ROW80 Check-In: 2/6/2011 (late)

I've been bad and have not checked in for a week.  I sort of have a legitimate excuse.  I had a bad stomach virus that had me down for a week.  But I also have to be honest and say that I have been less than motivated on journaling and the other tasks I set for myself.  However, during my down time I was watching a documentary and was inspired with a new idea.  I have begun research on it and I have a couple of books to pick up at the library...which I will do tomorrow.  This subject is something that has fascinated me for a long time and I'm trying to determine how best to tell the story without making it a rehash.  A bit of a challenge, but I think I can work it out.  I'm kicking around some ideas and I think my research will help.  So, in the next couple of days, I'm going to pick up my research materials at the library, continue my research on the new idea, and re-evaluate my goals as far as time spent researching and a new, non-fail approach to journaling.  I will have my new 'system' for you on Wednesday. 

Until then, keep on keeping on!

ROW80 Check-In: 1/26/2011

I'm in a rut...the kind of rut you get in when that terrible trait called procrastination rears it's ugly head.  My ideas are all over the place so the research is not going well and I've even started slacking on the journaling...already! I'm still trying to devote an hour each day, but it's getting hard.  I really probably should have waited until we have completely finished moving (yes, we started moving during the holidays, but due to bad weather, we are still moving stuff from old to new digs...ugh) to sign up for a writing challenge, but I really don't want to put my writing on the back burner anymore.  It's like there is this little subconscious cook inside me that is always trying to slide it on to that back burner.  I think I need to fire him!

So...my goal until next check-in is to reduce my daily time to 45 minutes...for the time being.  That will be 15 minutes for journaling and 30 minutes for research, note taking , etc.  We will see how it goes!  

How are things going in your writing world?

ROW80 Check-In: 1/20/2011

So...I missed the check-in on Sunday because I was prepping for my week long read-a-thon.  Not much to report really.  The journaling is going well and I'm knee deep in the research process.  I may not be actually writing the WIP, but I am writing something daily via journaling and that, in itself, is progress!

ROW80 Check-In: 1/12/2011

Oh God...I'm late with my check-in post...again! As I was telling my friend J (365andme), it's twelve days into 2011 and I still have not improved on the time wasting.  I realize that I'm a work in progress, but I still get exasperated when I don't accomplish what I set out to.  This week so far has been pretty unproductive.  The kids have been out of school since Monday due to the weather so the distraction factor is way up.  I'm not going to re-evaluate my goals though.  I still think an hour a day is manageable.  I just have to get focused on some kind of a schedule.  One thing I have been working on is journaling and I think it's helping.  Hopefully, at the next check-in I'll have some more positive news. 

ROW80 Check-In: 1/9/2011

Not much to update.  Still doing an hour a day (6 days/week)  and still in the planning stages.  I'm also doing some journaling during that hour to help stimulate the writing process.  Hopefully, I will have more to report at the next check in.

ROW80 Check-In: 1/5/2011

I tried to do this update last night, before midnight, but blogger was not cooperating.  Anyway, I am still very much in the planning stage and I'm having to re-evaluate the time I had originally planned on.  I'm finding 1.5 hours too much to commit to with everything going on in my life right now.  So I'm still in planning mode, but I'm dropping my time to one hour per day, six days per week.  Also, 365andMe shared some excellent planning/plotting methods on her blog so I'm thinking of giving them a try.  Thanks! I am still very much committed to this challenge...just have had a bit of a slow start.

ROW80 Goals--Round One

I'm rather late posting my goals for ROW80 as the challenge starts on January 3rd and technically, January 3rd is 8 minutes away! I have been speculating on what it should be for several days and then we had to go over to the old house today and work on packing and moving more of my books.  Love my books, but man it's a pain to move probably around 3000 books! Anyway, I have come up with my goal for now and that will be to write for 1.5 hours per day, six days a week.  The reason I did not say seven days a week is because I spend every Saturday at my mom's house and I really don't think I'll be writing when we're visiting or doing what we do...LOL! Now, at first, my time will be spent doing a little research, taking notes and perhaps outlining or doing character sketches, etc.  It might take me all of round one to accomplish this, but I'm hoping not.  I'm hoping I'll get down to the nitty gritty during round one and get some good words down on paper.

So there it is...1.5 hours per day, six days a week.  It is now a little past midnight and officially January 3rd.  I'm ready to go! And by the way, Happy 40th Birthday to my hubby!