2015 Resolutions - Update 3

It's been 6 months (27 weeks) since the New Year! Halfway there :). Time to check in on my resolutions and see where I am.

Resolution #1: Finish the first draft of TGITP

I have 5 scenes left until I finish the first draft! I will DEFINITELY, FOR SURE, be finished by this Saturday. I'M SERIOUS THIS TIME. 

Resolution #2: Read 70 books

I have currently read 35 books, so I'm halfway there! Goodreads tells me I'm one book behind but I'm halfway through quite a few so I should catch up easily. 

Resolution #3: Write at least 1,000 words a week

In the past 2 months I've missed twice, once for no reason and once because I was at a teaching conference. I'm not sure how this resolution will look once I finish the first draft. I guess it will be 1,000 words a week still, but unrelated to TGITP, kind of like my Camp Nano project. 

Resolution #4: Play an instrument once a week

I only missed once this time, for the teaching conference. I've started working on exercises to increase my hand independence (so that I can play a different melody on each hand at the same time, which is necessary for the song I'm learning) and I'm excited to say that I've already seen some improvement!

Resolution #5: Do 5 pull-ups a week  

Yikes. So I've only missed once, which is good. However, for awhile there I was doing 5 pull-ups a day. I had a routine down, but school ended and that routine died. I need to make a new routine for the rest of summer and stick with it, because I've already seen a loss of muscle definition!

Here are my spreadsheets for May and June. 

That's it! I'll check back in at the end of August, where I may re-evaluate my resolutions. 

Update: Paperclip Visual

Last month I tried out a new method to visually track my word count each week as motivation. It's worked really well, so I decided to make it prettier and a bit more permanent. 

I went out and got a set of clear shot glasses, and beads in two different sizes. 

The little green beads each represent 100 words (there are ten of them) and the larger red beads represent 1,000 words (I only have seven of these, since I don't typically write more than 5,000 words a week). 

I move a green bead over every time I write 100 words, until I reach 1,000. Then I reset them and move over a large red bead. 

Only 10 more scenes to go until I finish the first draft of TGITP!

My Pocket Notebook

Yesterday I read "How to Use a Simple Pocket Notebook to Change Your Life" by Trent Hamm. I've been thinking about starting a pocket notebook for awhile, especially for those times when I hear a particularly beautiful sentence or good bit of dialogue and want to remember it. His post finally convinced me. 

Today I ran out to the office supply store and bought a pack of little composition books and a pack of little pens. Here's a picture of my notebook, next to a regular pen for size. 

I labeled it June 2015 (I'm thinking that when I finish it I'll add another label for the end month) and taped a straw to the side to hold the pen. 

In the back, I taped an old bracelet I don't wear anymore to use as a bookmark. I also added a few paper clips in case I have any separate papers (receipts, business cards, etc) I'd like to hold onto until I can do something with them or glue them into the notebook. 

I'll update in a few weeks to let y'all know how it's going (and if it really did change my life). 

Goal - Finish The Third Quarter

Summer break is here! And with it, a big push to finish the first draft of TGITP. I'm five scenes away from finishing the third quarter, so my goal is to do that by this Friday. Three days. I can do it! Much like my Spring Break goal I'm going to keep track of my progress on here to help keep me motivated (and give you all some insight into my writing process).

Wednesday, 1:38pm
Starting now! Today I'm going to plan the five scenes I need to write, and write one of them. I'm currently at a coffee shop with a writing group I joined. We meet a few times a week and chat and get settled for about thirty minutes, then Shut Up and Write for an hour. It's super helpful to be in a room with people who are all concentrating on their writing too.

Update: Wednesday, 2:30pm
Well, somehow I managed to add one, possibly two scenes to my to do list. However, I planned out about three and a half scenes. Not too bad for an hour's work.

Update: Wednesday, 4:13pm
Home now after running a few errands and sitting down to write. I think I'll crank out today's scene(s) and finish planning later.

Update: Wednesday, 5:30pm
Did a whole lot of nothing for awhile and then finally started. I wrote 421 and the first half of a scene.

Update: Wednesday, 7:55pm
Sitting in the Starbucks at my local Target. My boyfriend is across the table from me studying for his physics GRE. I just bought a clipfolio (clipboard on the outside with a pocket and legal pad inside, in cute, coordinating colors of course) in anticipation for editing TGITP. I figure I'll take my notes on the legal pad and keep critiqued scenes from my writing group in the folder. Ahhh, one day. Now to write the rest of today's scene...

Update: Wednesday, 8:53pm
983 words and two short scenes later.....I'm feeling pretty good about my progress today.

Update: Thursday, 9:05am
I'm at my desk, delicious cup of coconut oil coffee at the ready. The sunlight streams through the window in front of me, and my dog is curled up in her bed at my feet. Mmm. So relaxed. Time to plan out the last scene of this quarter and then write one or two more.

Update: Thursday, 10:13am
Spent some time rewriting a great scene in a book I'm reading right now, to get in the "words are music" mindframe. Then I finished planning the last few scenes of this quarter. Now time for the actual writing! (while the Dallas String Quartet version of Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This plays on Pandora...)

Update: Thursday, 10:43am
490 more words written, and 1 more scene. Two more to go!

Update: Thursday, 8:00pm
Here we go, time to hammer out the last two scenes! Throw in a word sprint or two with my critique partner and I just might make it.

Update: Thursday, 8:48pm
FINISHED! A day early too!

2015 Resolutions - Update 2

It's been 4 months (18 weeks) since the New Year! Time to check in on my resolutions and see where I am.

Resolution #1: Finish the first draft of TGITP

I'm currently drafting the third quarter (7 out of 20 scenes done) and plan to finish by May 23rd. Then I'll just have one quarter left! I should be done with this resolution by the next check in, if everything goes as planned.

Resolution #2: Read 70 books

I've read 25 books so far, which is 2 books ahead of schedule! Still not doing so great at focusing on only a few books at once though.

Resolution #3: Write at least 1,000 words a week

Out of 18 weeks I've missed only 3 weeks! I also had another 5,000 word week.

Resolution #4: Play an instrument once a week

I've missed this goal 4 times in 18 weeks. I really want to practice more than once a week, but I keep reminding myself that right now I'm building up the once a week habit to start, so it's okay if I don't do more than that.

Resolution #5: Do 5 pull-ups a week  

I've also missed this 4 times in 18 weeks. I was all set two weeks ago to bump it up to 5 pull-ups a day, and then the great week 17 plague hit and killed those dreams. I'm going to go for it this week though now that I'm feeling better.

And here's my spreadsheet where I'm keeping track of my goals.

That's it! I'll check in on these again at the end of June.

Paperclip Visual

The other day I stumbled upon a cool way to track progress, and decided to try it out on my writing.

My current (low) goal is to write at least 1,000 words a week. I put 10 paperclips on a sticky note titled "not yet written" and made another sticky note titled, "written!" Each paperclip is worth 100 words, so 10 paperclips=1,000 words. 

Every time I write 100 words I get to move a paperclip from one sticky note to the other. This gives me a visual representation of my progress while I watch the unwritten pile shrink and the written pile grow. This is the first week I've tried it, so I'll be sure to come back and let you know how it worked for me. 

If it works especially well, I'm thinking of doing a bigger version. Maybe two small jars and 80 marbles, representing the 80,000 total words I'm shooting for in my manuscript?

Update: I've used the method once now and it worked pretty well! I didn't usually notice when I passed 100, and when I did notice I often got to move several clips at once, which was a nice boost. 

Spring Break Goal - Write 8 Scenes

A break from work and school should mean more time for writing, right? Somehow it doesn't usually work out that way. I'm determined to make this break different.

My goal this week is to write 8 scenes in TGITP.

After 6 scenes I'll finish the second quarter of the first draft, and I'll have to outline and plan the third quarter before writing the other 2 scenes. I plan to write 2 scenes a day on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, outline on Thursday, and write 1 scene a day on Thursday and Friday. Ambitious, but I can do it.

I'm going to update this blog post as I go, to keep myself accountable (though who knows if anyone will ever read this besides me).

Here we go!

Monday, 1:40pm
Starting now!

Update: Monday, 2:35pm
1,262 words and 1 scene written. Short break to do some chores around the house and then back to it.

Update: Monday, 8:50pm
Starting again...

Update: Monday, 9:40pm
543 words and 1 more scene written. Now to bed! (Or really, now to go read for two hours and then to bed...)

Update: Wednesday, 1:33pm
So sometimes life gets in the way. Yesterday was Saint Patrick's Day, as well as my 3 year anniversary with my boyfriend, so not much writing got done. Therefore, change in plans! I'm going to try to write three scenes today, one scene (and outline) tomorrow, and two scenes on Friday. Here we go!

Update: Wednesday, 2:43pm
Whew, tough scene. 642 words and 1 more scene complete. Off to do some things around the house, and then I'll be back!

Update: Wednesday, 4:00pm
"If I crash I'll begin again"

Update: Wednesday, 4:30pm
647 words and 1 more scene! That one was easy because it was mostly just rewriting a scene I wrote awhile ago. Now for dinner and some anniversary celebrating, then I'll be back at it tonight.

Update: Thursday, 12:06pm
Decided I was too tired last night to write another scene. I always used to think I was a night owl, but I've learned in the past few years that I'm more of an early bird. Fortunately, since it's spring break, I can take advantage of that and write in the morning. Here we go...

Update: Thursday, 12:46pm
Got sucked into a email/name googling black hole. Now I'm really starting.

Update: Thursday, 2:41pm
God, it's like pulling teeth today. 670 words and 1 more scene complete. Time to read and take a nap.

Update: Friday, 3:00pm
Saw Insurgent this morning. Love. Now for writing, writing, writing...

Update: Friday, 3:56pm
FINISHED WITH THE FIRST HALF! I wrote 1,234 words (yes really) and 1 more scene. I also decided that the scene I was going to end this half with will do better later on. Therefore, I am officially finished drafting the first half of TGITP. I still have 2 more scenes to write this week, so later I'll do some outlining.

Final Update:
So that's it. 5,025 words and 6 scenes. I didn't totally meet my goal, but I did finish the first half so yay!

My Writing Routine

I've gotten back into the habit of writing every day, so I wanted to jot down what my writing routine is like, with the understanding that it might look completely different in a year or even a month.

The first thing I do is turn on all the lights and open the blinds, if it's still daylight outside. Then I light a candle or some incense, or sometimes both, and make the bed. I find it impossible to be creative if I'm in a messy room.

Then I'll grab a drink, coffee or wine, or sometimes kombucha, and occasionally tea or water. Since it's winter, I turn on the space heater and grab my favorite blanket, and make sure my dog is in the room before I close the door (she loves to snuggle up by the heater).

I'll finally sit down at that point, and check in on all the writerly and readerly blogs I follow. I might read an article or two on the craft, or on publishing, or get sucked into a goodreads/digital library/book review hole.

Then I open scrivener.

I reread my notes for a scene, and maybe the last scene I wrote. I might check my spreadsheet and make sure I remember all the important plot points I need to hit.

Then I write.

And sometimes I hate what comes from my fingertips.

But I keep writing.

And tomorrow it doesn't look so bad.

What I Wrote 2015 - Week 10

This Week I...

Wrote 2,811 words
Wrote 5 new scenes
Prepped 2 scenes for my critique partner
Planned the next 5 scenes
Will probably write another scene tonight
Rewrote 2 scenes from 2 of my favorite novels, then looked at their balance of description, narration, dialogue, and introspection. I also looked at how they use inferencing and other techniques.

I've realized just how important it is, for me, to make sure I write every day. Taking a break for even one day makes it that much harder to get back into the groove.

Current total word count: 48,256

What I Wrote 2015 - Week 5

This week I...

Met with my critique partner
Edited the first 4 scenes of the second quarter of my WIP
Laid out the entire second quarter, including every subplot and scene, on an excel spreadsheet.
Made some pretty lofty goals.

After this week, I no longer have an excuse not to write. I have the next 20 scenes plotted out, ready to go. Because of that, I made the goal to write 5 scenes a week for the next four weeks, in order to finish writing the second quarter by March 1st. I plan to spend Sundays summarizing each scene, so I know exactly what I plan on writing. Then Monday through Friday (this will be the hardest part) I'll write one scene a day. Then on Saturdays I'll do any editing, update my excel sheet and plans for future scenes, and edit and post the next scene for my critique partner.

This is the plan, we'll see how it goes. I plan to post a short update on Monday about how the first day went. Remember, you can also follow my writing goals at My Write Club.

Wish me luck!

What I Wrote 2015 - Week 3

This week I...

Met with my critique partner
Wrote 1,894 words (most of which were outline)
Outlined a lot (I'm trying out the snowflake method to organize my novel more and it's awesome)
Finished one scene

I'm considering adding to my resolutions: Write for 15 minutes, 3 weeknights a week.
I need to get into the routine of writing in the evenings when I'm exhausted from work, and I'm hoping that starting slow like this will do the trick. I think I'll try it out this week and see how it goes before adding it to my list of resolutions.

What I Wrote 2015 - Week 2

This week I...

Met with my critique partner
Wrote 1,049 words
Edited/Wrote 3 scenes

Slow and steady wins the race.

What I Wrote 2015 - Week 1

This week I...

Wrote 1,071 words
Edited/Wrote/Rewrote 4 scenes

I keep telling myself it's not good enough. But it is.

My Write Club

In honor of New Years, my critique partner Megan introduced me to this awesome website I wanted to share.

It's called My Write Club, and it's a place where you can create and track writing goals, as well as connect with friends and watch them meet their goals too. 

My username is jessicawrites if you want to connect with me!

My 2015 Resolutions

This year I've thought hard about making some resolutions that I think I can actually accomplish.

Resolution #1: Finish the first draft of TGITP

I will finish this year. I will.

Resolution #2: Read 70 books

Last year my resolution was 52, and I read 65, so this year I'm bumping it up to 70.

Resolution #3: Write at least 1,000 words a week

Yes, I understand that only 1,000 words a week will not create an entire book. However, 0 words a week is even less likely to create a book, so I'm holding myself to at least 1,000.

Resolution #4: Play an instrument once a week

Again, not a huge change, but doable. It's the little things in life.

Resolution #5: Do 5 pull-ups a week  

These will be assisted pull-ups at first, since I can't even do one at the moment. By the end of the year I want to be able to do 3 pull-ups without help.

I think that these resolutions are much more reasonable and easy to meet, (Except number 1. It's scaring me. But I will succeed.), so here's to the new year!

Oh Yeah! Camp NaNoWriMo Day 3

I forgot to post on here, but I've decided Camp NaNoWriMo is just the thing to get my butt in gear and help me finish my first draft before I start new teacher orientation in August. My goal is 1,500 words a day, or about 45,000 words for the entire month. If I keep the pace up through the middle of August I should finish just in time.

So far I've done okay.

Day 1: 756 words. Only half way, but I did spend a few HOURS plotting haha. It will be much easier to keep up this pace if I have a plan to follow.

Day 2: 2256 words (total). Hit exactly 1500 words yesterday, and stopped in the middle of a sentence so it was much easier to pick back up today!

Day 3: 3792 words (total). It was hard to finish today since I'm staying with family, but I'm proud to say I did it! 3 days down, 28 days to go.

Write One Sentence Every Morning - Result

It only took 5 days, not 30, to realize that this experiment is a total failure.

Out of the 5 days, I only actually wrote 1 sentence right away for 3 of them.

On of those 3 days, I still didn't write anything else for the rest of the day.

My next writing critique group meeting is on Monday, so I need to have my next scene ready by then. I've thought of a new experiment to try to force me to write consistently. I'll be posting about that tomorrow morning (bright and early! hint hint).

Experiment - Write One Sentence Every Morning

If you haven't noticed, I've pretty much sucked at writing regularly lately. My fear/perfectionism has
been kicking in.

Yesterday I was at Barnes & Noble, and seeing so many books I've loved on the YA shelves sparked that fire again (the one where I have a hard time deciding whether I want to read or write first, I'm so inspired to do both). I realized reminded myself that things need to change.

I know from previous problems with procrastination that starting is the hardest part. But how to get myself to start, without overwhelming myself at the thought of finishing an entire book?

One sentence.

For the next 30 days I will write one sentence as soon as my computer is open. I will do this before checking email, social media, or surfing around. Worst case scenario: I only write one sentence each day and don't feel pushed to write any more since I've already been "successful" at writing for that day. Best case scenario: I write one sentence, and that one sentence makes it easier to come back to my book later and add many more.

I'll try to update tomorrow, Day 1, May 26, 2014.

3rd Grade Writer's Workshop

I started my writer's workshop with my third graders today! I went around to 5 different libraries in Austin this weekend and ended up checking out 82 books for them to use as mentor texts during our unit. Unfortunately, they're sort of more excited to read the books than they are to write their own!

For the writing unit they're entering their books in a PBS contest in April. They were surprised to find out that I'm a writer working towards being published as well. I told them I would be making a short graphic story (what do you call a graphic novel of picture book length?) while they made their own books. I'm not the best illustrator, so we'll see how this goes!

Just wanted to give you a glimpse of when my writing life and teaching life collide.

My New Writer's Critique Group

I joined/co-founded a critique group, and this past Saturday we had our first real critiquing session! The group is made of me and four other girls, all between 17 and 22 years old. This is extremely exciting (and nerve wracking) for me because it was the first time I let anyone read any part of TGITP. Seriously, neither my mother, my sisters, nor my boyfriend have read any of it yet.

I think part of the reason for that is because I haven't written the full draft yet, and there's a possibility that things in that first chapter will change. I want my family to be able to read the story in it's entirety and experience it like they would experience a published book. However, I don't necessarily need my group to read the book in it's entirety. I need their help working on my writing now, and motivating me to have something ready for them to read each week.

Anyway, the comments were pretty good! But it was the first week after all ;). I expect (and hope) (and fear) that the comments will get a little more critical, and therefore more helpful, as time goes on.