My family has a lot of veterans in it so I wanted to say, "HAPPY VETERANS' DAY." Without them where would this country be?
Wish I Knew Wednesday
I'm joining my pal Tess in posting little tidbits of information that I have learned along this journey that we are all on. She uh, said I could. You too. Join us. :)
Tidbit#1
I GOTTA HAVE A PLAN ! If I don't, this isn't going to work. And by that I mean, a plan for time to write.
And I realize that a lot of you already know this. But I didn't. As a matter of fact, I've just figured this out in the last couple of months. When I first started on this road I thought, This will be a breeze. I'll write a book, snag an agent, pick up a publisher along the way and presto! I'm published. UH, YEAH! Right.
And to top it off, FIVE years later, ol' Robyn is still singing the, "I wanna be published" blues. PLUS.
I didn't have a plan about time. My most important commodity.
Time.
I must've thought there was going to be hours and hours available to me.
WRONG.
So I now have that plan. Two days a week in the afternoon when I do NOTHING but write. Nothing stops me from that time. No kids, no nothing. I schedule hospital visits, etc. around my writing time. No nothing on those two days, but my writing. The hubby doesn't call home at those times. The phone is unplugged. I visit blogs in the mornings on those days. And it is working. I get more writing done in those two days than I did in a weeks time before my epiphany. Now I know that I don't have a job. Well technically I do. I teach.
So.
Have a plan. It's a good thing. :)
Great post, Robyn! Love that you joined me in an occasional Wish I Knew...
ReplyDeleteI hope others do as well so I can learn what works or what little tidbits others have picked up along the way.
And - you are right about the scheduling thing. It does make a difference and took me a while to figure it out. If I don't schedule it, it doesn't happen.
ps- my journey so far? 7 years *sigh*
Happy Veterans Day to you too! And plans are good things; just make sure they're flexible enough to be revised when they must.
ReplyDeleteGreat plan, Robyn! I have a friend who wants to do a picture book...and thinks it's an overnight thing. I have to bite my lip from being cynical. When I tried to tell him about format, traditional publishing vs. vanity, conferences, etc...he gave me the strangest look. He'll learn.
ReplyDeleteI think blocking out time is important, but sometimes I find that I'm stuck and still can't get any writing done. Then I'll need to leave to go pick my kids up, and the words will be flowing out of me. It's frustrating.
ReplyDeleteTess, *sigh* It could frustrate me to the point of no return, if I wasn't careful. We must persevere and remember what we're doing and not give up. Though I considered throwing in the towel, weekend before last, I know now I could never. It does get me down though.
ReplyDeleteThen I remember the children that will love my books and grow into a love for reading because of my books and I change the sigh into a smile.:) Most of the time, anyway.
Linda, my writing plans can't be changed unless there is an emergency. If I become too flexible, I'll break. So I have to stay set in my writing goals. :) If not I won't get it done.
ReplyDeleteAmy, Oh boy is your friend ever in trouble. :) And you're right. He'll have to learn on his own. I know a writer who has never sent anything to a publishing company and is getting ready to. She is going to send to one publisher, because she just knows she'll be accepted the first time.
ReplyDeleteAs Winnie The Pooh says, "O bother." :) It could happen, but most likely will not. But I am not commenting. She'll have to find this out on her own. :)
Susan, Yeah the dang muse can be that way. Which is why I picked the two days that I love the most. Bribing my muse is always a good thing. :)
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love your plan. I've always got to where I'm going with my grand plans ;) Plus the Lords blessing never hurt either. Thank you to your family of vets!!!
ReplyDeleteT.Anne, You're right. The Lords blessing never hurt and I have been asking him to bless my writing. As far as the plan, I gotta have one. If I don't, I just won't do it. I let everyone and everything get in the way of my writing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing gratitude for the vets. I appreciate that more than you could ever know. :)
I think you are right--and, write--about the structuring of time. The experience I'm having in NaNo has taught me that we use excuses everyday not to write. Shopping, blogging, dishes, laundry, family needs, yadayadayada. Yes, we need to do these things, but we also need to write, and blocking time for that is essential. Go for it!
ReplyDeleteTricia, uh, I've used all those except the dishes one. When it comes time to wash them I say, "My, my, there were things I didn't get done to my story today. Could someone please help a poor girl out?" :) Works like a charm!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am the CHAMPION of excuses. :)
Oh, that's just great. You know how competitive I am. Now I'm going to have to start blogging about wish I knew things as well. Geesh! Well, since it is Conspiracy Theory Wednesday - hey, go check out my blog for a great post about a conspiracy theory (HA! See, Robyn, I can advertise on your blog as well) - I think 'wish i knew wednesday' is a conspiracy hatched by your and Tess to distract me from other things. Well, it's not going to work.
ReplyDeleteS
p.s. check out my blog. Hey, I like this free advert thing . . . though I seriously think I'm going to start charging your for advertising on my blog all the time. You're lucky I like you!!
SCOTT!!!! I might decide to bill you! After all, it was my idea. So billing me is not possible!
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right! We hatched this devilish plan JUST to make you squirm. And we're lovin' it. And not working you say? Hmmm, looks like it's working to me. *fist pump* YEAH!
Oh and you're LUCKY I like you! :) Bwa ha ha ha
I think this is great. I'm still a time snatcher. I write when I can. I used to have a set routine, and I'm much more productive when I have one. But this last year, I haven't managed to figure out a schedule just yet. I need one!
ReplyDeleteDavin, I use to snatch time from here and there. It just didn't work for me. I write better when I know what day to do it on. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Robyn -- great timing! I'm now trying to carve out a plan for the outline of a novel that I want to work on. I'm using a book that shares how to write a book in a month as a guide. I don't plan on writing it in a month, but the advice, charts and pacing suggestions are very helpful.
ReplyDeleteHey Ayesha girl! I've heard of that write a book in a month. Bet it has some great tips in there. I can imagine the advice would be really good. I didn't know it was a book. I'm going to try and find that book here.
ReplyDeleteI'm coming over for tea, okay? :)
Excellent plan!!!! Scheduling uninterrupted time is key. May your writing journey skyrocket now that you're following a plan!!
ReplyDeleteEileen, thanks! I hope it skyrockets too. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of sharing a tidbit, and I love yours. When I dedicate time to write, it is so much more productive! Yay for you!
ReplyDeletePJ, YES! Yay! And I love tidbits too. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the tidbit from you and Tess!
ReplyDeleteGuarding my writing time is the single best thing I have done. I've written 10,000 words in a week to prove it!
Tamika, You go girl! Doesn't that make you feel on cloud nine? :)
ReplyDeleteThanks about Veteran's Day. Hubby and I are both disabled vets - Air Force.
ReplyDeleteAs per planning my writing time I admire you and wish I could be like you. Some day...
For now, I write as I can squeeze in time. Between the day job and my kids softball tournaments every weekend and games/practice almost every weeknight, I have to catch time where I can. Luckily, my Alpha Smart allows me to write at the softball field and when that isn't working or I forget it, I use old fashioned pen and paper. But I can't set my writing time much into the future. Every week the game schedules change. And this month, I have physical therapy after work that's also cutting even more into my personal time. Plus my family has this funny idea I should spend special time with them for my birthday (it's next weekend but there's an all weekend tournament so hubby took me out to dinner and a movie last night and today is a family birthday celebration in a bit). :)
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ReplyDeleteMenghilangkan Benjolan Di Leher