2012 Resolutions — Final Results

     Last year, I made a list of five things I wanted to accomplish in 2012 when it came to writing. I feel like this was a very productive year for me in that area. I wrote more than 138,000 words, completed a fairly detailed outline for a future project, and am close to finishing the novella project that turned into a full-fledged novel. I read several great books on writing, listened to writing podcasts and exchanged chapters with my critique partner. I feel like I learned a ton of technique from all of that.
     But how did I do on the specific tasks I listed last January? Not as good as I'd like. 

Five Weeks To Go

Thanksgiving sunset

   Thanksgiving is over and so is my major work commitment that kept me from participating in NaNoWriMo. I'm looking forward to the next five weeks when I can better balance work and writing.
   The month wasn't a total bust because I did get a few scenes written, mostly this weekend while I was on the road to visit family. This coming five weeks, though, is the make-or-break period for one of my 2012 goals -- to finish one of my WIPs. I have two contenders and need to focus on one of them to make this goal.
   To that end, I just bought Rachel Aaron's awesome writing book, 2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love. I've heard Rachel interviewed on several podcasts and was inspired by her approach to figuring out she could write faster. She developed a three-prong approach centered on knowledge, time and enthusiasm. Knowledge is knowing what you're going to write before you start. I'm more of a plotter than a pantser, though I'm not fully in either category. Time is tracking your productivity to see when you write best and under what conditions. And enthusiasm is keeping yourself excited about what you're writing. I've read the blog posts, but the author has added to that in the e-book and it is  worth far more than the 99-cent price.
   This week, I'm working on the project formerly known as the novella and I'm going to finish the outline, so I will know what scenes need to be written. I have a pretty good scene list, but it's lacking the last 20 percent. Taking Rachel's advice, I'm writing the end first and will then figure out how to get there from where I am.
    And where I am right now is in front of my computer with a couple hours before I need to go to bed. So I'm going to get started... now.

Resolutions — August Update

    I have long had a theory that National Novel Writing Month should have been set in August, not November. There’s simply too much going on in November — Thanksgiving, holiday preparations, travel, family visits, and if you’re a student, you’re preparing for finals and finishing (or starting) those semester-long projects. But what’s going on in August? Nothing. No holidays. It’s summer. It’s hot (at least here), which keeps people inside during the hottest part of the day. Perfect for writing. Hell, take your notebook outside or to the beach and write.
    My writing progress last month supports my theory. This was the single most productive month I’ve had since I started tracking my word counts. Drum roll, please …
    My total word-count this month:  41,810.

    Now, a small disclaimer:  I’m counting the dates between July 30 and September 2 because that’s how my August spreadsheet is set up. Still, I wrote every day (except one), which was one of my goals for 2012.
    In July, I wrote 3,381 words. I far exceeded my August 2011 total, when I wrote 2,951 words.
    I wrote 28,300 words on the project formerly known as the novella, but which has grown into a full-length novel. I’m pretty close to being finished, with nearly 70,000 words written. I am stumped on the last few chapters, but it will come.
    I wrote 6,372 words on what will eventually be the sequel to this project. These were scenes that I had to write because those characters were haunting me until I memorialized the ideas. Toward the end of August, I began to think about the project I started during NaNoWriMo 2011. This happened when I stalled out on novella’s third act. I ended up writing 7,009 words on this project, though a lot of that was just scene synopses.
    My best day writing, I produced 4,281 words. I have a couple of days when I only managed to get a net gain of 20 or 49 words. These days were the victim of Scrivener’s daily word-count tracker, which will count backwards. I think I deleted some large paragraphs, then rewrote them, so I didn’t have much progress in quantity, though the quality probably (hopefully) improved.
    What was the reason behind my most productive writing month ever? Part of it was a week of vacation, during which I wrote more than 10,000 words. That was followed by a slow week at work, when I was able to leave early or come in late each day, so I had the time and mental energy to spend on my personal projects. More importantly, I joined an informal band of writers at Romance Divas who decided to have a NaNoWriMo in August. That accountability and camaraderie was hugely instrumental in spurring me on to write each day.
    So was having a streak of many days in a row where I wrote. Last night, for example, I didn’t sit down to write until 9 p.m., but I knew I had to produce something or I would have a blank spot on my daily writing calendar. Luckily, I had just gotten a chapter back from my critique partner, so I made some edits to that chapter and ended with a 49-word net gain.
    As of last night, I’ve written 119,543 words in 2012. That is way ahead of last year, when I was at 71,060 by the end of August.
    For September, I hope to finish the novella project and keep up the daily writing. I like the way the spreadsheet looks with all the numbers plugged into the dates. I may also work on the scene list for last year’s NaNoWriMo project, so when November rolls around again, I’ll be ready to dive back into that story.

In the Dead of Night

View from the top of Lombard Street, San Francisco, very late one August night.

   I'm starting to wonder if my most productive time of the day, for writing at least, is in the middle of the night. Insomnia and I are well acquainted. It's not unusual for me to get up around 12:30 a.m. and go write for an hour or two. This happened last week, when thankfully I didn't have to work the next day, and a 60-minute writing session produced more than 1,000 words and a pretty good breakthrough in the story. I even went back to re-read the scene in the light of day and didn't hate it (that's praise -- this is a first draft, so I'm not concerned with quality right now).
   But I don't want to have to schedule a midnight wake-up call to write when I have a full-time job that requires me to be alert by 8 a.m. So, once you've identified your most productive time of the day, can you reprogram yourself? Can I train myself to be more productive at, say, 7 p.m. or 6 a.m.?
   Or would I want to? I complain about insomnia, but I also love how quiet the house is when I'm the only one awake. I love sitting in a darkened room, next to an open window, tapping away at my laptop and falling completely into my story. Sure, I'm dragging the next morning, but I don't know that I'd trade that temporary sluggishness for a full night sleep if I have to give up my midnight excursion into my make-believe world.
    After all, there's always coffee.

Vacation

Seneca Lake sunset.

O California

   I had the day off work today, so I planned to write a substantive post, instead of another recipe. Maybe something about writing. Character. Location, Conflicts. I had many ideas. 
   But it is too hot to ... well, fill in the blank with anything you'd like. It is another day to lay on the floor under the ceiling fan. I did wake up early to write and got 1,200 words written on a WIP. Then the heat hit and sapped all my energy and creativity. Tomorrow, I will try again. 

There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California. — Edward Abbey

Nice Work If You Can Get It

La Manzanilla, Mexico, 2007.

   I'm sitting on the patio writing. This is what I want to do full time. Unfortunately, there is the small matter of health insurance, mortgage, and oh, yes, student loans. I'm not quitting the day job any time soon. But for now, I'm going to enjoy the view of my garden while sitting in the backyard, sipping an iced coffee, and telling stories. In terms of a relaxing weekend, it doesn't get much better than this for me.
  

A Good Day Shopping

Perfect for a casual outdoor wedding.

     Writing:  Yes, I have been. This morning, I remembered a story that a coworker told me years ago. It was something that happened to her -- something weird and eerie and which was left unexplained. Unfortunately, I remembered the story while driving, so I couldn't write it down. When I got to work, I was distracted by email, voicemail, coworkers, and the usual, and an hour later was scratching my head. What was that idea I wanted to write down as soon as I got to the office? Thankfully, it came to me later and I wrote myself a brief note so I wouldn't forget again. When I got home, I turned that paragraph into 3,000 words, which I was filed away under Ideas I Will Get To Later (Hopefully).
     And then I came home and had new shoes waiting for me. Interesting story inspiration, productive writing session, and cute new shoes? Now that is a good day.

And Thus Does Fortune's Wheel Turn Treacherously*

   So, May has flown right by. A frightening thought. Fortunately, I seem to be getting over the story paralysis that kept me from writing in March and April. Unfortunately, work is keeping me busy enough that finding time to get the words out and onto the page has been a challenge.
   Yes, yes, we all have excuses. I know that if I want to write, I will find the time. Or make the time.

   For instance, this woman made time in the early morning and she works as a lawyer. Good for her. I am inspired to follow in her footsteps. This morning I wrote about 750 words before work. They were good words, too, I think. The scene haunted me last night when I was trying to sleep. I realized that I just wasn't torturing my heroine enough. Instead of sleeping, which I sorely needed to do, I thought about ways to make the poor woman's life miserable.
   Illness? Eh, no one wants to read about a bilious protagonist. Loss of a loved one? Not really necessary to advance the story. Plus, I like my supporting characters too much to kill any of them off (for now). Financial? That's it. She's losing her job. That's in addition to having broken up with a longtime boyfriend, having to compete with her arch rival on a huge career-making assignment, and stumbling into some clues that make her suspect an innocent man is being framed.
   And I think there are yet more anvils waiting to fall on our girl.

* Geoffey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, The Monk's Tale.

Have Fun Storming the Castle

My 3-year-old niece gasped at tower of tiny sandwiches. "Are they for me?"

   A beautiful garden at an historic mansion, a lovely spring day, and a happy and excited bride-to-be. What else do you need for a tea party/bridal shower?
   It was a beautiful setting, and knowing the romantic story behind the couple's meeting, it was also an inspiring way to spend the afternoon. There are some couples who you just know will weather any challenge life brings in the future. 
   And so, I'm off to the keyboard to try and capture some of that inspiration on the page.

Look Beyond the Dark Clouds

  Back when my father and I were warring over pretty much everything, we were stuck in the same car for a very, very long drive. We had nothing to talk about that didn't make him yell and me cry. But we had one cassette tape in his truck and we listened to it several times over. It was my introduction to Levon Helm, my father's favorite musician of all time. He told me about The Band, about the The Last Waltz, about how he discovered this music that spoke to him. It was the best road trip I've ever taken. Especially when we arrived to find my mom waiting in grim anticipation of our arrival, only to see us laughing and talking as we got out of the truck.
  Ever since then, I've considered Levon a member of our family. The peacemaking member.
  My dad remains a fan to this day and will very likely be listening to Midnight Ramble tonight. As will I. Go in peace, Levon.

True Love

    I spent yesterday, Valentine's Day, fighting off a bad cold. My husband brought me flowers, candy, tissues and decongestants. He's a keeper.
    Tonight, I'm feeling so much better and we're having a romantic dinner and watching the most incredible documentary:  The Loving Story. The story of Mildred and Richard Loving is the sweetest love story. If you don't have HBO, you can listen to the 1966 oral arguments at The Oyez Project, though it doesn't really capture the emotional story of a couple who just wanted to live together and raise their children near their family. I love a happy ending where love overcomes ignorance and hatred. 

Who Are These People?

   As an expert in the art of procrastination, I thought I had found every conceivable method of avoiding tasks. I just found another, and this one is nearly guilt-free.
   It's the personality test based on the Jung and Briggs Myers approach. This weekend, I just wasted spent some time having my characters take the test. It really wasn't wasted time because I've been stalled in this story for a few weeks now. Part of that was because I knew what I needed my characters to do, but I needed it to be their idea. I needed to figure out what would motivate them to do the things I need them to do. So I needed to get to know them better. And thus, the personality test.
   Cara is an INTJ, the Mastermind. Rational, a planner, logical, and efficient. These are the sock-drawer-straighteners of the world. She works hard, plots out how to accomplish her goals, and if it doesn't go according to her plan, don't worry — she also has a Plan B and a Plan C waiting in the wings. In romance, she is slightly uncomfortable. According to the profile of INTJs, these types "have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation."
  Alex is a Champion — the ENFP type. He sees life as an exciting drama, filled with possibilities, and wants to experience everything he can. Champions are often reporters, which Alex is, as they not only want to live an exciting life, but also want to share it with the world and can't wait to tell or write about their experiences. Alex is not a plotter or a planner. He's spontaneous, exuberant and messy.
  How does this help me? I don't know yet. But it did serve to put me back in their story and start me thinking about how I get them from point A to B.

My Old Nemesis, The Blank Screen

Don't loaf and invite inspiration; light out after it with a club. – Jack London

      I have a day with no distractions. No chores to do (that can't be ignored), no errands to run. Nobody in the house asking me where that tax document was filed or how many scoops of coffee to use in the new coffee pot.
     It's a good day to write, but I have so far managed to produce a mere 136 words.
     Yet, earlier this week, when I worked five eight-hour-plus days and had so many things on my schedule that I thought Google calendar was going to cry for mercy, I managed to get about 400 words each day. Maybe this means I shouldn't be a full-time writer, since I don't know what to do with a blank page and a blank calendar at the same time.
     Unfortunately, when looking for inspiration, I opened some old WIPs and started tinkering with those stories, which is not what I need to be doing. My resolution for this year is to complete one of the two WIPs that I made my priorities. My brain, however, is fickle and wants to flirt with other stories.
     It may be time to get away from the computer and take a walk. With my club, in case I come across inspiration.
  

The Year of "The End"

    No, not the Mayan prophecy. I’m referring to making 2012 about finishing what I’ve started. Last year, I wrote just under 106,000 words. And finished nothing. This year, that is going to change.
    I’m trying to keep my goals simple, so that I can knock a few items off this list and maybe even add others if time permits. This list is also for my writing goals, not personal ones. Of course, I’m making the annual “make healthier choices, exercise more, be more patient” resolutions. Here, though, are what I want to accomplish while wearing my writer hat (it’s a fedora, of course).
    1.  Write. Every day.
    Even if it’s just a sentence, or a phrase. Write something that relates to the novel that I am working on at that time. An idea that wakes me up, a description, a potential title. That will work. Ideally, it will be many sentences or even a completed scene for the work in progress, but any fiction will count toward this.
    2.  Finish You, Again.
    I want to finish this novel so very much. It feels like I’m wandering aimlessly around the middle third of the book, trying to figure out how to get to the end. I can see it from here, but I’m not sure how to get there. My primary goal for this year is to find that path. I’m currently at about 60,000 words.
    3.  Finish first novella in the trilogy.
    This is a story that makes me happy to write. I just really like it. The characters make me laugh, it’s not overly complicated so I don’t have the same structure issues as the novel. Plus, I have an awesome title. I want to finish this one and get to my critique partner for her thoughts. I’m currently at just under 24,000 words.
    4.  Outline second and third novellas in the trilogy.
    Not only does the first novella make me smile when I’m writing it, the plans for the second two in the series do also. I’m looking forward to writing the two stories that follow, but I’m settling for outlines in 2012.
    5.  Submit something.
    Lower on the list because I need to have completed something first. This is here because I need to make that leap of faith and share my work with someone other than my critique partner (who is incredible, by the way). It could be a submission to a contest, an agent, or a publisher – but as soon as I have something done, I will be looking for places to submit. 

    So, that’s it. I have some reserve goals that I can move up the list, if I accomplish these, but I want to focus on one project at a time. If 2011 taught me anything, it’s that I am not capable of finishing anything if my attention is diverted to a half-dozen projects. This means that I’m mothballing a couple beloved stories – for now. But they will still be there when I finish this list.
    I have my 2012 word-count spreadsheet ready to go, a fresh cup of coffee, and two days before I have to return to work. Let's get to writing.

Everyone's a Winner

View from hotel balcony in Sorrento, looking toward Mt. Vesuvius.

     This has been a lovely five-day weekend, though not very restful. I'm ready for a vacation to recover from the week of house guests, preparations for the Thanksgiving holiday, and then cleaning up after the feast.
     I added another 1,000 words to my Nano total yesterday -- the first time I was able to sit down and write in several days. I also revisited an older WIP that I put on the back burner while I dove into the Nano project and I think I'm ready to pick it up again. The brief trip to the beach in my Nano WIP was a good vacation, but it's time to head back to mid-winter Minnesota.
     First, though, I have several days of Nano left yet and intend to keep writing on my Nano WIP until the deadline. It won't be complete, or anywhere near 50,000 words. But that's not why I did it. I wanted a short-term commitment to jump-start my creativity and that is what happened. I came up with a great, twisty story that I can't wait to flesh out. But I also came up with several ideas about how to fix my other WIP and I'm excited to get back to those characters.
     I may not get the Nano merit badge, but I feel very good about my participation certificate.

Nano - The Planning Stages

    Work, work, work. It’s totally getting the way of my life and my NaNoWriMo project. Because I expected to be tied up with work until early next week, I’m still in the thinking-planning-dreaming phase of my Nano project. And, with some luck, I may get to start writing earlier than I planned.
    In the meantime, I’m pulling together a playlist of music. Actually, I’m putting together two playlists — one for the present day and one from 1992, which is when a major event takes place that has a huge effect on the characters now. Picture it: a cross-country road trip, summer of 1992, a man on the run from the law and from some very bad men, and he’s got his 9-year-old daughter with him. What music is on the radio?
    The present-day playlist has been easy to put together. Here’s what’s been playing on my commute, setting the mood for a beachside mystery. 

• California — Phantom Planet
• Earthquake Weather — Beck
• Still in Hollywood — Concrete Blond
• Into the Ocean — Blue October
• Angeles — Elliott Smith
• The Horizon has been Defeated — Jack Johnson
• Six O’Clock News — Kathleen Edwards
• La Cienega Just Smiled — Ryan Adams
• Dani California — Red Hot Chili Peppers
• California — Rufus Wainwright

    There’s more, but I’m pretty sure the theme is emerging. Or at least perhaps a setting. You may have picked up on it.

     But seriously, anyone who recalls 1992, please suggest some music for my cross-country road-trip.

Not Much Else Going On, Might As Well Write A Novel

    In what must be an insane delusion, I signed up for NaNoWriMo this year. I won’t be starting until my work commitment is finished, so I may only get a half a month to write a novel. I’m still not sure why this seemed like a good idea, but now that I’ve decided to do it, I need to figure out a strategy. Work on the novella trilogy that’s been hounding me? Or on the new idea that just surfaced? Or cheat completely and work on the 2/3-finished novel that I want to wrap up by the end of the year?
    I’m leaning toward the new idea – tentatively titled “Pacific Daylight Time.” If there is such a creature, I'd say it's going to be a noir romance. Now that I think of it, there is probably no such genre. But I’m going with it anyway. Since I have 48 hours before I have to dive back into work, I’m going to work on outlining so I have something to work with when I start writing in a couple weeks.
    While it’s a daunting task to commit to writing 50,000 words in a month (or fewer, since I plan to pro-rate my word count based on my schedule), I’m really looking forward to creating a new world and uncovering the story as I go. After the next couple of weeks at work, I’m going to need a vacation. I’ll just be taking it in my imagination.  

Inspiration Strikes Inconveniently

    I’ve been working long days — 10 to 12 hours — and doing a lot of traveling for work in preparation for a multiple-week work commitment. This not only requires prepping for that, but also getting everything else in the office in such a state that it can be neglected for at least two weeks. I’m exhausted and over-caffeinated.
    I want nothing more than to get a full night of sleep and spend a day or two working on my own writing projects. My imaginary people are waiting for me to get back to them and resolve their problems (they have no idea that things are going to get much worse for them before they get better). I’d like to wrap up one WIP by the end of the year and I can see that light at the end of the tunnel, if I can just find some time to sit down and focus.
    Of course, this is the perfect time for a new story idea to pop into my brain.
    A really good idea, too. One that I desperately want to write. A main character with a fascinating back story and an uncertain future. A setting that I know and love. I’ve even started compiling a soundtrack.    
    And yet, I have no idea when I’ll be able to explore this new world. Already on my plate are a romantic suspense novel that’s about 2/3 complete, and an idea and rough outline for a novella that has been haunting me since summer and which has since morphed into a trilogy of sorts. Not to mention that pesky full-time job.
    So what is it about a pending deadline that sparks my brain to start conjuring new stories to develop and uncover? Why does inspiration strike at the most inconvenient times? Or how can I channel that inspiration to the projects in front of me, so that they get completed?