romantic Suspense series. For more silliness and some neat recipes, check out her blog: http://mona-karel.com/. 

2 0 Read more
«‹109110111112113114115›»

Copyright ©2017 A Slice of Orange. All Rights Reserved. ~PROUDLY POWERED BY WORDPRESS ~ CREATED BY ISHYOBOY.COM

>