A New Story

Nope....not a novel. I am still sticking to decision of finishing edits on this book. They are going, well slow. But that's mostly due to day job. I'm much busier in day job now, longer hours, hardly any break time etc. so that has impact on my evenings too. But edits are going. There is progress, so I am glad about that.

Anyway, this new story....well, it's a short story.

Now the more attention-paying people amongst you might remember that I am not really a short story person. I like some, but not a lot. I have written some, but not a lot. And they are certainly not my focus. But I just wanted to write something, and it's sort of related to my novel, because it's set in the same world - though during much earlier time in the world's history. This is just to flex some writing muscle really. 

The plan is to have a writing frenzy of sorts for the first draft, which I want to be around 10K to 15K. And I want to finish the first draft in a matter of days, or at the most a week - which with the bank holiday weekend is possible. 

So time to get writing. Cheer me on folks....I will put up a word counter on the side. 

Yearly Goals - Useful or Unnecessary Stress?

As we are now in the middle of the year, and not having reviewed my yearly goals for over a month, I have come to a conclusion - most of those goals don't matter.

Okay, so there are things on there that I would like to get done / accomplish. And yes, I would still like to do those, but in my current life-style, I simply can't find time for all those goals. So was I giving myself unnecessary stress earlier in the year, trying to fit it all in? Yes, and no.

Goals are good, but what's even more important is that how good your goals are to your future plans. Unfortunately, if you are like me, your future plans include a lot of accomplishments and a feeling that I must do it all now. So I try to fit in as much as I think I can. And when I count number of hours, it seems almost possible. Of course what I fail to consider are the human limitations - like I might be too tired after a busy, stressful day at a day job to be productive every evening. Or that I might actually *HORROR* end up having some social obligation. My goals are good based on a number of hours available in the day, but not so good when I consider other limitations.

There are also too many of them. Okay, so a lot of things need to get done, and it does seem rather easy in January to think that surely I can do all of these in a  year. But then I blink, and oh boy, it's nearly June. How the hell did that happen? But it happens. Every year. While I don't claim to be productive all the time, or indeed make the best use of my time, I do tend to underestimate how ordinary life gets in the way of goals. 

But goals are still important...so at least for the rest of this year, instead of worrying about my big list...I am only going to worry about couple of things on there, and just focus on that. Rest will either take care of itself, or there is always next year.

What about you? How are your 2011 goals going? Do you have a long list that you are now daunted by? Or are you ticking everything off? Do you underestimate the time you have?

WIP 2 - 10K Mark

Small steps certainly do add up. Since starting WIP 2 on March 1st, I have kept up with daily goals, and so now the book has reached 10K mark, which I am very happy about. If I stick to my word count, then by end of March, I should reach 20K. Well, my goal is 19500, but I will try for 20K anyway. 

While I have been writing this WIP, I have incredible urge to do a hand-written first draft. The main reason is because this is a half-and-half. I am writing whatever I can during my commute in the morning on a notepad, then I type it up. It seems bit of a waste of time, because I am not editing at this point, simply auto-typing the words. But I feel that since I have already got this WIP going on computer, I don't want to stop typing up. 

However, I might try writing a next WIP first draft only by hand, and see how that works out. I have never done that. It's always been bit of a mix and match. 

Anyway, so at this rate, I am hoping to get first draft finished by end of July. 

How are your WIPs coming along?

Weekly Goals

Since it's Week 1, I figured I will do a Weekly Goal post. I have just made a list of all the things I need to do, so here I will share those goals.

Blogging
- At least two posts on Writer Revealed (this counts ;)
- At least two posts on Journal Addict

Reading
- Finish reading Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler (P. 344 - P. 578)
- Read F. Scott Fitzgerald on Authorship at least up to P. 55

Tidy
- lots of mess - mostly papers that really need sorting

Fitness
- Do fitness test on MFC

Website
- Renew website hosting
- Check if domain needs renewing

Writing - NaNo2010
- Monday 300 words
- Tuesday 300 words
- Wednesday 300 words
- Thursday 300 words
- Friday 300 words
- Saturday 1000 words
- Sunday 1000 words

I have a list of secondary goals too that I could work on if I do finish all of these, but it's sufficient to be getting on with, since it will also be first week back to work - and so not looking forward to that. 

Seems finally I am in the New Year, and beginning to get into groove of things. How are things coming along for you? 

Back With a Blast - Finding Balance

You may have noticed, my poor blog has been quite silent for last month. I had decided my fitness regime (or lack of it) needed drastic attention so I was obsessing over that. The problem with obsessing is that it's hard to do that on more than one thing, so alongside my second mission was to find a balance, and try to bring some discipline into my routines that I could focus on various important issues instead of writing like a woman possessed or doing something else like a woman possessed. Of course, only having limited time doesn't help either, but I knew it wasn't impossible. So that was my hard journey. 

But finally, this weekend, things clicked into place, as they do. I reassessed my yearly goals, revised them based on current time, progress and changes, and found my centre again. It's a great relief to feel in control of all my goals, as opposed to just one at a time.

So now, you will be seeing regular posts here. Not one every day as I did a lot before, but definitely regular.

In news, the fitness obsession did work, and I am AMAZED to say I am now a regular exerciser (is that even a word? - it should be if it's not) :P and I don't even eat Pizza every week, let alone several times a week.

Reigns of editing my NaNo2009 novel have been firmly gathered, so editing is hopefully speeding up again.

And alongside, slowly - very slowly, I continue to work on first draft of my Bristol Fantasy.

All the other drafts have been put aside for now, as I have got my handful with just these things and all the other stuff I need to do. Journaling blog will be getting regular attention too.

How have you guys been?

Bottom-up Approach to Goal Setting

Most methods of goal setting revolve around top-down approach. They require one to set goals for 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, then break them down into months and weeks.

These always end up frustrating me, because what do you do when not everything is in your control, and your goals have to change depending on how things go? This is especially true for writers, or anyone in creative pursuits. Top-down approaches I think are more suitable for businesses, but for individuals (even if we are one woman/man business), going with the flow is as essential as having a goal.

For example, ideally speaking, in 5 years time I would like to have at least a few books published, and more on a contract.

I can make goals based on this. I can decide how long do I have to write each book etc. But what good is that when I don't know when my first book is going to sell? And once I did get the agent, I have no control over publisher's schedule or no idea of how much rewrite or edits an agent or an editor might require.

So while I keep the big picture in mind of what I wish to do with my life, and where I wish I would be a few years from now, finally - after a lot of trying - I have given up making concrete long-term plans.

Bottom-up approach is what I prefer. I know exactly what I need to do today, and this week, and even next week to move forward. As I take those steps, I know further ahead of what I need to accomplish, and on the way, whatever new things I learn or any deviations my goals or my life might take, I can instantly assimilate them into my goals using bottom-up approach, rather than have to rethink the whole thing if I were using top-down approach.

I have compulsive obsession with making lists (making them, not necessarily following them), so setting goals is right up my street. And as the oxymoron organised-messy fits me like a glove, I am striving to have little less messy and little more organised.

And carrying on with that line of thinking, I have ordered a new filofax. I know sounds very old-fashioned. I was considering buying a palm-pilot, but then figured I will have the same hassle I do now - I will end up writing everything all over the place, and will have to combine it (which is the part I never bother with), and simple palm pilots are not easy to get with all the smartphones or whatnots, and of course if it broke or whatever, then back to square one it is.

A friend of mine (whose birthday I forgot because it was written in an email) mentioned that she uses filofax for these things. And a light-bulb went off. It's perfect for me - especially with my stationary obsession - another new thing to write stuff in :-). I actually do have a cheap filofax-like thing from Next I bought years ago, but it's not a "proper" one, and it's got all marks all over it, so I decided to treat myself and start with a new, clean one.

Next step is to FINALLY buy a shredder so I can start getting rid of tons of paper I have accumulated, including old first drafts which need rewrite, and hence don't need to be kept. I see spring cleaning in my future - though with my way - it might last the whole year. :-P

How about you? Are you organised? With just your work/writing or with your whole life? How do you keep it all together?

2010 - Goals Update & Revision

Nearly 3 months into the new year, and already it seems like so much has changed and yet nothing has. Okay I am not trying to be cryptic here - but I suppose I feel like I have already learned a lot since January, about writing craft, about my processes, thought more about how to move forward - and yet, a lot of these have been internal shifts, mental awareness, so not necessarily much to show for it in my WIP. But internal shift is necessary to apply it in action. And now is the time for action - hence goals need some revision. 

These were my original goals. I have not gone for drastic changes, but I have reduced the list, and put more emphasis on developing my process. I could write two more new first drafts, but what good is that if I don't complete the first book to the best of my ability? The revision is about acknowledging requirement for change, and moving with the growth as oppose to sticking to old goals with rigidity. 


So the new goals 


Ongoing

• Journal
• Blog
• Exercise
• Website

Reading

• 75 Books 

Writing

• Edit and Polish NaNo2009 WIP
• Create a short list of agents
• Prepare submission packages
• Start submitting NaNo2009 WIP
• Find an agent
• Continue with WB course
• Revise already completed short stories
• Submit those short stories
• NaNo2010 - full first draft

And this is the big one that is going to take the time that I was previously going to devote to second book 

• Work systematically through various craft books and writing course materials to create my own writing/editing system. Experiment. Analyse. Understand. 

Optional Goals (which would be nice to accomplish but I won't worry about them)
Read extra 25 books
Finish outline for WIP 3 
Start editing WIP 2 

New Year Pre-Planning

As mentioned previously, editing currently is pretty much on stop. I do hope to start again soon, and properly this time, but that's why I am going to wait until after Christmas, so I can start making regular effort, every day. The weekend was spent mostly working on a scrapbook for my sister's present, but I also made an overall plan of my goals for 2010 - 17 in total. I figured that since currently, I am not really focusing on editing or writing with all the Christmas stuff going on, I might as well plan when I am going to do those things. So the yearly plan is in progress and while it is not set in stone, I hope to achieve at least most of those things. Still working on it, so I will post those goals later. With writing, I am not on a total break. Still working on brainstorming for the new book, and hopefully I can finish at least one WB Assignment in December. I am using my NaNo Novel to do that assignment so it should give me bit more perspective on the story. I absolutely love making this plan for 2010 - makes me feel like the new year is full of possibilities. of course also makes me see that I have got a lot of stuff to do, so better get on with it. Are you making goals for 2010?

Goals for Next 10 Days

Why 10 days? Because I have decided to start editing my NaNo novel from 12th of December since it’s a Saturday. I considered leaving it for a bit longer, but I am not going to hurry with editing anyway, and I might even take a break in-between drafts. But I at least want to review it quickly to decide what I am going to do about POV. So in the meantime my goals are: Writing

• Review half-finished WIP, RAN (none of my WIPs have titles, so I use acronyms from either character initials or place initials), and organise written scenes in separate files. Then work on an outline
• Work on outline for yet another half-finished WIP, SIM. Just look at it, not necessarily complete it.
• Brainstorm the shiny new idea
• Brainstorm something for next WB assignment
• Resubmit a couple of rejected short stories (I just tend to ignore them when they are rejected once, so I really should make the effort to find new markets)

Reading

• Finish Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
• Finish Gilgamesh
• Read tips about editing a book

Christmas

• Work on the scrapbook for my sister’s present
• Buy few remaining Christmas presents
• Post International Christmas Cards

Blog

• Blog regularly as per usual on Writing Blog, and make sure to read and comment on other blogs (this slipped a little during NaNo)
• At least one entry on Journal Blog

Misc

• Finish organising books that have currently turned my living room floor into an obstacle course
• Email neglected friends/family during NaNo
• Journal

Fun

• Play Sims 3

And even as I wrote the whole list, it occurs to me that I am going to have a hell of a time finishing all of that in ten days. So let’s see how far I get with this stuff.